Recent Events

Drug Prevention, Treatment and Harm Reduction: Scaling-up of Red Cross-Red Crescent Best Practices, Rome, 14-15 December 2009

As announced during the Rome Consensus Europe Conference in March this year, the Rome Consensus for a Humanitarian Drug Policy has entered its second phase, focusing on training, concrete information exchange and scaling-up of best practices through the entire network of the Red Cross in Europe. To mark this important next phase, a first two-day Seminar entitled Drug Prevention, Treatment and Harm Reduction: Scaling-up of Red Cross-Red Crescent Best Practices was held in Rome on the 14th and 15th of December, 2009.

Supported by the European Commission and the International Council on Security and Development (ICOS), this Seminar brought together practitioners from all European National Societies to tackle three concrete drug policy interventions in the fields of prevention, treatment and harm reduction and discuss how these best practices could be implemented throughout the wider network of the Red Cross-Red Crescent.

Programme (EN)

Presentations (PPT):
• British Red Cross: Community Based First Aid Work With Drug Users (EN)
• British Red Cross: Community Based First Aid Work With Drug Users (EN)
• Rome Consensus Coordination Team: Update on the EU Strategy and DPIP (EN)
• Fabio Patruno: The Network ERNA (EN)
• Macedonian Red Cross: Harm reduction Programme - Overdose, A Major Cause Of Avoidable Death (EN)
• Bulgarian Red Cross and Bulgarian Red Cross Youth Experience and Practices: Peer Education in Drug Prevention (EN)
• Portuguese Red Cross Youth: Overview on Activities in the Drug Field (EN)
• Elizabeth Sαenz: UNODC-WHO Joint Programme on Drug Dependence Treatment and Care: an Update (EN)
• Spanish Red Cross: Attention and Treatment for Persons with Drug Dependency Problems in Penitentiary Centers (EN)
• Villa Maraini (IT)

Speech (PDF):
• Dr. Massimo Barra (Co-chair Rome Consensus for a Humanitarian Drug Policy)

• Download the full report here
• Download the Pictures from the event (Zip, 48Mb)

Cyprus join the Rome Consensus

The Rome Consensus coordination team is delighted to report that the Cyprus Red Cross became signatory to the Rome Consensus on December 15th 2009, during the recent Rome Seminar.

The Maldives join the Rome Consensus

November 23rd - We are delighted to welcome the Maldives' Red Cross to the Rome Consensus for a Humanitarian Drug Policy. We are looking forward to working with this National Society on all the upcoming Rome Consensus projects and events.

2009 – The Rome Consensus welcomes five new signatories

We are delighted to welcome the British Red Cross (September 10), the French Red Cross (May 26), the Macedonian Red Cross (March 27), the Mauritius Red Cross (February 27) and the Monaco Red Cross (January 6) to the Rome Consensus for a Humanitarian Drug Policy. We are looking forward to working with these five National Societies on all the upcoming Rome Consensus projects and events.

On the left, the British Red Cross signing the Rome Consensus (London, 10 September).

Rome Consensus Activities at Solferino 2009

On the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the foundation of the Red Cross – Red Crescent Movement, the Rome Consensus participated to the activities of Solferino 2009. The Consensus coordination hosted a workshop on youth and drugs on the 25th of June and a round table on a Red Cross and Red Crescent Humanitarian Response to stigma and discrimination linked to drug use, on the 27 of June. The Rome Consensus and its European initiative Rome Consensus Europe were presented as effective means to promote and implement humanitarian approaches to drug policy in the Red Cross movement - Red Crescent Movement and especially among the youth.

• Report (EN)

Rome Consensus Europe Conference Rising to the Challenge of Drug Use in Europe, Madrid - 26 and 27 March 2009

The Rome Consensus Europe Conference, Rising to the Challenge of Drug Use in Europe hosted in Madrid by the Spanish Red Cross on the 26-27 March 2009 is an initiative of the Rome Consensus supported by the European Commission and the International Council on Security and Development (ICOS).

The Rome Consensus Europe Conference, Rising to the Challenge of Drug Use in Europe brought together National Societies of Red Cross and Red Crescent in Europe, European Union (EU) institution representatives and other leading practitioners to exchange best practices in prevention, treatment and care, and explore concrete ways for National Societies to contribute to drug policy responses in Europe.

• Press Release

• The Programme ENG - FR - ESP

• The Youth Meeting Programme ENG - ESP

• The Participants List ENG - FR - ESP

• The Presentation at the Meetings – 26 March

• The Presentation at the Meetings - 27 March

Rome Consensus Regional Meeting for Eastern and Southern Africa – Entebbe, Uganda 4-5 July 2008

The Rome Consensus Regional Meeting for Eastern and Southern Africa gathered Presidents and Secretary Generals from Red Cross National Societies from the region to discuss the drug policy situation in Southern and Eastern Africa and the Red Cross – Red Crescent engagement in Humanitarian Drug Policy.

Red Cross – Red Crescent World Congress on Humanitarian Drug Policy – Barcelona, Spain 5-7 March 2008

The Red Cross- Red Crescent World Congress on Humanitarian Drug Policy was hosted by the Spanish Red Cross with the support of The International Council on Security and Development (ICOS) in Barcelona on 5-7 March 2008. The Congress, with the participation of over sixty National Societies of Red Cross and Red Crescent, aimed at engaging the whole RC/RC movement in the formulation and implementation of humanitarian approaches to global drug policy.

Rome Consensus First African Regional Meeting – Praia Cape Verde, 13-16 December 2007

Seventeen National Societies of Red Cross and Red Crescent from Western Africa met in Cape Verde to discuss the opportunity the Rome Consensus represents for National Societies in the region to mobilize on drug policy issues. The meeting was hosted by the Cape Verde Red Cross and was supported by The International Council on Security and Development (ICOS).

Rome Consensus Regional Meeting for the Caribbean and Central America

The Rome Consensus Regional Meeting for the Caribbean and Central America, hosted in St Georges, Grenada by the Grenada Red Cross and The International Council on Security and Development (ICOS) presented the Rome Consensus for a Humanitarian Drug policy as a key framework to engage Red Cross Societies in the Caribbean islands in humanitarian solutions for regional drug challenges.

The Rome Consensus Regional Meeting for Asia and the Pacific

The meeting was hosted by The Philippine National Red Cross Society in partnership with The International Council on Security and Development (ICOS) in Manila on 27-29 September 2007. The Meeting raised awareness on drug policy concerns, teasing out the main issues regarding substance abuse in Asia and the Pacific, and opened a fruitful debate on drug policy.