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Bhurban Murree -- The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has organized a week long training of Trainers (TOT) in collaboration with Ministry of Narcotics Control, Government of Pakistan for the drug treatment professionals of Pakistan at Peral Continental Hotel Bhurban, Murree with the support of United States Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL).

Substance use disorders constitute a public health, developmental and security problem, both in industrialized and developing countries worldwide. Prevention and treatment of drug use disorders are essential demand reduction strategies of significant public health importance and form part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Goals as Target 3.5 of Goal 3 Health for All.

A national drug survey was conducted in Pakistan in 2012 with the purpose of estimating the patterns and prevalence of drug use and addiction in the country. This study provided reliable baseline information on the prevalence and patterns of drug use among the population aged 15 to 64. A series of surveys was conducted throughout the four provinces and Azad Jammu and Kashmir, including interviews of 4,533 high-risk drug users; 58 drug treatment centre representatives; 1,198 key informants; and 51,453 participants randomly selected from the general population. The survey revealed that approximately six per cent of the population, or 6.7 million people had used any controlled substance including misuse of prescription drugs, in the last year.

Building on the results obtained by the Colombo Plan-led UTC implementation in the country, International NL has requested UNODC to take over the UTC process from the CP and to submit a proposal to complete the project in the coming 24 months. This proposal therefore provides the elements which UNODC considers are necessary in order to ensure an effective, realistic and timely implementation of the UTC activities in Pakistan. To further facilitate the effective treatment and rehabilitation of patients and ultimately to reduce the socio-economic burden inflicted by drug dependence in Pakistan the training was planned with the main objective of the Training of the Trainers was to introduce participants to modern training methods and facilitation competencies. Hence to utilizes and deliver training on the evidence-based UTC curriculum, so the participants shall be able to deliver training effectively on the UTC curriculum, to facilitate and to...