Regional focus
Many of the challenges countries face are transnational in nature, such as drug trafficking and related crimes. For this reason, programmes like COPOLAD III use a regional approach that enables common responses to shared problems and strengthens connections among the institutions of the countries affected.
COPOLAD III’s regional actions are structured mainly through joint work with supranational organisations and networks of public institutions and civil society, which bring together:
• Prosecutor’s offices or public ministries (AIAMP)
• Ministries of justice (COMJIB)
• Public defender institutions (AIDEF)
• Financial intelligence units against money laundering (GAFILAT and GAFIC)
• Security institutions (CARICOM-IMPACS)
• Civil society networks dedicated to supporting vulnerable populations (RIOD, RAISSS)
The alliance with these entities offers multiple advantages: it generates greater ownership and sustainability of the action, enables economies of scale, expands influence on the regional and international agenda, and facilitates peer-to-peer exchange, a key driver for change.
COPOLAD III works with these organisations through various forms of support aimed at generating and implementing norms, standards, recommendations, and protocols to improve areas of shared interest. In a second stage, the programme supports their jointly agreed application at the national level.
Among the main topics addressed are: strengthening the criminal prosecution of drug trafficking and related offences —including trafficking in persons and environmental crimes linked to drug markets—; reinforcing financial and asset investigations to dismantle criminal economies; humanising criminal justice; and improving protection and assistance for populations and territories facing high levels of social vulnerability.
How do we support Latin America and the Caribbean?
Drug demand reduction
Humanisation of criminal justice
Strengthening community interventions in highly vulnerable contexts through an integrated support package that included training in the Community Treatment Model (ECO-2 methodology) provided by RAISSS to professionals from 17 countries, the joint development with RIOD of a guide to good practices and intervention models, and technical support for 14 pilot projects in 12 countries to apply and adapt these approaches in the field.
Preparation of a position paper on stigma and drugs, with the participation of national drug agencies or equivalents from 14 countries, as input for moving towards more inclusive and rights-based policies.
Approval of the Ibero-American Minimum Standards for the Humanisation of Criminal and Penitentiary Policy, developed with the Conference of Ministers of Justice of Ibero-American Countries (COMJIB) to promote proportionality and penal alternatives in minor drug offences.
Collaboration with the Inter-American Association of Public Defenders (AIDEF) for the development and approval of a document of Recommendations and Practices for the public legal defence of women criminalised for minor drug offences.
Guidelines with a gender and rights-based approach to address cases in which women and LGTBIQ+ persons who are victims of trafficking are coerced into participating in drug offences, developed together with REDTRAM, RFAI and the Gender Specialised Network of the Ibero-American Association of Public Prosecutor’s Offices (AIAMP).
Reducing the demand for drugs
Alternative Development
Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Jamaica, Suriname and Trinidad & Tobago
- 1 policy paper on stigma and drugs as a reference for addressing this phenomenon in policies, actions and strategies for the comprehensive care and treatment of women and other vulnerable groups who use drugs.
- Compilation of background information on the situation in the countries involved, identification of good practices and exchange of experiences among participating institutions.
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
- 2 regional forums where good practices and lessons learned from Alternative Development initiatives in non-traditional contexts have been exchanged. St. Vincent has shared lessons learned from its public programme of industrial cultivation of medical cannabis. The country’s Cannabis Medicinal Authority (CMA) has learned from the experiences of cannabis legalisation in Uruguay and Jamaica, as well as from Paraguay’s model of industrial hemp cultivation based on small producers.
Control of chemical precursors
Strenghtening of the National Drug Observatories
Jamaica, Suriname, Dominican Republic and Trinidad & Tobago
- 1 national research network in each country led by its National Drug Observatory following the mapping of human, financial and institutional resources.
- 1 Scientific Committee on Drugs in each country to systematically advise each observatory.
- Elaboration of the national drug agenda in Jamaica, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago in which the research priorities in each country will be specified.
Jamaica and Suriname
- Support to the National Council on Drug Abuse of Jamaica to incorporate a gender approach in the methodological design of two studies on drug use in two population profiles: pregnant adolescents and people with disabilities.
- 1 research questionnaire on drug use aimed at the LGTBIQ+ population with a gender approach in Suriname.
Cuba
- Support to the Cuban National Drug Commission in the creation of its National Drug Observatory.
- Technical dialogue with the Cuban authorities, the National Drug Commission and different areas that will have a fundamental role in the Observatory, for the joint design of the Observatory.
- Training on the role, objectives and functions of the National Observatory on Drugs and on the creation of national networks for information, research and the Early Warning System on drugs.
- Exchange of national experiences in Latin America and Europe in each of the processes, promoting dialogue between National Drug Observatories.
Jamaica
- Official launch of the Jamaican Drug Early Warning System in February 2024.
- Training of experts on new psychoactive substances, new consumption practices and the European model Early Warning System (EWS).
Antigua & Barbuda and the Dominican Republic
- 1 regulatory reform to improve the country’s legal tools and manage the chain of custody and final disposal of precursors in a comprehensive manner.
- 1 diagnosis on the management of precursors in the country to develop a comprehensive manual for the management and final disposal of chemical precursors.
- 1 study visit to Costa Rica and on-line training activities for the country’s technical staff on the manual for the management and final disposal of chemical precursors.
Saint Lucia
- 1 protocol for the control of precursor chemicals, which includes foreign trade activities, administrative and operational controls, prosecution and forensic exercise.
Antigua & Barbuda
- 1 software solution for the control of precursor chemicals in the country.
Fighting drug trafficking and organised crime
- Guide to Good Practice on the use of undercover agents (Palermo Guide), developed in conjunction with the AIAMP’s Anti-Drug Prosecutors Network (RFAI).
- Support for the RFAI and the AIAMP’s Environmental Protection Network in the joint development and approval of a diagnosis and guidelines to improve the investigation and prosecution of the environmental impact of drug trafficking.
- Support for the GAFILAT Asset Recovery Network (RRAG), strengthening its capacity for international cooperation through improvements in secure information exchange, specialised training and the development of regional tools for financial investigations and the recovery of illicit assets.
- Collaboration with the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force (CFATF) through a training course on the new money laundering risks associated with virtual assets—including cryptocurrencies—and the development of a technical guide on financial investigations and analysis of emerging risks linked to these instruments.
- COPOLAD III has strengthened the capacities of CARICOM-IMPACS member states through specialised training in combating drug trafficking and new substances, the development of two regional guides and a UNED advanced course on precursor control and investigation.
How do we support Latin America and the Caribbean from COPOLAD III?
Drug demand reduction
Strengthening community interventions in highly vulnerable contexts through an integrated support package that included training in the Community Treatment Model (ECO-2 methodology) provided by RAISSS to professionals from 17 countries, the joint development with RIOD of a guide to good practices and intervention models, and technical support for 14 pilot projects in 12 countries to apply and adapt these approaches in the field.
Preparation of a position paper on stigma and drugs, with the participation of national drug agencies or equivalents from 14 countries, as input for moving towards more inclusive and rights-based policies.
Fight against drug trafficking and organised crime
- Guide to Good Practice on the use of undercover agents (Palermo Guide), developed in conjunction with the AIAMP’s Anti-Drug Prosecutors Network (RFAI).
- Support for the RFAI and the AIAMP’s Environmental Protection Network in the joint development and approval of a diagnosis and guidelines to improve the investigation and prosecution of the environmental impact of drug trafficking.
- Support for the GAFILAT Asset Recovery Network (RRAG), strengthening its capacity for international cooperation through improvements in secure information exchange, specialised training and the development of regional tools for financial investigations and the recovery of illicit assets.
- Collaboration with the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force (CFATF) through a training course on the new money laundering risks associated with virtual assets—including cryptocurrencies—and the development of a technical guide on financial investigations and analysis of emerging risks linked to these instruments.
- COPOLAD III has strengthened the capacities of CARICOM-IMPACS member states through specialised training in combating drug trafficking and new substances, the development of two regional guides and a UNED advanced course on precursor control and investigation.
Reducing the demand for drugs
Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Jamaica, Suriname and Trinidad & Tobago
- 1 policy paper on stigma and drugs as a reference for addressing this phenomenon in policies, actions and strategies for the comprehensive care and treatment of women and other vulnerable groups who use drugs.
- Compilation of background information on the situation in the countries involved, identification of good practices and exchange of experiences among participating institutions.
Alternative Development
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
- 2 regional forums where good practices and lessons learned from Alternative Development initiatives in non-traditional contexts have been exchanged. St. Vincent has shared lessons learned from its public programme of industrial cultivation of medical cannabis. The country’s Cannabis Medicinal Authority (CMA) has learned from the experiences of cannabis legalisation in Uruguay and Jamaica, as well as from Paraguay’s model of industrial hemp cultivation based on small producers.
Strenghtening of the National Drug Observatories
Jamaica, Suriname, Dominican Republic and Trinidad & Tobago
- 1 national research network in each country led by its National Drug Observatory following the mapping of human, financial and institutional resources.
- 1 Scientific Committee on Drugs in each country to systematically advise each observatory.
- Elaboration of the national drug agenda in Jamaica, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago in which the research priorities in each country will be specified.
Jamaica and Suriname
- Support to the National Council on Drug Abuse of Jamaica to incorporate a gender approach in the methodological design of two studies on drug use in two population profiles: pregnant adolescents and people with disabilities.
- 1 research questionnaire on drug use aimed at the LGTBIQ+ population with a gender approach in Suriname.
Cuba
- Support to the Cuban National Drug Commission in the creation of its National Drug Observatory.
- Technical dialogue with the Cuban authorities, the National Drug Commission and different areas that will have a fundamental role in the Observatory, for the joint design of the Observatory.
- Training on the role, objectives and functions of the National Observatory on Drugs and on the creation of national networks for information, research and the Early Warning System on drugs.
- Exchange of national experiences in Latin America and Europe in each of the processes, promoting dialogue between National Drug Observatories.
Jamaica
- Official launch of the Jamaican Drug Early Warning System in February 2024.
- Training of experts on new psychoactive substances, new consumption practices and the European model Early Warning System (EWS).
Control of chemical precursors
Antigua & Barbuda and the Dominican Republic
- 1 regulatory reform to improve the country’s legal tools and manage the chain of custody and final disposal of precursors in a comprehensive manner.
- 1 diagnosis on the management of precursors in the country to develop a comprehensive manual for the management and final disposal of chemical precursors.
- 1 study visit to Costa Rica and on-line training activities for the country’s technical staff on the manual for the management and final disposal of chemical precursors.
Saint Lucia
- 1 protocol for the control of precursor chemicals, which includes foreign trade activities, administrative and operational controls, prosecution and forensic exercise.
Antigua & Barbuda
- 1 software solution for the control of precursor chemicals in the country.
Humanisation of criminal justice
Approval of the Ibero-American Minimum Standards for the Humanisation of Criminal and Penitentiary Policy, developed with the Conference of Ministers of Justice of Ibero-American Countries (COMJIB) to promote proportionality and penal alternatives in minor drug offences.
Collaboration with the Inter-American Association of Public Defenders (AIDEF) for the development and approval of a document of Recommendations and Practices for the public legal defence of women criminalised for minor drug offences.
Guidelines with a gender and rights-based approach to address cases in which women and LGTBIQ+ persons who are victims of trafficking are coerced into participating in drug offences, developed together with REDTRAM, RFAI and the Gender Specialised Network of the Ibero-American Association of Public Prosecutor’s Offices (AIAMP).