Brasilia, 26 June 2024. The Center for Drug Studies and Community Social Development (CDESC) held its first International Seminar as part of the activities of the National Drug Policy Week, promoted by the National Drug Policy Secretariat of the Ministry of Justice and Public Security (SENAD/MJSP).
The event featured presentations and discussions on national and international experiences related to drug policies and alternative development in Brazil and globally. A strong emphasis was placed on the promotion of human rights, particularly towards most vulnerable groups. The impact of illicit economies in the Amazon and strategies to strengthen tailored local drug policies gained special focus at the event, with the presentation of data and analysis on drug trafficking in the region and its convergence with other crimes.
The Center for Drug Studies and Community Social Development (CDESC) is the result of a partnership between the National Drug Policy Secretariat of the Ministry of Justice and Public Security (SENAD/MJSP), the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP). The new vision of the Center, now encompassing a broader focus on alternative development, was launched during the seminar's opening ceremony, and counted with the attendance of the Minister of Justice and Public Security, Mr. Ricardo Levandowski, and the Director of UNODC in Brazil, Ms. Elena Abbati.
With a focus on urban peripheries, the Amazon Rainforest and Brazilian borders, CDESC produces research and public policies modelling with multidisciplinary approaches, including geospatial, environmental and socioeconomic aspects. The National Secretary for Drug Policy, Ms. Marta Machado, explained that the work carried out by CDESC is anchored in the United Nations Guiding Principles on Alternative Development, which celebrate their 10th anniversary this year.
The Cooperation Program between Latin America, the Caribbean and the European Union on Drug Policies (Copolad III) supported CDESC in organizing this Seminar.
At the event, CDESC presented the report "Drug trafficking in the Amazon and effects on the environment", which seeks to explore possible connections between the actions of drug trafficking and environmental degradation. The research uses information from drug trafficking seizures made by the state police of Amazonas and Pará and analyses them in conjunction with environmental deforestation data, analyzing the scenario and proximity of these phenomena in indigenous and quilombola lands.
The report “Drug trafficking in the Amazon and effects on the environment” in Portuguese is available here.
The complete web story in Portuguese is available here.
