International Addiction Congress Brings Together Leading Practitioners in Tehran
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11 September 2014 The 8th International Congress on Addiction Sciences is being held in Tehran at the Iran University of Medical Science from 10-12 September 2014. 
UNODC's booth at the 8th International Addiction Congress
The Congress is being conducted in cooperation with the Cellular and Molecular Research Centre of Iran University of Medical Sciences, the Substance Abuse and Dependence Research Centre of the University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences, the Health Ministry's Office for Social and Psychological Health and Addiction, the State Welfare Organization's Department for Prevention, the Drug Control Headquarters (DCHQ) Office for Research and Training, the Iranian Neuroscience Society, and a number of Governmental and state-run organizations as well as Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs).
At the opening session, Dr. Ali Farhoodian, Congress Secretary, reported on the organization of the Congress and thanked supporters, which also included the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF). He said that the Congress had received 1,350 articles on drug use and that he expected more than 2000 practitioners to participate, with international experts coming from the United States, Denmark, Australia, Italy, Egypt, Canada, Pakistan, United Kingdom, and Spain.
Ms. Shahindokht Molaverdi, Vice President of Iran for Women and Family Affairs, highlighted in her opening statement the issue and need to address increasing female drug abuse as well as to overcome certain cultural prejudices.
Dr. Alireza Jazini, Deputy Secretary General of DCHQ, spoke of the role of DCHQ and the many activities the Government of Iran has undertaken to prevent, treat, and rehabilitate drug users.
(Dr. Joghataie, sixth from the right)
Dr. Mohammad Taghi Joghataie, Congress Chair and Head of the University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences, spoke of the objectives of the Congress and his expectations.
Mr. Leik Boonwaat, UNODC Representative to Iran, said in his opening remarks that Iran is heavily impacted by the problem of drugs, both in terms of trafficking as well as drug use. According to the reports of the Iranian DCHQ, about 500,000 Iranians are treated every year for drug dependence and several millions of Iranians have taken part in drug prevention activities annually. He said that the present congress serves to improve scientific study and documentation of programmes as well as collection of information on drug use. It is an excellent opportunity to also bring together different practitioners in the field of drug dependence. UNODC is supporting this important congress, under its Regional Programme for Afghanistan and Neighbouring Countries. Mr. Boonwaat thanked the organizers for bringing about this unique opportunity for knowledge and information sharing. He said that he looked forward to seeing that lessons learnt will enable more evidence-based responses with a strong focus on public health, integrating prevention, treatment and social rehabilitation measures in a balanced, cooperative and comprehensive manner.
This activity was supported by EU.
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