Newsletter – n°25 – December 2013

Initiative worth following

Catalonia is a reference in the definition, implementation and evaluation of public policies, and has a wide range of technical knowledge, good practices and expertise that nurture its development cooperation policy.

The various steering plans for Catalonia development cooperation include technical cooperation in various fields, in particular in the field of health.

In this context an agreement was signed in 2008 between Catalonia and Morocco, more precisely between the technical units of both countries responsible for policies to fight addiction (Sub-Directorate General for drug abuse of the Catalan Health Ministry and the Directorate for epidemiology and fight diseases of the Moroccan Health Ministry). This agreement gave birth to the programme "Support to the implementation of the strategy to reduce the risk of contamination by HIV and hepatitis and to the launching of a programme of supplying methadone to drug addicts in the region of Tanger-Tétouan”.

The programme allows to support innovative initiatives in the fight against drug addiction and AIDS. Similarly, it allows to improve knowledge, treatment and care provided in the Catalan centres of detoxification, used by Northern Africans.

The Ministry of health of Catalonia provides technical expertise in the definition and evaluation of actions to treat addiction and to reduce the harm associated with drug use. Actions concentrate mainly on the implementation of programmes of treatment with methadone, professional exchange, prevention strategies, creation of self-help groups for affected people and awareness campaigns to prevent discrimination and stigmatisation of patients.

It complies with the national strategy of mental health and fight against addiction and with the national action plan to reduce risks of contamination and prevention of HIV and hepatitis among drug users, adopted by the Moroccan Ministry of health. The two plans are supported by the World Health Organisation, UNAIDS and UNODC, as well as by other international organisations, such as the Global Funds to fight aids, tuberculosis and Malaria, the European Union or the GIZ.

This agreement enabled Morocco to develop the first treatment programme with methadone implemented in the Arab countries.