At the 67th session of the Commission for Narcotic Drugs (CND), which was held between the 18th and 22nd March 2024 in Vienna, the Office for Combating Drugs of the Government of the Republic of Serbia organized a round table. The event was organized with the support of international organizations – the United Nations Office against Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the European Monitoring Center for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA), as well as with the support of a regional civil society organization called “Celebrate recovery” from Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Croatian Institute of Public Health, on March 19, 2024.

The theme of this year’s round table is the presentation of the Global Document on Recovery. As the road to recovery is riddled with challenges that involve raising the awareness of individuals and society, the speakers will pay special attention to the importance of recovery and finding effective solutions to overcome existing obstacles. The event in question was formally opened by the permanent representative of the Republic of Serbia to the OSCE and other international organizations in Vienna, prof. Dr. Ambassador Žarko Obradović, who stated on that occasion that the Republic of Serbia is ready to continue successful cooperation in the prevention and prevention of drug abuse with the United Nations Office for the Fight against Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and thus provide support in implementing our obligations from the relevant conventions and UN protocols. In addition to the successful cooperation with the UNODC, the Republic of Serbia achieves a successful cooperation with the European Center for Monitoring and Monitoring of Drug Addiction Diseases (EMCDDA), which involves several different levels of cooperation, with a special focus on providing support for the approximation of the national legislation and policy of Serbia to the legislation of the European Union Union and policies related to drug issues, including information systems. In the coming period, the Republic of Serbia will continue to contribute to the strengthening of bilateral cooperation with countries in the region, which implies cooperation both at the central and local levels of government, but also cooperation with civil society organizations operating in the countries of the region, in order to prevent the spread of stigmatization, and further discrimination, in connection with the recovery process, approached in a comprehensive, multidisciplinary way.

The representative of the Office for Combating Drugs of the Government of the Republic of Serbia, Branislava Cincarević, took the floor and spoke on the topic entitled “Therapeutic communities in the Republic of Serbia in the context of recovery”. She presented the work of the Office, as well as cooperation with civil society organizations. Recovery is a personalized process of building strengths over time and creating opportunities that allow individuals to build their own capital for recovery, defined as the breadth and depth of internal and external resources that can be used to initiate and sustain recovery from alcohol and drug problems. The characteristics of civil society organizations that provide support in the process of resocialization of people with addiction are as follows: non-profit associations, the principle of voluntariness is represented, for people in recovery, accommodation and food are provided, therapy is based on a series of non-pharmacological methods, the system and structure of work is clearly defined within the organization, active and responsible participation in all activities within the community (work in the carpentry workshop, cooking, building adaptation works).

The speakers were also Borislav Goić, representative of the civil society organization “Celebrate Recovery” from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Anja Busse – in front of the United Nations Office for the Fight against Drugs and Crime, Cécile Martel in front of the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction, Dr. Ed Day in front of the Government of the United Kingdom, Mr. Željko Petković in front of the Croatian Institute of Public Health.