The Commission for the Suppression of Drug Abuse of the Government of the Republic of Srpska, with the support of the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare of Srpska, held on Thursday, 4 December 2025, in Banja Luka, the Sixth Symposium “Systemic Response to Addiction Disorders” with international participation, on the occasion of marking the Month of the Fight against Addiction Disorders, with the main topic “Addiction Disorders – Where Are We Now?”. The symposium was held at the Administrative Centre of the Government of the Republic of Srpska. The aim of this symposium was that the exchange of professional knowledge and experience of participants and guests contribute to the improvement of policies in the field of combating the abuse of narcotic drugs.

The working part of the Symposium was organised in two thematic areas. The first panel addressed the topic “Institutional Response in Combating Drug Abuse”, and the second panel dealt with “Problems of Addictive Behaviour among Youth – ‘Youth and (In)dependence’”.

The symposium was also attended by Mr Milan Pekić, Director of the Office for the Fight against Drugs of the Government of the Republic of Serbia. He had the honour, as a panellist, to open the symposium and the first panel entitled “Institutional Response in Combating Drug Abuse” and to present key data relating to drug policies in the Republic of Serbia. Within that panel, the speakers included: the Chair of the Commission for the Suppression of Drug Abuse in the Republic of Srpska, as well as representatives of the Ministry of the Interior of the Republic of Srpska, the Ministry of Family, Youth and Sports of the Republic of Srpska, and the Ministry of Education and Culture of the Republic of Srpska.

He reminded those present and the public that in February of this year a Memorandum of Cooperation in the field of the fight against drug abuse was signed between the Office for the Fight against Drugs of the Government of the Republic of Serbia and the Commission for the Suppression of Drug Abuse in the Republic of Srpska. The goal of this Memorandum is to improve communication, exchange of information, data and experiences, as well as to promote cooperation in the field of combating drug abuse. In addition, he expressed his satisfaction with the invitation to participate in this event, emphasising the importance of a regional approach to addressing the challenges associated with drug abuse.