Question

what efforts do the WHO and UNDOC have to address the drug problem worldwide

Answer 1

The UNODC‐WHO Programme on Drug Dependence Treatment and Care is a long‐term collaborative
effort of WHO and UNODC to support the development of comprehensive, integrated health‐based
approaches to drug policies that can reduce demand for illicit substances, relieve suffering and
decrease drug‐related harm to individuals, families, communities and societies. This long‐standing
collaboration on drug dependence treatment and care has resulted in joint activities in more than
15 countries during 5 years. The UNODC‐WHO Programme on Drug Dependence Treatment and Care
is closely linked to the Mental Health Gap Action Programme (mhGAP), which was set up by WHO in
November 2008 to identify strategies for scaling up care for mental, neurological and substance use
disorders. This includes disorders due to illicit drug use as one of eight priority conditions.  
In 2014 UNESCO, UNODC and WHO began an inclusive consultative process involving researchers,
policy‐makers and practitioners from the education and school health‐service sectors, governmental
and nongovernmental groups, and other global and regional organizations. This international
consultative process will consider how to provide national education and public health stakeholders
with the best available evidence and standards in preventing and addressing substance use among
young people.  

Other measures taken by both UNODC and WHO are:

1)Prevention and treatment of blood‐borne infections including HIV

2) improved access to controlled medicines.

The United Nations conventions, declarations and resolutions that are most relevant to WHO’s work on psychoactive substances include:  
1) Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989)

2) World Health Assembly resolution WHA43.11 on reduction of demand for illicit drugs (1990)

3) World Health Assembly resolution WHA67.22 on access to essential medicines (2014)

4) World Health Assembly resolution WHA67.19 on palliative care (2014)

5) World Health Assembly resolution WHA63.19 on development of the Global Health Sector Strategy on HIV/AIDS (2011‐2015)

6) World Health Assembly resolution WHA67.6 on viral hepatitis (2014)

7) United Nations General Assembly Declaration on the Guiding Principles of Drug Demand R eduction (1998)