National Drug Council Hosts MEM Workshop

(ZIZ)– The National Drug Council in collaboration with the Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission and the OAS convened the Multilateral Evaluation Mechanism [MEM] Sixth Evaluation round St. Kitts/Nevis Workshop on Monday.

According to Multilateral Evaluation Mechanism Specialist, Karen Sanjines, the MEM is a process designed to measure the progress of action taken by members of the OAS to address drug problems and helps to indentify strengths and weakness in each member state.

She said, “The MEM basically encourages national dialogue on awareness among stakeholders in addressing the drug problem and national drug control policy. It also provides background information, it fosters political will and advancement on drug related polices. It also improves national drug coordination on drug control policies and also multilateral cooperation, opportunities for the countries to be equal partners in this evaluation process.”

Head of the Multilateral Evaluation Mechanism, Angela Crowdy noted that the MEM programme plays an important role in the improvement of national polices for all OAS Member States.

“The Multilateral Evaluation Mechanism or MEM has become more and more visible since it started its first evaluation process over a decade ago. However, during this round it has strengthened its presence within the commission’s work given its reference with its new strategy and its new plan of action. The commission has now looked at the MEM through its evaluation reports as and I quote, ‘the appropriate mechanism to monitor, to evaluate and to improve national and hemispheric policies and actions to address the world drug problem.”

The Multilateral Evaluation Mechanism is an instrument designed to measure the progress of actions taken by the 34 member states of the Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission.

The evaluation reports produced during the MEM process are drafted by government experts designated by OAS Member States.