BIG MOVES: Antigua and Barbuda to Chair Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission

Antigua and Barbuda  is set to chair the Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission (CICDA), a body of the Organisation of American States (OAS) based in Washington D.C.

This week, the OAS held a meeting at its headquarters, attended by various officials from Antigua and Barbuda.

During the meeting, Prime Minister Gaston Browne expressed gratitude to the member states for their support of Antigua and Barbuda’s bid to chair the commission.

He highlighted that Antigua and Barbuda is the first nation in the Eastern Caribbean to assume this role.

“This is both an honor and a recognition of the leadership potential that countries like ours can and should embrace on the global stage,” he commented.

He noted the involvement of Caribbean nations and their professionals in significant positions within different CICAD institutions, mentioning Barbados’ vice chair role in the Demand Reduction Expert Group and Trinidad and Tobago’s chairmanship of the Maritime NarcoTrafficking Expert Group, along with its leadership in the Governmental Expert Group of the Multilateral Evaluation Mechanism.

Additionally, PM Browne pointed out that Caribbean professionals have played crucial roles in training and enhancing the capacities of other member states, particularly in developing Early Warning Systems.

The Antigua and Barbuda delegation at the meeting included Lt Col Edwards Croft, head of the UNDCP, Dr. John Swift from the Anti-Drug Strategy Unit, Regis Burton, CEO of the Medicinal Cannabis Authority, Constable Samuel Tonge, RPFAB, Feona Charles-Richards, Director of the Family and Social Services Division & SPARC, Louann Nathaniel, Amanda Peters, and Gillian Joseph, Counsellor at the Embassy of Antigua and Barbuda’s Permanent Mission to the OAS.

Meanwhile, Mr. Colin John Jenkins from The Male Empowerment Network will participate virtually on a panel discussing “Civil Society Perspective on Substance Use Interventions with Gender and Human Rights Approaches.”