The abuse of drugs is one of the most significant health, social and economic issues facing the world today. The devastation caused by the abuse of tobacco, alcohol, prescription drugs, inhalants, cannabis, heroin, cocaine, amphetamines, ecstasy and other drugs is a major impediment to economic development and social cohesion.

Who are we

As the 1981 Kuala Lumpur IFNGO Joint Declaration acknowledges, substance abuse transcends ethnic, geographical, political, cultural and religious boundaries, and requires the active participation of the whole community for its control, reduction and eventual eradication (IFNGO, 1996).

Twenty years after the Kuala Lumpur Declaration, it is cause for great concern that these issues are still a major challenge to the global community. Non-government Organisations throughout the world play a leading role in preventing and treating drug abuse. Through the IFNGO, non-government Organisations can share ideas and learn from others’ experiences to create a safer world.
The IFNGO has demonstrated leadership and direction on these issues through its biennial conferences and ASEAN NGO workshops. At its 10th IFNGO ASEAN Workshop it agreed to a number of wide ranging resolutions, which are outlined in Appendix C. Importantly, the workshop resolved to create an ASEAN-NGO Clearinghouse on the Prevention of Drug Abuse, Treatment, Rehabilitation and Research.
At subsequent workshops IFNGO voiced its support for the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (11th IFNGO Workshop, refer Appendix D) and emphasised the importance of maximising the use of Indigenous sports and the Arts as alternative strategies for drug abuse prevention (12th IFNGO Workshop, refer Appendix E).

At its 18th International Conference in Brisbane, Australia, IFNGO outlined its shared vision and way forward. The Recommendations from the 2000 ASEAN Workshop and the Learning’s and Way Forward for IFNGO July 2000 are at Appendix F.

One of the agreed Ways Forward from the 18th IFNGO Conference related to leadership in advocating policies and implementing best practice. It was agreed that IFNGO should develop a common policy statement.

This policy statement recognises that each country has begun the process of addressing the enormous issue of the abuse of drugs and that many member countries are at a different stage of development of a national response.

This policy statement seeks to:

• outline the extent of the global problem and the global strategies that are being put in place to address the problem;
• outline the problems and strategies at a regional level; in selected cases, outline country specific problems and strategies; and
• outline actions that can be taken by individual Organisations and by the IFNGO collectively.

International Federation of Non-Government Organisations for Prevention of Drug & Substance Abuse (IFNGO)