Bissau hosts Regional Meeting on Drug Policy and Public Health in Portuguese-speaking Countries

The Portuguese Cultural Center in Bissau hosted the Regional Meeting “Working Together for Public Health: Minimizing the Harm and Risk of Illegal Drug Use in Portuguese-speaking Countries.”

The meeting, held on March 4, brought together government representatives, international agencies, academia, and civil society from Portuguese-speaking countries, reinforcing the importance of coordinated responses based on scientific evidence and human rights.

In the opening session, Luís Mendão, from the Treatment Activists Group and representing the Lusophone Community Health Network, emphasized that “there can be no effective public health without the active involvement of communities,” underscoring the central role of Lusophone cooperation.

Throughout the morning, the panel on the role of international agencies featured interventions from the European Union and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), reinforcing the need to align funding, knowledge, and public policies with local realities.

In the debate on community-led responses, the transition from punitive approaches to health-centered models was emphasized. As highlighted during the panel, “evidence shows that investing in prevention, risk reduction, and care is more effective than punishment.”

The afternoon session, under the slogan “Nothing About Us Without Us,” brought community leadership and the participation of people who use drugs in defining strategies and policies to the center of the discussion. The intervention of institutional and community representatives reinforced the importance of integrating different perspectives in building sustainable responses.

At the close, the commitment to cohesive Lusophone cooperation was reaffirmed, linking health, justice, and development with a view to reducing harm, strengthening health systems, and promoting more humane and effective public policies.

The meeting was a concrete step toward consolidating a common agenda among Portuguese-speaking countries, placing public health at the center of drug policies.