U.S. Department of State, International Narcotics and Law Enforcement (INL) Division, International Demand Reduction (IDR) program:
The goal of the IDR program is to enhance foreign political determination to combat illegal drug abuse and convince governments to dedicate sufficient resources to effective fight this problem.
The objectives of the IDR program are: (1) strengthen the ability to host nations to conduct more effective demand reduction efforts on their own; (2) encourage drug producing and transit countries to invest resources in drug awareness, demand reduction and training to build public support and political will for implementing anti-drug programs; (3) improve coordination of, and cooperation in, international awareness and demand reduction issues involving the U.S., donor countries and international organizations; and (4) utilize accomplishments in the international program to benefit U.S. demand reduction services at home.
Under its contract with the Department of State, Conwal is responsible for working with INL in the following tasks;
Information and Materials Development
- International Demand Reduction Technical Support
- Compilation of Information on Demand Reduction Programs Worldwide
- International Drug Prevention Newsletter and Bulletins
Training and Technical Assistance
- Training and Technical Assistance Program Implementation
Coalition Building/Network Development
- Logistics Support for International and Regional Conferences
Research and Evaluation
- Feasibility, Best Practices and Pilot Studies
- Evaluation Studies
Terms
Demand Reduction includes the provision of information in the areas of drug abuse prevention, education, treatment and rehabilitation, applied research, program development and administration, network/coalition development and maintenance, and other actions intended to help reduce the incidence, prevalence and consequences of drug abuse. Effective demand reduction activities will lead to reduced levels of foreign drug abuse and increased multinational cooperation with the U.S. Government, thereby reducing the magnitude and profitability of the international drug trade.
Drug Abuse Training/Technical Assistance imparts specific information and skills to host country personnel in selected areas (e.g., prevention, treatment, etc.) to permit them to function within the given subject area. Training is typically associated with the presentation of a specific curriculum by a team of trainers that lasts for one-two weeks and is provided to participants from multiple programs. Technical assistance generally involves one or more providers meeting with one recipient program on-site to focus in-depth on pre-defined, clearly articulated, often site-specific problems. Effective training and technical assistance results in increased self-sufficiency within host governments and the private sector.
Program Evaluation is a systematic assessment of the results of program efforts to measure actual outcomes against the intended outcomes of the program; to discover achievement and results; to discover deviations from planned achievements; to judge the worth of the program; to identify unintended consequences; and to recommend expansion, contraction, elimination, or modification of the program.
Coalitions/Networks involve a group of programs (e.g., prevention, treatment) united in a common demand reduction effort. The grouping can involve programs from one country (national coalition), several neighboring countries (regional), or many countries strategically located around the globe (international). The individual programs can be representative of the public and/or private sectors.
