On April 12th, WFAD had the honour to join the G2H2 Policy Debate with the theme “Growing Up Safe: Public Health Approaches to Drug Use Prevention and Treatment in Childhood and Adolescence”, hosted by Dianova International. The session explored the intersection of health and drug policies as they relate to children and adolescents. It addressed the current gaps and opportunities in aligning public health strategies with drug policy, advocating for approaches that are grounded in scientific evidence and rooted in human rights.

The speakers included:

• Anja Busse (WHO) – Unit Head, Drugs, Alcohol and Addictive Behaviours
• Oriol Esculies (Proyecto Hombre, Spain) – International Delegate of Proyecto Hombre
• Shrooq Mansour Ali (Grant Officer) – Psychiatric Care Developmental Foundation
• Christina Von Sperling Afridi (KKAWF, Pakistan) – Founder of KKAWF
• Rajesh Kumar (SPYM, India) – Director General of SPYM
• Cressida de Witte (WFAD, Sweden) – Programme Coordinator & Communication Manager at WFAD
• Rebecca Haines-Saah (Cumming School of Medicine – University of Calgary, Canada)
• Wadih Maalouf (UNODC) – Programme Officer, Prevention, Treatment and Rehabilitation Section
• Dr. Gisela Hansen (Dianova International) – Head of International Relations at Dianova International, Moderator