Zarei: Effectiveness of Anti-Drug Programs Must Be Measured

The Deputy Secretary-General of the Headquarters for Combating Narcotics emphasized that the success of programs is not determined solely by the number of actions taken, and their impact on reducing harm must be examined.

According to Ambassador Arjan Mohammad Zarei, Deputy Secretary General of the Anti-Narcotics Headquarters, in the meeting of the Anti-Narcotics Task Force of the Expediency Council, he appreciated the expert efforts made to compile and redesign the indicators for evaluating the implementation of general anti-narcotics policies during the past year, and emphasized the need to operationalize these indicators and use them to measure the performance of the responsible agencies.

Referring to the importance of continuous evaluation of plans and macro policies, he stated: Every plan must be able to be evaluated; Because without certain indicators, it will not be possible to measure the degree of achievement of goals, identify weak points and modify the implementation path. Therefore, it is necessary to carefully examine the measures taken in the field of fighting against drugs within the framework of the announced policies of the martyred leader and the announced indicators and clearly explain their results.

Stating that numerous activities in the field of countermeasures, prevention and treatment do not necessarily mean achieving the desired results, the Deputy Secretary General of the Anti-Narcotics Headquarters stated: it must be determined what achievements the actions have achieved, which programs have reached their goals, what obstacles exist in the way of implementation and what solutions should be taken to eliminate the shortcomings.

Zarei added: performance evaluation should not be limited to reporting activities, holding training courses or announcing the number of actions; Rather, it should be clear with what purpose each action was taken, what problem it solved and what effect it had on reducing the harm caused by drugs.

Pointing to the necessity of turning the redesigned indicators into an executive mechanism, Zarei said: These indicators should be turned into clear models and evaluation checklists so that they can be used as a basis for measuring performance and tracking responsibilities both in the secretariat of the anti-narcotics headquarters and in the member institutions.

He added: General anti-narcotics policies are not only aimed at the Headquarters Secretariat, but different institutions of the country are responsible for implementing them according to their missions and tasks. Therefore, it is necessary to check the fulfillment of the obligations of each institution in a specific way and the results of the evaluations will be the basis for follow-up and demands.

National anti-narcotics programs need continuous follow-up

Referring to the preparation of the Islamic Republic of Iran's anti-narcotics program and the consolidation of the programs of the responsible institutions in the form of a national program, he stated: The preparation of this program is a valuable and important step; But its effectiveness will depend on continuous follow-up, demanding from the devices and accurate evaluation of actions and results.

Zarei emphasized: merely compiling and communicating plans is not enough to achieve goals. It should be determined to what extent the institutions have fulfilled their obligations and what consequences and results their actions have brought. Otherwise, even comprehensive and expert programs may not be effective in the implementation stage.

Policy reform should be based on evidence and pathology

Referring to the comprehensiveness of the 11 policies of the Imam Shahid Expediency Council in 2005 and the foresight of these policies, the Deputy Secretary General of the Narcotics Control Staff said: This area has faced extensive changes at the global level and the country's plans should also be reviewed taking into account current conditions, social developments and future needs.

In response to some opinions of experts to review the policies, he said: Before making any decisions about reforming general policies, it is necessary to determine to what extent the existing policies have been implemented and what the success or failure of the measures has been, and according to the evaluation of the headquarters, the promulgated policies have had such a strategic depth and far-sighted view that over the past 20 years, despite the developments in the field of drugs and addiction in the country and the surrounding environment, they have shown their comprehensiveness and efficiency. have given

The need to review prevention and treatment approaches

Referring to the importance of the pathology of prevention and treatment programs, he stated: In reviewing new plans, past experiences should be used and before implementing the plans, the strengths and weaknesses of previous measures should be carefully evaluated.

Referring to the development plans in the field of treatment and the creation of Hope and Life Centers, the Deputy Secretary General of the Anti-Narcotics Department said: In formulating and implementing such programs, it is necessary to review the performance of previous plans, including the centers subject to Article 16 of the Anti-Narcotics Law, in order to determine to what extent these measures have achieved their intended goals and what reforms are needed to increase their effectiveness.

Zarei also emphasized the need to use the capacity of the scientific community, researchers, experts and pioneers in this field and demanded that research findings and future studies be used effectively in the process of policy making, planning and implementation of national plans.

He stated that the design of long-term plans without considering future needs cannot be the answer to the developments in this field, adding: Decisions about new plans, especially those that require significant resources and time, should be made based on a detailed understanding of the problem, evaluation of past experiences, and prediction of future trends.

In another part of his speech, Zarei pointed to the change in the attitude of a part of the society, especially the youth, towards the use of drugs, and emphasized the need to strengthen preventive measures and review the methods of dealing with this issue.

He stated that the effectiveness of the fight against drugs is not only limited to countermeasures, but changing the society's attitude towards drug use, increasing social participation and strengthening prevention programs are also of fundamental importance. Therefore, it should be determined in which areas of prevention, education and awareness we are facing weakness and how to create more companionship in the society by eliminating these shortcomings.

In the end, Zarei emphasized the President's decision as the head of the anti-narcotics headquarters and the scientific approach in the recent era, and considered the interactive spirit of Dr. Zulfiqari, the representative of the president, as a good opportunity for synergy between the member agencies of the headquarters and the Expediency Recognition Council.

He pointed out the necessity of using expert and research capacities to improve the effectiveness of anti-narcotics policies: policies should be reviewed based on a detailed assessment of performance, identification of implementation obstacles, and review of the results of actions.