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The winners of the annual United Nations Vienna Civil Society Award established in 1999, which honours individuals and organizations who have made outstanding contributions to the fight against drug abuse, crime and terrorism, received their prizes in Vienna, Austria, on November 21, 2005.
The 2005 winners are the Bogota Children's Shelter (Colombia), Mothers against Drugs (Belarus) and the Rebirth Charity Organization (Iran).
The award is sponsored by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the Government of Austria and the City of Vienna. Each winner receives a medal and a certificate. Since 1999 the award has recognized an array of non-governmental organizations and individuals. From a volunteer working in the slums of Bangkok to a drug rehabilitation centre in Peru, the one thing all winners have in common is an unwavering commitment to their communities.
They represent the thousands of tireless workers around the world who, on a daily basis, strive to improve the lives of the people around them. The sponsoring organizations realize that financial support, when combined with the dedication of such community leaders, can make all the difference.
In paying tribute to these individuals and organizations, UNODC hopes to encourage them to continue their work and to inspire others to join the global coalition dedicated to fostering justice and social progress.
This year for the first time the award was granted to Belarusian non-governmental organization “Mothers against Drugs”.
Established in 2000 to unite parents' efforts to prevent drug abuse among their children, Mothers against Drugs (MAD) has developed and implemented innovative drug abuse prevention programmes among young people. With more than 160 members and 12 regional offices throughout Belarus, MAD also provides information and assistance to drug users, their family members and people living with HIV/AIDS.
For the last five years, MAD has been running the information-prevention programme "Do not let it kill you" together with federal institutions. The programme aims to reduce drug abuse and HIV infections among young people, and it involves former drug users. So far, it has been presented in over 1,200 public schools, colleges and universities in over 30 cities in Belarus.
MAD also created the anonymous consulting service "Your choice", which provides medical information, referrals and legal services to over 100 injecting drug users a month. Furthermore, since 2002, MAD has been implementing a UNDP-sponsored project in the city of Soligorsk, where it has developed an HIV prevention programme for drug users. It also conducts advocacy work. As a result, the number of new HIV cases among injecting drug users has declined significantly.
MAD was the first organization to create self-help groups for families of drug users. Approximately 250 close relatives currently attend weekly meetings. To date, seven groups have been established in six cities.
As part of its awareness-raising efforts, MAD and two partners launched the website "All about drug abuse and assistance to drug dependent people in Belarus" in 2002. The website informs visitors about a wide range of drug abuse-related issues in Belarus. The website is www.narkotiki.by
For further information on the Civil Society Award, please visit: http://www.unodc.org/unodc/civil_society_award_2005.html
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