Overview
COPOLAD III is a cooperation programme that supports drug policy reform in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). It assists partner countries in designing and implementing more balanced, comprehensive and evidence-based drug policies, integrating public health, human rights, gender equality and citizen security approaches. Through technical cooperation and bi-regional dialogue under the EU–CELAC Coordination and Cooperation Mechanism on Drugs, the programme addresses both drug demand and supply in a coherent and coordinated manner.
In a context of increasingly complex drug markets, rising drug-related violence and growing problematic drug use, COPOLAD III strengthens institutional capacities to respond to organised crime, improve prevention, treatment and harm reduction systems, and promote proportional and sustainable policy responses. By mobilising European and LAC public expertise through peer-to-peer and multi-country cooperation, the programme contributes to safer communities, stronger institutions and improved public health outcomes across both regions.
Key information
- Location: Latin America and the Caribbean (Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Dominican Republic, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Uruguay and Venezuela)
- Duration: February 2021 – February 2029
- Budget: € 23 million
- EU contribution: 100%
- Topics: Human development, Peace and governance, Health and demography, Human rights and fundamental values, Gender equality, Peace and security
- Implementing partners:
- FIAP – Foundation for the Internationalisation of Public Administrations (Spain) – Lead implementing partner
- IILA – International Italo-Latin American Organization (Italy) – Consortium partner
- Collaborating partners
- Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH – Germany
- European Union Drugs Agency (EUDA)
Approach and objectives
Drug markets are becoming more diversified, violent and interconnected across regions. According to the World Drug Report 2025 of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, 292 million people used illicit drugs in 2022, representing a 20% increase over the past decade, while only one in eleven people with drug use disorders receives treatment. The drug phenomenon increasingly affects public health, citizen security, democratic governance, social cohesion and the environment.
In Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), the expansion of methamphetamine, coca derivatives, high-potency cannabis and synthetic drug mixtures is increasing health risks and deepening social vulnerabilities. Drug trafficking fuels territorial control by organised crime, high homicide rates and the recruitment of young people, weakening institutions and community resilience. Drug production also contributes to deforestation, chemical contamination and broader environmental degradation.
These dynamics are closely linked to Europe. LAC remains the main source of the cocaine consumed in the EU. According to the European Union Drugs Agency (EUDA), cocaine availability in Europe is at historically high levels, contributing to rising health harms and increasingly complex drug-related violence. Transnational criminal networks exploit regulatory gaps in precursor control, financial systems and logistics chains, reinforcing the need for shared responsibility and coordinated action.
In this context, COPOLAD III aims to contribute to the reduction of drug demand, drug supply and related harms in LAC by strengthening balanced, evidence-based and human rights-centred drug policies.
The programme focuses on:
- strengthening institutional capacities to design and implement comprehensive drug policies
- promoting public health responses, including prevention, treatment and harm reduction
- supporting proportionate and gender-sensitive justice responses
- improving monitoring systems and evidence-based policymaking
- reinforcing bi-regional cooperation between the European Union and Latin America and the Caribbean.
Through this integrated approach, COPOLAD III contributes to safer societies, stronger institutions and a more effective EU–LAC partnership, aligned with the La Paz Declaration and the EU Drugs Strategy.
Actions
COPOLAD III applies a multi-level, demand-driven cooperation model and is implemented through four main areas:
- Strengthening National Drug Observatories and Early Warning Systems.
- Improving prevention, treatment, harm reduction and social inclusion policies.
- Enhancing responses to drug trafficking and related crimes, including drug-related violence, money laundering, precursor control and environmental impacts, while promoting proportional justice responses and sustainable alternative development.
- Reinforcing the EU–CELAC Coordination and Cooperation Mechanism on Drugs.
Implementation is structured through National, Multi-country and Regional Roadmaps, jointly agreed with partner countries. These roadmaps define priorities, activities and expected results while ensuring alignment between national priorities and regional cooperation objectives.
The programme uses several cooperation modalities, including tailored technical assistance, specialised advisory support, peer-to-peer exchanges and study visits, capacity-building and certified training (including training of trainers), analytical and comparative work, policy dialogue and high-level or technical meetings, as well as pilot initiatives and innovation labs.
