The Mediterranean School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs (MedSPAD) held its annual committee meeting on 31 May - 1 June 2023 in Rabat, Morocco, which was the opportunity to celebrate its launch in Rabat 20 years ago. The meeting has been organised by the Council of Europe/Pompidou Group in the framework of the joint European Union (EU) and Council of Europe (CoE) Programme "Protecting human rights, rule of law and democracy through shared standards in the Southern Mediterranean" (South Programme V, co-funded by the EU and the CoE. The objectives of the meeting were to share the results of the surveys carried out between 2020-2022 in Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia and the results of the 4th regional report carried out by the CNR and the Pompidou Group, to present and discuss the results of a large research on the use of school surveys in prevention policies and to encourage the use of the MedSPAD methodology. The Committee members had the opportunity to discuss the feasibility of such a survey in Palestine*, as well as in Jordan and Libya, countries covered by the EU4MD II/EMCDDA project with which the Pompidou Group maintains close cooperation. Discussions also focused on the production of the 5th regional report, due at the end of 2024.

The meeting has been attended by representatives from 10 countries and from EU4MD II/EMCDDA, UNODC, African Union Commission, WHO regional office in Cairo and the European Parliament.