Briefing Paper: Promoting Harm Reduction and Community-based Treatment to ensure a Health-based Response to Drug Use in Cambodia

Speaking on the UN International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking on June 26 in 2016, Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Sen emphasised the role of local communities and authorities in responding to drug-related issues, and strongly encouraged the promotion and strengthening of quality community-based treatment and rehabilitation services. His apparent support for a shift towards drug dependence treatment services that do not involve coercion and detention seemed to align with the government’s approval of Cambodia’s first five-year National Strategic Plan for Harm Reduction 2016-2020 (NSPHR) in 2016.