Leaders from across Africa and Asia gathered this week in Nairobi, Kenya for the Afri-Asia Drug Prevention and Treatment Summit 2025, a landmark moment of global collaboration in which countries stood side-by-side to confront commercial interests that are both advocating for and subsequently exploiting the liberalization of drug laws.
One key outcome: the Nairobi Declaration, a global agenda to not only protect the most vulnerable but also dedicate resources to prevention and treatment efforts.
SAM CEO Kevin Sabet was present and spoke about his own advocacy against marijuana commercialization here in the United States, and how that commercialization is spreading across the globe and continues to target the most disenfranchised. Rogers Kasirye from UYDEL Uganda and Diana Joseph from Fourth Wave Foundation India spoke to similar dynamics in their countries.
Prevention is at the core of the Nairobi Declaration, directly rebutting extreme harm-reduction notions that normalize drug abuse. That does not mean treatment takes a back seat; the delegates took a “leave-no-one-behind” approach and stand ready to support people with recovery-oriented and culturally responsive treatment. One standout presentation was Pamela Kaithuru’s from ISSUP Kenya, which examined psychosocial factors influencing treatment outcomes for women with substance use disorders who face shame and stigma alongside drug addiction, factors that legalizers and commercializers oftentimes exploit to their political advantage.
“Let this Summit be remembered as the moment when Africa and Asia came together not only to discuss challenges, but to lead a global movement for change,” said George Ochieng Odalo, Chair of the Planning Committee and Founder of Slum Child Foundation which is based in Nairobi. “May the Nairobi Declaration inspire lasting partnerships and tangible action across our nations.”