No. 2, Year 4
Second Quarter 2006

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MEM gets fresh mandate from the Commission

At the thirty-ninth regular meeting of CICAD in May in Washington, D.C., the Multilateral Evaluation Mechanism (MEM) received a strong endorsement from the Commission member states, underscoring the importance of the process as the cornerstone of CICAD's narcotics control strategy.

Marking the conclusion of the Third Evaluation Round, 2003-2004, the 33 country reports on implementation of recommendations were all approved without amendments. The hemispheric report was also approved. These documents are available online.

For the Fourth Evaluation Round 2005-2006, the Government Expert Group (GEG) worked almost a full year to assess the MEM process and to make recommendations for the next cycle. 

A significant change is that the evaluation calendar will be extended to three years, from two years, giving countries a reasonable timeframe to complete the questionnaire, as well as to implement the recommendations assigned, and ensures the presentation of an annual MEM publication each June for the OAS General Assembly. With a longer time frame, GEG members and the MEM team may concentrate on enhancing the quality of reports instead of meeting tight deadlines.

The Questionnaire of Indicators contains 51 indicators, with 38 indicators having been eliminated or substituted. 

There are also clearer and more systematic guidelines on how to draft reports, as well as procedural and style manuals. 

In July and August, the MEM staff held three regional workshops so that the national personnel involved in preparing information for the evaluation process could be prepared for the new procedures and requirements. 
 

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