Deadline: 04-Jun-24
The Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs of the U.S. Department of State announces an open competition for organizations to submit applications to carry out a project to encourage the development and dissemination of a global credential and related credentialing or certification program based on international standards for substance use professionals.
Drug use disorders extensively harm health, including mental health, safety, economic well-being, fuel organized crime, and negatively impact political, social, and economic stability. Many governments as well as individual drug demand reduction professionals provide services but have little experience and few methods to determine if those programs or their efforts are effective, evidence-based, and meeting international standards or their own program goals. To encourage and document the improvement of the prevention, treatment, and recovery services, the workforce requires training to an agreed international standard and then an agreed global credential to ensure that the substance use disorder workforce is performing to that standard.
Drug demand reduction is the field of counter narcotics that recognizes that an epidemic only ends when they reduce the number of new cases. Through a well-trained, credentialed, and enthusiastic professional workforce in the combined fields of prevention, treatment, and recovery support, they will reduce the number of those suffering from substance use disorder globally and provide a social framework that supports recovery and ongoing prevention of substance use disorders.
Project Goals and Objectives
- Professionals that work in the drug demand reduction field including prevention, treatment, and recovery support services come from a variety of academic and non-academic backgrounds. Given the sensitive personal, political, and cultural nature of substance use disorder, it is critical to ensure that those entrusted with positions in these areas can be readily identified as having the skills, experience, and understandings of the international standards and the implementation of those standards as they work. While some nations have their own processes for testing and certification, most do not. Poor services, especially those that violate human rights, in any country negatively impact the substance use disorder field. This negative impact has far-reaching consequences globally based on historical misunderstandings of the nature of substance use disorder. For these reasons, they seek to foster a climate where training and expertise are recognized and required for participation as a professional in the practice of prevention, treatment, and recovery support services.
- Credentialing should also be encouraged as many working in this field work as volunteers or are working in related fields such as education or youth services. The overall goal of this project is to promote and develop the framework for the credentialing or certification of professionals in this field, in order to improve overall care of persons with substance use disorders, similar to other medical professionals. Through the development of an international credential secured through standardized examination, the project will also work to decrease the stigma associated with work related to substance use disorders. All competencies and testing should promote and encompass those international standards developed under the auspices of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the World Health Organization (WHO), which have been accepted globally.
Funding Information
- Total available funding: $600,000
- Award amounts: awards may range from a minimum of $400,000 to a maximum of $600,000
- Length of performance period: 12 months
- Number of awards anticipated: 1 award (dependent on amounts
Project Activities and Deliverables
- Develop, convene, and maintain a Global Commission comprised of national representatives (commissioners) with recognized legitimacy by governments and universities to agree upon a universal set of competencies and standards which form the basis for global credentialing and certification products. Commissioners are also responsible for adjudicating ethics violations of credentialed/certified nationals.
- Develop, publish, and promote global competencies of required knowledge and skills for work in the variety of drug demand reduction fields and create related affordable mechanisms for testing and credentialing or certification of the drug demand reduction global workforce that meets the competencies developed.
- Develop, administer, and promote global multilingual tests for the affordable credentialing of treatment and recovery professionals and certification of prevention professionals.
- To the extent possible, build upon and include prior work of the Global Commission on Certification and Credentialing.
- Integrate testing and the credential/certification products into academic programs in universities worldwide (target: Year 1 – 5 universities; Year 2 – 10 new universities; Year 3 – 15 new universities; Year 4 – 20 new universities; Year 5 – 25 new universities; Total target: 75 universities). Work with universities to build a network of testing sites that routinely administer the exam.
- Promote credentialing and certification as a mechanism to governments and civil society organizations as a means for the better development of a more effective professional drug demand reduction workforce that covers all related services fields including prevention, treatment, and recovery support services. Focus greatest efforts on examination and credentialing of the existing non-professionalized workforce (with less education) and university students, rather than existing medical and mental health professionals with existing graduate and doctoral degrees in the field.
- Promote the international recognition (including reciprocity/portability) of the universal credential and certification products and work with other agencies to align their competencies, credentials, certifications, and other products to the universal credential.
- Collaborate across sectors and enlist the support of universities, governments, and independent service providers to ensure a seamless process of training, testing, certification/credentialing, and professional recognition. This process will increase the number of certified professionals in the workforce and aid in the development of a capable, skilled, and globally recognized workforce dedicated to drug demand reduction.
Participants and Audiences
- All projects above are focused on professionals and volunteers working in the global drug demand reduction workforce who wish to meet international standards and those entities that will engage their services whether government or private. This includes prevention, treatment, and recovery support services in Africa, Asia, Central Asia, Europe, and Latin America and the Caribbean subject to funding restrictions. Applicants should describe how they will ensure equitable and safe inclusion, using online, participatory, locally led, and intersectional approaches as appropriate. All participants are subject to vetting based on INL funding restrictions.
Eligibility Criteria
- The following organizations are eligible to apply:
- U.S.-based non-profit/non-governmental organizations (NGOs);
- U.S.-based educational institutions subject to section 501(c)(3) of the U.S. tax code or section 26 US 115 of the US 115 of the U.S. tax code;
- Foreign-based non-profits/non-governmental organizations (NGOs);
- Foreign-based educational institutions;
- In order to be eligible to receive an award, all organizations must have a unique entity identifier (also known as UEI). Individuals are not required to have a unique entity identifier.
- Applicants are only allowed to submit one proposal per organization. Organizations may form a consortium and submit a combined proposal, however one organization should be designated as the lead applicant and other organization(s) listed as sub-recipient partner(s).
- To be eligible to receive a federal assistance award, organizations must have a commitment to non-discrimination with respect to beneficiaries and adherence to equal opportunity employment practices. INL is committed to an anti-discrimination policy in all of its programs and activities. INL welcomes applications irrespective of an applicant’s race, ethnicity, color, creed, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, or other status.
- Applicants are reminded that U.S. Executive Orders and U.S. law prohibits transactions with, and the provision of resources and support to, individuals and organizations associated with terrorism. It is the legal responsibility of the recipient to ensure compliance with these Executive Orders and laws. This provision must be included in any sub-awards issued under this grant award.
For more information, visit Grants.gov.