(Monrovia, Liberia, September 10, 2026) In a continued effort to strengthen national response to drugs and substance abuse across the country, the Multisectoral Committee on Drugs and Substance Abuse today hosted its 2nd Steering Committee Meeting of 2026, to review progress made in addressing drugs and substance abuse across the country, strengthen coordination among key government institutions, development partners, and other stakeholders.
The meeting brought together representatives from the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Justice, Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency, Ministry of Youth and Sports, Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, Ministry of Education, and Ministry of Finance and Development Planning. Others were the One UN, Liberia Refugee Repatriation and Resettlement Commission, and the Civil Society Organization, etc.
Speaking on behalf of the Minister of Health – Dr. Louise M. Kpoto, Dr. Cathrine T. Cooper, Chief Medical Officer and Deputy Minister for Health Services-RL, expressed profound gratitude to all participants for their contributions and commitments to enhancing response efforts.
“ We want to appreciate all of you who have come to attend this meeting, it shows how much priority we have placed on this issue. We look forward to these deliberations as we go through our meeting today,” Dr. Cooper said.
The meeting provided a platform for committee members to review progress from the previous meeting, share institutional updates, identify gaps and challenges, and agree on coordinated actions to advance national response to drugs and substance abuse.
Other major focus of the meeting were updates on the legislation of the Multisectoral Committee on Drugs and Substance Abuse, the establishment of the National Drug Rehabilitation Fund and the approved Year 1 Implementation Plan of the National Anti-Drug Action Plan (2025-2030).
The meeting further sought to enhance multisectoral collaboration and accountability, recognizing that addressing drugs and substance abuse requires coordinated action across the health, justice, law enforcement, education, youth, social protection, finance, local government, and development sectors.