The canton of Geneva, through its International Solidarity bureau works to promote sustainable development as a means of fighting poverty in developing countries by addressing socio-economic inequalities, discrimination and marginalization. To this purpose, it allocates a portion of the anti-drug fund to development projects led by Geneva-based NGOs in countries in the South.
From 2014 to 2016, the fund made donations to around 15 projects, primarily in South and Central America, Africa and Asia. With financial support from the fund, Terre des hommes conducted a survey of drug use among young people in prison in six Central American countries. The result of this study will be presented during this event.
The famous international photojournalist Valerio Bispuri spent 13 years travellingaround South America recording the impact of drugs on impoverished urban communities. From Salvador de Bahia to Asunción, and from Lima to Buenos Aires, his photos document the ravages of drug abuse, while also exploring the psychological and social consequences of poverty in South America. Shot in Salvador de Bahia's Pelourinho neighborhood, this photo is part of a series entitled "Paco", a slang word for a type of drug widely found in low-income neighborhoods of many South American cities. Valerio Bispuri is also known for "Encerrados", his long-term project on prisons in Latin America. His work was featured at the international photojournalism festival Visa pour l'image in 2016.
