These guidelines have been developed in response to the resolution Guidelines for psychosocially assisted pharmacological treatment of persons dependent on opioids of the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). The resolution invited the World

Health Organization (WHO), in collaboration with

United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), “to develop and publish minimum requirements and international guidelines on psychosocially assisted pharmacological treatment of persons dependent onopioids, taking into account regional developments

in the field, in order to assist the member states

concerned”.