Augusto Paulo Valenta Nogueira, President and Executive Director of the Association of Rehabilitation of Drug Abusers of Macau (ARTM). His personal journey through addiction and recovery deeply shaped his commitment to harm reduction, rehabilitation, and human dignity.
After secondary school, Nogueira worked as an electrician and later served in the Portuguese military, including a role at a military hospital in Lisbon. In his mid-twenties, he struggled with drug dependency and entered treatment in 1993—a turning point that led him toward a life dedicated to helping others facing similar challenges.
In 1994, he moved to Asia, initially working with rehabilitation programs in Hong Kong before relocating to Macau to help establish ARTM. Under his leadership, ARTM has grown into one of Macau’s leading organizations in addiction treatment, harm reduction, prevention, aftercare, and social reintegration. He helped launch Macau’s first needle-syringe program, which contributed to achieving several years with zero new HIV infections among people who inject drugs.
Nogueira also serves on several Macau government advisory bodies, including the Narcotics Control Commission, Youth Drug Commission, and AIDS Prevention and Control Commission. His leadership is marked by compassion, advocacy for evidence-based drug policies, and a belief in recovery, dignity, and reintegration rather than punishment.
In recognition of his work, he received the Medal of Merit from the Portuguese Government (2015) and the Medal for Community Services from the Macau SAR Government (2017). He remains active in international networks such as the International Federation of Non-Governmental Organizations (IFNGO), promoting collaborative, humane responses to addiction across the Asia-Pacific region and beyond.