Qatar underlines need to address root causes of global drug problem

Vienna: The State of Qatar underlined the need to address the root causes of the global drug problem and not just address its manifestations, in light...

Vienna: The State of Qatar underlined the need to address the root causes of the global drug problem and not just address its manifestations, in light of the expansion and diversity of drug types and markets, especially synthetic drugs, and the 23 percent increase in drug abuse over the past decade.

This came in a statement delivered by Ambassador of the State of Qatar to the Federal Republic of Austria and its Permanent Representative to the United Nations and international organizations in Vienna HE Jassim Yacoub Al Hammadi, before the high-level segment of the 67th session of the United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND), currently being held in Vienna.

His Excellency called on the international community to set implementable goals, within specific time frames, to achieve progress in reducing the supply and demand for drugs and enhance international cooperation.

He said that the global drug problem is not an isolated phenomenon from other criminal activities, especially corruption crimes and other forms of organized crime, on top of which is cybercrime, which has witnessed a significant expansion in the use of the Internet for drug trade, and the crime of money laundering, especially drug trade money, which requires more efforts to uncover the links between these crimes and break the supply chains.

His Excellency stressed the need to prioritize prevention strategies, starting from the family, school, and local community, up to the level of state institutions, civil society, academic institutions, and the media, noting the importance of strengthening international cooperation, technical assistance, and building the capacities of developing countries. He pointed out that combating drugs and achieving the goals of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development go hand in hand and reinforce each other.