UN to launch new report on amphetamine-type stimulants in East and South-East Asia

10:30 a.m., 26 November 2009, Foreign Correspondents' Club of Thailand, Bangkok

A new United Nations report points out various push and pull factors leading to an increase in the trafficking and demand of ATS in the various countries in East and South-East Asia.

The findings are contained in the "2009 Patterns and Trends of Amphetamine-Type Stimulants (ATS) and Other Drugs in East and South-East Asia," report being released by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). The report also provides overviews for neighbouring South Asia and Pacific Island States.

UNODC Regional Representative for East Asia and the Pacific, Mr. Gary Lewis will introduce the report, followed by an overview of its main results by Ms. Deepika Naruka, Programme Coordinator of the UNODC Regional SMART programme.

The data presented in the report points towards the increased efforts by countries in the region to tackle the ATS problem and highlights the continued need for joint efforts, both at the national and regional levels.

The report contains regional overviews as well as national reports from 15 countries - Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Japan, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, Republic of Korea, Thailand and Viet Nam - based on the latest available information shared by their drug control agencies and designated institutions.

The information in the report is synthesized under UNODC's Global SMART (Synthetics Monitoring: Analyses, Reporting and Trends) Programme, which works with Governments in the region to collect and share information and to improve the ability of various agencies to respond to the law enforcement and public health challenges posed by synthetic drugs. The SMART Programme is currently operational in 11 countries in the region and is generously supported by the Governments of Australia, Japan, New Zealand, Republic of Korea and Thailand.

For more information please contact:

Ms. Amittada Boonmontira
UNODC Team Assistant
Tel: +66-2 288-2619
Fax: +66-2 281 2129
Email: amittada.boonmontira@unodc.org

Mr. Mitch Hsieh
UN/ESCAP Information Services
Tel: +66-2 288-1862
Mobile: +66-81-835-8664
Email: hsieh@un.org