The topic of "Organized Crime and Drug Trafficking" was taken up on the second day of the seminar, with UNODC's presentation highlighting the nexus between drug trafficking, crime and terrorism in South Asia and the potential role that the international institution can play in countering the same. Issues of drug trafficking, smuggling of persons, trafficking in persons, smuggling of contraband, trafficking in small and light weapons, money laundering, corruption, terrorism were highlighted as challenges posed by the regime of organized crime regime in the region. The current status of drug trafficking in India and concerns with regard to the country's pharmaceutical industry, and the illicit opium economy in the West Asian country of Afghanistan, its close links with insurgency and the support of terrorist outfits, were taken up in detail.
Globalization, pluralism, rising economies, communication, trade and energy cooperation within the region; regional security, environmental security, refugees and migration, terrorism etc., were some other issues that were discussed and deliberated upon. The speakers included representatives from governmental bodies, academic institutions, international organizations, the print media as well as policy makers from India, Dhaka, Colombo, the Philippines, Pakistan, Myanmar and Afghanistan.
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From left to right: Prof. O.P. Mishra, Jadavpur University; Mr. Gary Lewis, Representative, UNODC, Regional Office for South Asia; Air Marshal (Retd.) Vinod Patney, Mr. Dasho Paijor Dorji, Deputy Minister and Advisor to the National Environment Commission, Thimpu and Cdr. Alok Bansal, Research Fellow, Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA): Panelists for the Session on 'Regional Security' on day two of the Joint International Seminar on Economic Cooperation for Security and Development in South Asia organized by the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA) and Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER), in New Delhi on March 16-17, 2007.
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