International Congress reaffirms Asia's commitment to fight drugs

The ASEAN and China Cooperative Operation in Response to Dangerous Drugs (ACCORD) held its Second International Congress in Beijing from 18 to 20 October 2005 and endorsed a Plan of Action to respond to the growing threat of illicit drugs in Asia.

The Congress was hosted by the Government of the People's Republic of China and co-organized by the UNODC Regional Centre for East Asia and the Pacific and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). More than 200 delegates from over 20 countries and international organizations attended.

Participants highlighted the need for countries to counter the shifts in illicit drug manufacturing, production, trafficking and consumption by strengthening their cooperation in all sectors of drug control. They reaffirmed that ACCORD is a unique mechanism that brings together ASEAN and China to achieve their comprehensive drug control goals and targets.

Both ASEAN and UNODC serve as ACCORD's Secretariat. UNODC is in charge of implementing a project entitled "Regional Cooperative Mechanism to Monitor and Execute the ACCORD Plan of Action."