UNODC - COPAK hosted a roundtable meeting of ambassadors from the Regional Programme (RP)
Monday, 07 November 2016
The United Nations Office on Drugs Crime - Pakistan Country Office (UNODC-COPAK) hosted a roundtable meeting of ambassadors from the Regional Programme (RP) countries accredited in Islamabad, Pakistan. This meeting included representatives from the Islamic Republic of Iran, Republic of Kazakhstan, Republic of Tajikistan, Republic of Uzbekistan, Kyrgyz Republic and Turkmenistan.
During the informative event, the UNODC COPAK Representative, Mr. Cesar Guedes presented the key achievements and milestones of the UNODC RP during its first phase (2011-2015).
Furthermore, Mr. Guedes elaborated upon the various regional and inter-regional initiatives focused on promoting the best practices related to law enforcement and international cooperation on legal matters along with key developments in areas such as the prevention and treatment of drug dependence and related research. The importance of coordinated action against drug related crime and the essential role played by the inter-regional drug control approach pursued by the UNODC ("networking the networks") were both emphasised.
Finally participants were briefed on the second phase of the RP ANC (2016-2019), launched during the Fifth Programme Steering Committee which took place in May 2016, in Issyk-Kul, Kyrgyzstan. This phase has been made possible by the financial support of the European Union, Sweden, Finland, Russia, Japan and Kazakhstan.
The ambassadors welcomed the briefing and showed appreciation for the UNODC's ongoing support for the counter-narcotics efforts of their respective countries. Finally, the UNODC was encouraged to continue providing technical assistance in order to strengthen the criminal justice systems of the countries covered by the Programme.