Director General/Executive Director
Distinguished Guests,
Colleagues,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Welcome to Vienna and to the Technical Consultation on "International Standards on Drug Use Prevention".
I am pleased to see so many leading researchers, policy makers and colleagues from regional and international organizations present today to discuss this important issue.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
For the UN Office on Drugs and Crime today marks the start of a crucial process, and the beginning of something very innovative.
We have considerable experience developing guidance documents on different drug prevention interventions, and bringing together researchers, practitioners, policy makers and youth.
However, never before have we attempted to look at drug prevention as an integral whole, and in doing so, respond to the question: "What does a successful prevention system look like?"
It may appear that we are being too ambitious. Perhaps running before we have fully learned to walk. After all, prevention, as a science, is still in its infancy.
Let me explain why we are attempting this process. It is quite simple: We are compelled to act, and to act now.
The factors that put people at risk of starting to use drugs are diverse throughout the world and within different countries.
The structures and the resources available to prevent drug use are also diverse, but there is an added factor. In many cases, they are extremely scarce.
However, there is a source of hope for all of us working in this field-a slight ray of sunshine-and this is the scientific evidence that drug prevention works.
Based on evidence, we know that there are policies and interventions that are effective in preventing people from starting to use drugs and ruining their lives.
As a result, we know that we have in our hands a means of returning to people a future many believed they would never have.
We also know that drug prevention is cost effective. For every dollar spent, we save at least 10 dollars in terms of future health and the costs of crime.
We also appreciate that good drug prevention programmes prevent drug use, but it is much more than this: it is about making sure that children and young people have lives that are safe and healthy.
We must continue our daily battle to convince others that investment in prevention is beneficial.
My rebuttal to those who say prevention does not work, is to say it is not working because resources are often invested in interventions that do not work.
So while the resources are limited, the problems diverse, it is our moral duty to ensure that the scarce resources are not wasted.
We must all be "wise investors" and we must work collectively to generate the political will to invest more in prevention.
If we fail, the biggest losers will not be us, they will be the children, youth and vulnerable people who so badly need our assistance.
Prevention science tells us there are policies and interventions capable of changing this trajectory of vulnerability, and which can help people become well-adjusted individuals who lead fulfilling lives.
For these reasons, we must act with urgency: Member States, civil society, communities, schools, businesses, families and individuals must all be encouraged to help us develop prevention systems that work.
This is why I am grateful to all of you for agreeing to take part in this important process.
I would also like to thank the governments of Norway and Finland for their constant advocacy of evidence-based prevention and for their contributions that made this meeting possible.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
In ending, may I say that the somewhat technical title of this meeting does us all a disservice.
The title suggests we are discussing technical standards. W e are not, we are discussing people's lives and how we can help them.
I wish you the very best with your meeting and I look forward to reviewing the results in the near future.
Thank you.