Director General/Executive Director
Excellencies,
Ladies and gentlemen,
First of all, I would like to thank you for participating in this side event for the Greater Mekong Sub-region countries.
I would also like to take this opportunity to thank the Governments of the Greater Mekong Sub-region MOU Member States namely, Cambodia, China, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Thailand and Viet Nam.
No country in the world is immune from the threats to health, governance, and the rule of law posed by illicit drugs. Given the transnational nature and scope of these challenges, international cooperation is essential to counter these threats.
Recognizing the need for this, the countries in the Greater Mekong Sub-region and UNODC signed an MOU in 1993 to work together to contain the production, trafficking and use of illicit drugs in the region.
Looking back on the 20 years of the MOU partnership, I would like to commend the States for the successful outcomes achieved through this partnership. The MOU has been a model for other regional drug control frameworks, including the Triangular Initiative.
This trust was reaffirmed in the Nay Pyi Taw Declaration, adopted at the Ministerial Meeting of the MOU held in May 2013. The declaration confirms the determination and commitment of the Signatory States to overcoming the drug problem in the region together.
UNODC, as a signatory to the MOU, has provided technical assistance to support the GMS countries in various thematic areas under the framework of the Mekong Sub-Regional Action Plan on Drug Control, which has been regularly updated based on needs and priorities of the Signatory States.
It is our great pleasure to witness the successful outcomes of this joint endeavour.
Needless to say, more work is necessary as new challenges have been identified. Among these is a resurgence in Golden Triangle opium cultivation and heroin production, despite the significant reductions achieved from 1998 to 2006. This coincides with the increasing demand for heroin in the region and beyond.
The market for Amphetamine Type Stimulants in the region has expanded dramatically over the past few years and is one of the largest in the world. In fact, seizures of methamphetamine in both pill and crystalline forms reached record highs in 2012 in the region and preliminary 2013 data indicates a further increase.
According to UNODC's report, Transnational Organized Crime in East Asia and the Pacific, A Threat Assessment, which was launched in April last year, the region has experienced rapid economic and social changes coupled with an increase in transnational organized crime, in particular in the trafficking of people, drugs, natural resources and other illicit products.
The report underlines the magnitude of these crimes, which bring in an estimated annual revenue of 90 billion dollars, which exceeds the GDP of several states in the region.
Rapid regional integration, including transport, communications and financial systems, benefits people in the region but is also being exploited by organized crime groups.
We must strengthen our cooperation further, in particular by promoting regional collaborative efforts on border control, mutual legal assistance and extradition, and exchange of good practices in the field of drug demand reduction.
In this regard I welcome the new Sub-Regional Action Plan adopted by the signatories for the 2014-2016 period.
UNODC's new four-year Regional Programme for Southeast Asia, which was launched last November in Bangkok, is aligned with the GMS MOU Sub-regional Action Plan.
With the new Regional Programme, we have put forward what we believe is a visionary programme that will provide targeted and integrated, meaningful assistance in crime and drug control, addressing the areas and parts of the region where needs are greatest.
Implementation of the Sub-Regional Action Plan and the UNODC Regional Programme for Southeast Asia requires, first and foremost, continued support from our international partners.
I hope we can count on your assistance.
Thank you once again for participating in this event, and allow me to once again express my sincere thanks to the Governments of the GMS States.