26 June Celebration in Central Asia

Kyrgyz Republic

On 26 June, 2015, during the press conference organized jointly with the State Service on Drug Control of the Kyrgyz Republic (SSDC), Mr. Alexander Fedulov, Head of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Programme Office in Kyrgyz Republic, presented the main findings of the World Drug Report for the 2015 to media, donor community and civil society.

 

According to the SSDC, during the first six months, drugs seizures have increased and reached 3 tons 205 kilograms of narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances and precursors, compare to 660 kilogram of drugs seized for the same period in 2014.

Furthermore, UNODC supported the Open Door Day at the SSDC dedicated to the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking. The event was attended by government representatives, law enforcement agencies, the donor community, civil society and mass media. Participants visited the forensic unit, temporary detention center and other facilities of the SSDC. Moreover, the SSDC demonstrated vehicles and equipment received in the framework of UNODC project "Strengthening the State Service on Drug Control of the Kyrgyz Republic" and presented the report on drug situation in the Kyrgyz Republic.

"Illegal narcotic drugs are serious problem. We can solve this problem jointly to enable the people of Kyrgyzstan to live without the threat of drugs and its related social consequences", said Mr. Alymbai Sultanov, Chairperson of the Kyrgyz SSDC.

 

Republic of Tajikistan

A bike ride through Dushanbe city was organized by the Drug Control Agency (DCA) under the President of Tajikistan, with the  participants distributing brochures promoting a healthy lifestyle among youth during the ride.

A drawing competition was conducted in the education center for children, with the best drawings awarded with small prizes. 

 

On 26 June, 2015, a press conference organized at the DCA premises in Dushanbe, Tajikistan was conducted. The UNODC Coordinator presented the World Drug Report for 2015 to the main local and international media representatives as well as representatives of law enforcement agencies who took part in the event.

 

Republic of Uzbekistan

A press conference was held at the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, Regional Office for Central Asia (UNODC ROCA), organized jointly with the National Center on Drug Control under the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Uzbekistan.

 

Ms. Ashita Mittal presented journalists with the main findings of the World Drug Report for 2015 and gave an overview regarding the types of drug markets. She particularly focused on the new trends in the drug situation in the Central Asian region including new possible drug routes, as well as the decrease in drug seizures. She stressed the importance of the role of communities in drug use prevention and announced a slogan of this year's campaign "Let's develop our lives, our communities, our identities without drugs".

During his presentation to the representatives of media, Mr. Ahmed Mansurov, Director of the National Center on Drug Control, stressed the measures taken by the government of Uzbekistan in combating drug trafficking. Additionally, Mr. Mansurov shared details of the government's response to the threat of drug use and crime, mentioning that work has started on the development of a new national anti-drug programme.

During the same day, a round table aimed at discussing the results of a national mapping exercise and impacts of the UNODC project "Treating drug dependence and its health consequences: Treatnet II" was conducted in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. The meeting gathered experts actively working in the field of drug dependency treatment.  Representatives of the INL, the main project donor, also attended the event. The First Deputy Minister of Health, Member of the State Commission on Drug Control Mr. Asylbek Khudoyarov noted that the fruitful and constructive collaboration with UNODC and other international organizations in the field of drug use prevention and drug dependency treatment will significantly contribute to the mutual efforts on national as well as on regional levels. Likewise, he also highlighted that all measures in the field of drug demand reduction should have a systematic and comprehensive approach.