Regional cooperation is vital precondition to address illicit drugs and transnational organized crime

A high level international conference initiated by the President of Tajikistan was held in Dushanbe on 27 May and attended by senior drug control officials from over 20 countries and intergovernmental organizations. During the conference speakers discussed how best to comprehensively address the global and interconnected challenges posed by transnational organized crime, illicit drug trafficking, terrorism and drug abuse.
In his welcoming statement, H.E President of Tajikistan, Mr. Immomali Rakhmon, emphasized that regional and international cooperation are vital preconditions to address illicit drugs and transnational organized crime. He also stressed the importance of promoting scientific evidence and health-based approaches for drug use prevention and treatment and proposed that the  years  2016-2020 should be devoted to "global measures towards prevention of addictions and promotion of healthy lifestyles."
The Dushanbe Conference allowed participants to review and analyze current and prospective challenges, as well as experiences and lessons learned, and develop a Joint Statement to be shared with the international community as it prepares for UNGASS 2016 to be held on 19-21 April 2016. The Joint Statement is available on the UNGASS website at  ( www.ungass2016.org).