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Briefing in Indonesia for release of UNODC World Drug Report 2016

Jakarta (Indonesia), 4 July 2016 - As part of the global effort to disseminate the collation of drug crimes and trafficking statistics, UNODC Programme Office in Indonesia organised a briefing on 1 July 2016 to release the annual World Drug Report 2016 in Jakarta. The briefing, attended by government officials, members of the media, as well as the diplomatic corps, highlighted the challenged posed by illicit drug use in South-East Asia and Indonesia.

According to the Report, quantities of methamphetamine for both methamphetamine tablets and crystalline methamphetamine seized in East and Southeast Asia almost quadrupled to at least 45 metric tons in 2014 from around 12 metric tons in 2009. For a number of years, crystalline methamphetamine has continued to be manufactured on a large scale in East and Southeast Asia. It has also been trafficked from Africa to countries in East and Southeast Asia such as Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia and Thailand.

Released by United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) on 23 June 2016, the Report comes on the back of April's UN General Assembly Special Session (UNGASS) on the world drug problem (UNGASS), a landmark moment in global drug policy which resulted in a series of concrete operational recommendations.

In opening the briefing, UN Resident Coordinator for Indonesia, Mr. Douglas Broderick called for national and international cooperation in halting the flow of illicit drug trafficking noting that "consumption of illegal drugs has become a global security and human rights issue that can't be ignored."

Held at the United Nations (UN) Office in Indonesia, UNODC Country Manager, Mr. Collie Brown delivered the report's findings with a view on the national and regional implications, noting the "importance of implementing drug response strategies and policies which are comprehensive and balanced."

Mr. Brown also credited Indonesia's efforts in implementing UNODC's international guidelines for the prevention of drugs. He encouraged UN member states, including Indonesia, to constantly review the effectiveness of their drug polices and programmes to determine what was working s and in their respective countries. "A country should always conduct self-examinations to constantly look at what they're doing to see if their strategies work," said Mr. Brown at the briefing.

Click here to read more about the World Drug Report 2016.
Click here to learn more about UNODC's work in Indonesia.