29 January 2024 – Cairo, Arab Republic of Egypt  

The League of Arab States (LAS) and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) hold the First Steering and Follow-up Committee Meeting for the “Regional Framework for Arab States (2023 – 2028)” on Monday, January 29, at the headquarters of the General Secretariat of the League of Arab States. The meeting is held annually and aims to follow up on the achievements reached and challenges met during the implementation of programmes and activities under the Framework as well as to agree on the necessary recommendations and priorities for upcoming efforts. 

The Regional Framework for the Arab States 2023-2028 acts as the overarching strategic framework for cooperation between UNODC and LAS. It frames how UNODC will strengthen, prioritize, customize, and deliver support to the Arab region in effective response to some of the most pressing challenges faced by these countries and in connection with UNODC’s mandates and specialties. 

The Regional Framework articulates six focus areas for guiding UNODC-implemented programming at the regional and national levels and they are: a balanced approach to drug control, strengthening the response to organized crime, combating trafficking in persons and smuggling of migrants, action against corruption and financial crime, preventing and countering terrorism and violence, and strengthening crime/violence prevention and criminal justice. 

Furthermore, the Regional Framework applies six key accelerators across all programmatic interventions to speed up progress and maximize efforts towards fast-tracking the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and they are: partnerships, women and girls, innovation, science, and forensics, human rights, youth and children, and inclusive and people-centered programming. The programme will also support UNODC’s partnership expansion with Member States in the region to include current vital Ministries and Institutions relevant to youth, solidarity, education, culture, human rights, countering corruption; in addition to previous partnerships with the Ministries of Justice, Interior, and Health. 

The "Regional Framework for the Arab States (2023-2028)" was signed in March 2023 in the presence of H.E. Mr. Ahmed Aboul Gheit, Secretary-General of LAS and H.E. Ms. Ghada Waly, Executive Director of UNODC.   

The meeting will be attended by representatives of the relevant ministries and institutions within the Arab countries: (the Arab Republic of Egypt, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, the Kingdom of Bahrain,  the Kingdom of Morocco, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Lebanese Republic, the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria,  the Republic of Iraq,  the Republic of Sudan, the Republic of Tunisia, the Republic of Yemen, the State of Libya, the State of Kuwait,  the State of Palestine, the State of Qatar, the Sultanate of Oman, the Syrian Arab Republic, the United Arab Emirates).