Director General/Executive Director
Excellencies,
Distinguished participants,
I am pleased to address this tenth review meeting of the Memorandum of Understanding.
It is an important opportunity to assess developments in the region since the previous MoU meeting held two years ago in Ashgabat.
More importantly, it allows us to identify, elaborate and agree on common strategic priorities and targets for the region, to address inter-related, existing and emerging drug related threats, including illicit financial flows and terrorism financing, precursor trafficking and new psychoactive substances.
The urgency of these efforts is reinforced by the latest data from the Afghanistan opium survey, which will be published mid-November.
Unfortunately the survey points to record levels of opium poppy cultivation and production in 2017, with increases in cultivation across the country.
This is clearly a disturbing development, as high levels of opium poppy cultivation and illicit trafficking of opiates create multiple challenges for Afghanistan and neighbouring countries, fuelling instability, insurgency and terrorist groups, as well as drug consumption and related health threats.
There is a shared global responsibility for this problem, with billions of dollars in profits from opiate trafficking to major consumer markets worldwide, and hundreds of tonnes of precursor chemicals being diverted from licit international markets and smuggled into Afghanistan each year.
This meeting is therefore very needed and timely.
Our deliberations will moreover feed into the International Conference on Security and Sustainable Development in Central Asia in Samarkand in a few days from now.
We are also engaged in the follow-up process to the UN General Assembly Special Session on the World Drug Problem, which is focusing on the practical implementation of commitments agreed under all seven thematic areas.
Furthermore, the MoU contributes to achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, in particular Goal 16 on peace and justice and Goal 17 on partnership.
Excellencies,
Distinguished participants,
There is broad agreement that action to confront the many challenges posed by illicit drugs needs to be coordinated, comprehensive and balanced, including evidence‑, science- and health-based approaches to drug use and HIV prevention and treatment, as well as robust criminal justice responses to counter the criminal networks behind drug trafficking and tackle illicit financial flows.
I am pleased to note that the MoU platform has proved its value, supporting specialized drug control institutions, promoting a balanced drug control approaches and facilitating the development of regional drug law enforcement coordination mechanisms, in particular CARICC.
Allow me to take this opportunity to welcome the new Director of the Centre, Mr. Grigoriy Pustovitov, and to express my sincere gratitude and appreciation to the previous Director of the Centre, Mr. Beyshenbay Zhunussov.
In the past six months, CARICC facilitated four regional counternarcotic operations among MoU Member States, which resulted in seizure of some 90 kilograms of drugs and the arrest of members of transnational drug trafficking groups.
Moreover, CARICC remains a key element of the networking the networks initiative, which is building bridges between regional law enforcement bodies along the major opiate trafficking routes.
In this context, I would also like to highlight the establishment of a new network on anti-money laundering and countering financing of terrorism in West and Central Asia.
Drug control efforts are most effective when they go hand in hand with initiatives to address root causes and promote alternative livelihoods.
Here I would like to mention the regional event on alternative development being held next month in Ashgabat by UNODC, in coordination with the Regional Economic Cooperation Conference on Afghanistan.
In closing, I would like to thank the Governments in the region for engaging and partnering with UNODC to advance regional cooperation and, in particular, for supporting the UNODC Programme for Central Asia, which remains the main UNODC platform to implement the MoU recommendations.
I also thank our regional and international counterparts and donors for their continued support.
UNODC remains committed to working with you, to provide technical assistance, enhance cooperation and mobilize further international support.
Last but not least, allow me to offer my sincere gratitude to the Government of Kazakhstan for hosting this meeting, and for the warm hospitality.
I look forward to our discussions.
Thank you.