Director-General/Executive Director
Excellencies,
Ladies and gentlemen,
It is indeed a pleasure to join you in celebrating 30 years of partnership among the signatories of the Mekong Memorandum of Understanding on Drug Control, which UNODC proudly supports as a signatory and secretariat.
I would like to thank our close partner the Vice Commissioner of the China National Narcotics Control Commission, the Secretary General of the Thailand Office of Narcotics Control Board, and the high-level officials of the other Mekong countries for joining us today.
Our partnership is more important than ever today, as the illicit drugs threat grows in complexity in the region.
UNODC’s 2022 Myanmar Opium Survey indicated that poppy cultivation had increased by 33 per cent in the country compared to the previous season.
At the same time, synthetic drugs, especially methamphetamine and ketamine, are gradually overtaking traditional drugs in the trafficking market.
Industrial-scale clandestine laboratories for synthetic drugs have expanded in the lower Mekong, where law enforcement capacities are relatively weak.
Drug traffickers are taking advantage of the large chemical and pharmaceutical industries in the region, where precursors and non-controlled chemicals are sourced.
Despite the economic impact of COVID-19, trafficking routes were largely unaffected by the pandemic, with organised crime groups adapting their methods and even expanding their operations, and drug seizures reached record highs during this period.
UNODC data shows that in 2021, law enforcement authorities across East and Southeast Asia seized over 170 tons of methamphetamine, including more than one billion tablets for the first time.
This is over seven times higher compared to the level of seizures a decade ago.
Our latest information suggests a similar amount was again seized in the region last year, which testifies to the scale of the challenge.
With supply increasing, so too has consumption.
The UNODC World Drug Report 2022 found that, between 2016 to 2020, Southeast Asia saw the second highest level of amphetamine consumers globally, reaching almost 10 million users.
This has alarming social consequences, in a region where providing access to healthcare and treatment services remains a major challenge.
At the same time, the price of drugs has dropped at the street level, meaning greater accessibility and illicit profits.
Following the money is vital as drug trafficking feeds other crimes such as money laundering and corruption, which in turn grease the wheels of drug trafficking.
By employing underground banking systems, organised criminal groups are undermining the financial stability and security of the region.
These trends show no sign of slowing down. Instead, they are accelerating, leading to more sophisticated synthetic drug production and trafficking methods.
Ladies and gentlemen,
The situation is undeniably difficult.
But we have powerful tools at our disposal.
The Mekong Memorandum of Understanding is a crucial framework for addressing shared drug challenges in the region. Leveraging this framework more effectively will be crucial to meet emerging trends.
There are signs of progress, and the six Mekong MoU countries have made significant efforts in adapting to the situation throughout the past 30 years.
This includes signing the addendums to the partnership in 2001, 2009, and 2015, as well as adopting a regional action plan in 2019.
Starting last year, the six Mekong MOU countries have also initiated negotiations on a new regional action plan for 2023 to 2025, to reinforce cooperation in this challenging environment.
I was pleased to see that they embraced the 2016 UN General Assembly Special Session outcome recommendations, reaffirming their commitment to ending the world drug problem.
And later this year, China will host a Ministerial Meeting of the Mekong MOU.
This will present a crucial opportunity to take stock and advance progress on the shared action plan, as well as agree on a new regional political and policy statement.
You can continue to count on UNODC’s support, in formulating effective policies, and in addressing challenges on the ground.
Last year, in Bangkok, I was proud to launch our regional programme for Southeast Asia and the Pacific for 2022 to 2026, re-affirming our commitment to addressing drug trafficking in the region.
Over the past nine years, through our regional programmes in Southeast Asia, we have delivered 2,600 capacity building activities to help address the drug problem, transnational organized crime, and illicit trafficking.
We have trained over 100,000 people from government, civil society, law enforcement and the private sector.
Our work is also having a direct impact on the ground, helping those who need it most.
This includes assisting 4,000 opium farming families in Lao DPR and Myanmar to shift towards sustainable economic alternatives, making them less dependent on illicit forms of income and opium poppy cultivation.
Excellencies,
Regional cooperation is a necessity, not an option due to the complexity and cross-border nature of drug trafficking.
The signatories of the Mekong MoU are ready to step up drug control efforts, to face emerging challenges in the region. You have the commitment and the momentum.
As we look to the next 30 years, it is vital that we capitalise on this momentum and advance regional efforts to tackle the drug problem and organised crime in Southeast Asia.
Thank you.