Director-General/Executive Director
Minister Teo,
Excellencies,
Ladies and gentlemen,
It is a pleasure to join you at this side event on data and research to build the evidence base for effective policies and practices to address the world drug problem.
I would like to thank Minister Teo and Singapore for supporting this important priority.
This is a very fitting subject for discussion as Member States review progress towards the goals of the 2019 Ministerial Declaration.
In 2019 at the 62nd session of the CND, Member States reaffirmed our shared commitment to effectively address and counter the world drug problem through strong cooperation and the sharing of information.
Since then, drug challenges have only become more complex.
Cocaine supply is at record levels, demand is soaring, and transnational trafficking is fuelling violence from South America to Western Europe.
Synthetic drug production, trafficking, and use are affecting every region, across West, Central, South, and Southeast Asia, in the Middle East and Africa, and in North America.
Drugs are sparking security crises and health crises, and these cross-border challenges demand comprehensive and coordinated responses.
To address these fast-evolving threats effectively, we need a solid understanding of trends, patterns and emerging issues in drug supply and demand, based on information sharing, and quality research and analysis of data.
The UNODC flagship World Drug Report serves as a reference for policymakers and experts on different facets of the world drug problem.
The report draws upon mandated data collection from Member States, in particular through the Annual Report Questionnaire, which gathers information on drug supply and demand, as well as on regulatory and policy issues.
The ARQ was revised and re-launched in a more user-friendly format in 2021, and since then we have seen reporting by Member States improve, with a record 125 countries submitting data in part or in full.
Nonetheless, significant gaps in data persist, especially in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, and the Pacific.
Many States do not have the capacity to collect data consistently.
It is critical that countries with the necessary resources provide their data through the ARQ regularly, and that they also support capacity building and technical assistance in countries and regions with low submission capacity.
Better reporting and broader geographical coverage will help fill in the picture of world drug challenges, helping decisionmakers anticipate and mitigate risks, identify threats, and target responses to better protect people and people’s health.
Quality data and research can also help to assess the impact of drug responses, so that good practices and learned lessons can be shared.
This event is an opportunity to discuss national perspectives and common challenges, and advance quality data collection as the bedrock of evidence-based policies and practices to address the world drug problem.
With this objective in mind, I wish you productive discussions.
Thank you.