Director-General/Executive Director
Right Honourable Minister Philp,
Dear Mr. Gupta,
Excellencies,
Ladies and gentlemen,
I am pleased to join you today for this important discussion on the public health threat posed by synthetic opioids.
I would like to thank the United Kingdom and Minister Philp for joining others in putting a spotlight on this critical issue during the high-level segment of the CND.
This is the second side event I address today on synthetic drugs, showcasing the growing recognition by the international community of the threat posed by synthetic drugs.
Opioids and other synthetic drugs are having a devastating toll on human life, tearing apart families and communities.
This threat is not confined to a single country, region, or continent.
It is a challenge that affects us all, and that is why several side-events are tackling this important and timely issue.
In the Middle East, my home region, captagon production has skyrocketed.
In Africa, the non-medical use of tramadol is causing great harm, particularly among youth and in regions affected by conflict and instability.
In South-east Asia, organized criminal groups are taking advantage of instability in the Golden Triangle to produce and move record levels of methamphetamine and recently ketamine, with production spreading to Laos and Cambodia. Over 175 tons of methamphetamine was seized last year – a new record – and 20 tons of ketamine.
In Afghanistan, the recent ban on opium cultivation has been followed by a surge in methamphetamine production. Seizures increased 20 times inside Afghanistan since 2019, and 12 times in the surrounding region.
In Europe, there is rising production of MDMA and methamphetamine, and ports are playing an increasingly important role as a transit hub for synthetic opioids and chemicals. EU Commissioner Johanssen announced yesterday the dismantling of 400 labs this year alone within the EU.
Trafficking routes are diversifying, and criminal organizations are becoming more agile, exploiting instability and legal loopholes to flood illicit markets and expand their activities.
This has been reflected in record seizures worldwide.
Our most recent reports shows over 356 tons of pharmaceutical opioids were seized in 2021, an increase of 154 percent from the previous year, while more than 110 tons of amphetamine and almost 400 tons of methamphetamine were seized in the same year.
The more recent numbers are currently being reviewed and will be announced in our 2024 World Drug Report.
The amount of drugs being trafficked is far higher, facilitated by corruption, new technologies, and limited capacities of border control and law enforcement agencies in many parts of the world.
The internet and the dark web are also opening new avenues to buy and sell drugs and precursors, shrinking supply chains and increasing availability, and we are yet to see the impact of artificial intelligence.
According to UNODC’s latest World Drug Report, over 60 million people were using opioids for non-medical purposes, with synthetic opioids being the leading cause of fatal overdoses, accounting for nearly 70 per cent of deaths attributed to drug use disorders.
Yet treatment remains too far out of reach for too many, especially women who represent almost half of amphetamine users but only one in four in treatment.
We must work towards reducing the harm caused by the non-medical use of opioids as part of a continuum of effective prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation support.
Alongside this, we must disrupt the supply of synthetic opioids by strengthening cross-border law enforcement and intelligence sharing.
UNODC is committed to supporting Member States in building their capacities and enhancing responses.
Through our Early Warning Advisory, we are helping States keep pace with evolving trends in drug manufacturing and trafficking, with over 1,200 new psychoactive substances identified across more than 140 countries.
In 2023, our forensic experts provided quality assurance support to more than 300 drug testing laboratories, training nearly 300 law enforcement officers on the identification and safe handling of precursor chemicals and synthetic opioids.
These efforts are guided by our Synthetic Drugs Strategy, which provides an overarching framework for our activities grounded in science.
To support the implementation of the Strategy, we are assisting States to collect and analyse data, including through our World Drug Report and regional studies.
We have also developed a Toolkit with over 400 practical resources and tools that have benefitted more than 150,000 users worldwide.
Meanwhile, our field operations are delivering programmes tailored to local needs, to build capacities and strengthen law enforcement cooperation in 150 countries and territories.
And together with the WHO, we are working to reduce opioid overdose deaths through our Stop Overdose Safely initiative, which promotes access to naloxone and trains first responders in overdose management.
Ladies and gentlemen,
The CND is the ideal forum to find common solutions.
I encourage you all to work together, throughout the CND and beyond, to tackle the urgent problem of synthetic drugs, and to live up to international drug policy commitments.
UNODC stands ready to support you in addressing today’s drug-related challenges, both with global standards and approaches and with delivering specialized assistance in the field.
Let us safeguard public health and advance global well-being for the benefit of all, leaving no one and no patient behind.
Thank you.