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| Major General Nguyen Van Vien, Director of the Drug Crime Investigation Police Department, spoke at the Conference. (source: nhandan.vn) |
On September 5, the Senior Officials' Conference of member countries participating in the 1993 Mekong Sub-regional Agreement on Cooperation in Drug Prevention and Control took place in Beijing, China.
Major General Nguyen Van Vien, Director of the Drug Crime Investigation Police Department, led a delegation from the Ministry of Public Security to attend the conference.
The conference was attended by 70 delegates from the Mekong sub-region countries: Cambodia, China, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).
The conference reviewed and assessed the situation, methods, and tricks in the production, trading, transportation, and use of drugs; developed and agreed on a plan to mobilize funding for the next phase; adopted the 12th Sub-regional Action Plan; the Beijing Joint Declaration on Drugs and China's Initiative to Address the Problem of Synthetic Drugs in the Mekong Sub-region at the National Committee Chairman's Meeting held on September 6.
The conference took place on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the signing of the Agreement on Drug Prevention and Control between the countries in the Mekong sub-region and UNODC. Therefore, the conference has important significance and affirms the strong commitment of the Governments of the Mekong sub-region countries in solving the drug problem in the region and the world.
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| Delegates from countries attending the Conference. (source: nhandan.vn) |
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Mr. Jeremy Douglas, Chief Representative of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime for Asia and the Pacific, said that in 2022, the East and Southeast Asia regions seized more than 151 tons of drugs of all kinds, mainly synthetic drugs; seized 27.4 tons of ketamine - a dangerous and popular synthetic drug in 2022, an increase of 167% compared to 2021.
Countries in the Mekong sub-region have been facing the increasingly complex and unpredictable drug threat, seriously affecting the socio-economic development and social order and safety of countries in the region and around the world.
The Golden Triangle, located near the border of Laos, Myanmar, and Thailand, is identified as the second largest source of drugs in the world, annually supplying the market with more than 80 tons of heroin and thousands of tons of various synthetic drugs. From here, drugs are transported to countries in the sub-region for consumption and to third countries using many sophisticated methods.
In addition, it is noted that the world's drug markets are becoming more and more closely connected, with the emergence of many transnational and intercontinental drug trafficking and transportation lines, and many types of drugs originating from Europe and America being discovered in the sub-regional market. Drug crimes are becoming more and more daring, drug abuse is becoming more and more complicated, and the above-mentioned reality puts a lot of pressure on drug prevention and control work in the Mekong sub-region countries.
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| Delegation of the Ministry of Public Security of Vietnam attended the Conference. (source: nhandan.vn) |
Sharing about the results of Vietnam's drug prevention and control work, Major General Nguyen Van Vien, Director of the Drug Crime Investigation Police Department, emphasized that in the face of the world's common challenges regarding drugs, the Vietnamese Government is concerned and gives strong direction.
On a macro level, Vietnam has proposed a National Strategy for Drug Prevention and Control with a vision to 2030. Over the years, Vietnam has achieved remarkable results such as maintaining and promoting bilateral and multilateral cooperation with law enforcement forces in countries in the region, especially countries sharing borders; improving the capacity of Vietnam's law enforcement forces in drug prevention and control with the support of international partners, especially UNODC;
Strengthening the control and prevention of precursor chemical loss; actively participating in multilateral drug prevention and control forums in the region and the world, considering it one of the remote drug prevention solutions to help reduce pressure on domestic drug prevention and control work; at the same time, gaining the attention and support of partner countries and international organizations for domestic drug prevention and control work.
The conference reviewed the results of implementing activities in priority areas of the 11th Subregional Action Plan, and considered and agreed on the contents of the 12th Subregional Action Plan for the period 2023-2025; the Beijing Joint Declaration on Drugs and China's Initiative to Address the Problem of Synthetic Drugs in the Mekong Subregion to be submitted and approved at the National Committee Chairmen's Meeting held on September 6.
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