DUSHANBE, December 10, 2012, Asia-Plus – A regional anti-drug meeting formally titled “Impact of Illicit Drug Trafficking on Societies and Communities in Afghanistan and Neighboring Countries” has opened in the Afghan capital Kabul today.
According to the Tajik Drug Control Agency (DCA)’s press center, Tajikistan is represented by Ms. Bunafsha Odinayeva, the DCA deputy chairperson, at the meeting.
The meeting participants have reportedly discussed issues related to prevention of drug addiction and consolidation of efforts of the countries of the region to prevent drug-related crimes.
The meeting has been organized by the Interior Ministry of Afghanistan under support of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the source said.
Meanwhile, UNODC reports that the first meeting of the General Prosecutors/Attorney Generals of the countries in West and Central Asia took place in Vienna on December 3-4 in the presence of high ranking officials from the countries in the region.
Organized by the UNODC Regional Program for Afghanistan and Neighboring Countries (2011-2014) in cooperation with the UNODC Global Program on Strengthening the Legal Regime against Terrorism and in partnership with the members states of the West and Central Asia region the high-level meeting, the meeting reportedly brought together representatives from Afghanistan, Iran, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Pakistan and Turkmenistan.
The main objectives of the meeting were to build the capacity of national criminal justice systems with a view to improving the legal cooperation in the region, providing participants with the opportunity to discuss common problems and lessons encountered in the field of cooperation in criminal matters, with a view to identifying the best ways to improve it. The meeting proposed to expedite the ratification process – where applicable – of UN drugs and crime conventions, integrating the provisions of these conventions into their national legislations. The experts also recommended proceeding with the harmonization of the regional countries” national legislations in line with international norms. They suggested arranging a desk review of the current national/regional capacity for the prosecution of high profile crime cases related to complex organized crime and drug offences.
According to UNODC, the outcome of the Vienna meeting will be reflected in the 2013 priority plan of the Regional Program for Afghanistan and Its Neighboring Countries. The Regional Program provides the framework for countries in the region to raise awareness of their efforts and to share their experience on judicial cooperation as well as border management, criminal intelligence and national drug control.
