By IRNA,
Tehran : “The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) regards non-governmental organizations (NGOs) as crucial actors in improving the health and the well-being of individuals across the globe”, a UN official said here on Saturday.
The statement was made by Antonino De Leo, Representative of UNODC Country Office in the Islamic Republic of Iran at the opening of the First ECO Demand Reduction NGOs Networking Conference held in Tehran on Saturday 16 January 2011, a press release issued by the UN Information Center (UNIC) said here on Sunday.
This four-day conference has brought together representatives of over 25 NGOs from Afghanistan and neighboring countries, as well as delegates of other regional and international NGOs and networks. Participants will be expected to discuss how drug use and HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment and care services could be enhanced in Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan through exchange of experiences and good practices, as well as the establishment of a regional network of NGOs in the region.
This conference, which is being organized by the Rebirth Charity Organization – an Iranian award-winning NGO active in the area of drug treatment – is co-sponsored by the UNODC Country Office in the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Iranian Drug Control Headquarters, as well as other seven national and regional institutions.
Illicit and harmful use of drugs has profoundly adverse health, social and economic consequences. Worldwide millions of individuals and their families are affected. With the highest opiates prevalence rates in the world, communities in Afghanistan and neighboring countries are particularly vulnerable. Increasing trends of amphetamine-type stimulants use in some countries of this region represent an additional threat.
Over time, government authorities around the globe have come to the conclusion that the involvement of non-governmental organizations in drug demand reduction and HIV related issues is both positive and desirable.
UNODC considers NGOs essential partners in effective drug control and seeks their participation in its full range of activities at the international, regional and national levels. Specialized NGOs aid UNODC to execute projects to prevent and treat drug abuse in many countries. UNODC has established an electronic NGO database listing over 2,500 NGOs involved in prevention, treatment and rehabilitation of drug addicts, alternative development and crime prevention. In partnership with the Vienna NGO Committee, UNODC also provides a platform for NGOs to consolidate best practices on engaging with civil society organizations working on drugs and increase their participation in the international policy debate.
In the last decade NGOs have been increasingly active in drug control, providing indispensable services to drug users, prisoners and people living with HIV in this region. Every year an increasing number of people stop using illicit drugs thanks to the work and reach of NGOs. UNODC Executive Director Yuri Fedotov has stated that “drug dependence is a health disorder, and drug users need humane and effective treatment—not punishment”. Appreciating their role and commitment, De Leo thanked NGOs representatives “for restoring human dignity and be at the service of the most vulnerable people and their communities”.
Referring to the work of Iranian national authorities in the field of drug use and HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment and rehabilitation, De Leo added that: “the community services provided by hundreds of NGOs in the country, the provision of opiate-substitution and psycho-social therapies in the community and prison settings, as well as the significant reduction of the HIV/AIDS prevalence rate in the prison setting over the last seven years deserve wider recognition and shall be a source of inspiration for other countries in this region and beyond”.
Since the establishment of its Country Office in the Islamic Republic of Iran in 1999, UNODC has been advocating for advancing the role of NGOs in drug control. In partnership with the Iranian Drug Control Headquarters, UNODC has conducted a series of capacity building initiatives in favor of NGOs development and networking. NGO’s dealing with particularly underprivileged groups such as women and children of drug users and prisoners were explicitly included in the target group. Plans are in place for the next four years to continue this important work and further promote a scientific-based approach, in close collaboration with national authorities. UNODC and its funding partners will also explore possibilities to tighten the involvement of NGOs in future regional areas of work.
In his concluding remarks, De Leo said that “UNODC looks at the first ECO NGO Networking Conference with great interest in the exchange of experiences and good practices, as well as with passion originating from the conviction that NGOs are now more than ever indispensable partners on drug control”.