Qatar Warns of the Dangers of Increased Drug Production and Consumption Worldwide, Calls for Implementation of International Conventions
Vienna | March 11, 2025
The State of Qatar has emphasized that the
challenges the world faces today in combating drugs can only be addressed
through the implementation of commitments under the three international drug
control conventions, ministerial declarations, and support for the Commission
on Narcotic Drugs (CND) as the primary policymaking body of the United Nations
responsible for drug control affairs.
This was addressed in a statement delivered by
His Excellency Mr. Jassim Yaqoub Al-Hammadi, Qatar's Ambassador and Permanent
Representative to the United Nations and International Organizations in Vienna,
at the 68th session of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs held in Vienna.
Ambassador Al-Hammadi remarked that international
joint efforts are still inadequate in addressing illicit drug production and
trafficking. The 2024 World Drug Report, issued by the United Nations Office on
Drugs and Crime (UNODC), presented a grim picture. Cocaine production has
reached record levels, drug use has increased—especially among adolescents and
young people—and the variety of drugs has expanded. Additionally, the number of
countries and jurisdictions allowing the recreational use of cannabis has
increased. In short, we are still far from achieving our ultimate goal of a
drug-free world.
HE continued, saying that despite the bleak
picture, there are some positive indicators, such as the sharp decline in opium
production in Afghanistan and the ongoing efforts by the Syrian government to
dismantle captagon laboratories and destroy the produced stock. HE called for concerted
international efforts to support Afghanistan and the Syrian Arab Republic,
particularly in helping Afghan farmers through alternative development programs
and supporting domestic economic alternatives to drug cultivation.
In the statement, the State of Qatar expressed
its support for the conclusions of the 2024 World Drug Report, which
highlighted that dismantling drug economies requires addressing the root
structural causes behind illicit crop cultivation, such as poverty, lack of
development, and the factors that lead to the entrapment of children and youth to fall into the clutches of drugs.
The State of Qatar reaffirmed the essential role
of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs as the primary policymaking body of the
United Nations responsible for drug control, and the pivotal role of the United
Nations Office on Drugs and Crime as the leading entity within the UN system in
addressing the global drug problem. Qatar also emphasized the importance of the
role of the International Narcotics Control Board and the World Health
Organization under the conventions.
The State of Qatar called for adequate support to
be provided to the UNODC to enhance its efforts in offering technical
assistance and capacity-building to Member States to effectively address
emerging and persistent drug-related challenges, alongside its other activities
in awareness, education, and outreach, stressing the need to address the
UNODC’s current financial difficulties, which have hindered its ability to
prepare the report on the global drug trafficking situation and forced it to
delay meetings of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs' subsidiary bodies for 2024.
Ambassador Al-Hammadi outlined the measures taken
by the State of Qatar to fulfill its commitments under the three drug control conventions,
ministerial declarations and action plans. HE highlighted the continuous
support Qatar provides to the UNODC to enhance its efforts in offering
technical assistance and capacity-building to Member States, as well as its
commitment to supporting the Commission on Narcotic Drugs.
With regard to bilateral, regional, and
international cooperation to combat illicit drug trafficking, His Excellency
affirmed Qatar's commitment to and participation in the Global Coalition to
Address Synthetic Drugs Threats.
On a national level, The State of Qatar's
Permanent Representative to the United Nations and International Organizations
in Vienna concluded the statement by expressing that the State of Qatar takes
pride in its national record in protecting its people from the scourge of
drugs. This achievement is due to the adoption of the National Drug Control
Strategy that features integrated elements, clear objectives, flexible
programs, and a focus on preventive measures to safeguard society, particularly
the youth, through education, awareness, and warnings against falling into the clutches of the scourge
of drugs.