On September 13, ISRS held a gathering with the Chief of the Research and Trend Analysis Branch at the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Angela Me.
The event welcomed members from the regional divisions of the UN, including UNODC Regional Representative to Central Asia, Ashita Mittal, and the Head of the UNODC Information Centre in Tashkent for researching and analyzing transnational threats related to drugs and crime, Salomé Flores.
The participants discussed matters of transnational concerns, particularly the current situation in the battle against drug trafficking and organized crime in the Central Asian region, as well as the potential for forming a partnership between ISRS and UNODC in this area.
Angela Me highlighted that in recent years, UNODC’s relationship with Uzbekistan has been rapidly developing due to the open, practical, and active foreign policy undertaken by the President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev.
In her opinion, a clear sign of the intensification of contacts between Tashkent and this UN structure was the opening of the UNODC Information Centre in Tashkent. Its functioning, the specialist notes, will help to conduct a thorough analysis of information regarding the situation in the fight against drug smuggling, strengthening coordination of UNODC with law enforcement agencies of Central Asian countries in creating effective measures to respond to trans-border threats in the region.
In addition, the UNODC representative noted the need for close cooperation at the level of specialists and experts to prevent and suppress these challenges and develop practical approaches.
At the meeting, the UNODC report on the drug situation in the world for 2023 was also presented, which analyzes global trends and current problems in drug trafficking. It notes that the drug situation in the world continues to be difficult due to the growing consumption of synthetic drugs.
UN representatives highly praised the efforts of Uzbekistan to implement this program, particularly Tashkent’s establishment of effective interaction with Central Asian countries.
In turn, ISRS First Deputy Director Akramjon Nematov emphasized that in countering the drug threat, it is essential to use the growing cooperation potential of the Central Asian region.
According to him, a high level of political dialogue, mutual trust, and interaction has formed in Central Asia. All this creates favorable conditions for further intensification of cooperation in the fight against transnational threats.
Following the meeting, the parties expressed mutual interest in strengthening collaboration and organizing a joint scientific and practical workshop on the fight against drug trafficking with the participation of UN specialists and experts from think tanks of the region’s states.
UzA