The international conference “Parliamentarians Against Drugs” took place on 4 December in Moscow, Russia. The forum was held by the State Duma with participation of the United Nations; and the National Anti-Drug Union is also an official co-organizer of the conference.
“The goal of the conference is to establish a parliamentary dimension of international anti-drug cooperation and develop the existing legal framework for international cooperation in the fight against the spread and use of drug substances and on preventive healthcare and treatment of drug addicts,” the State Duma Department for Public and Media Relations explained.
MPs from 43 countries, heads of Russian ministries and agencies and heads of Russian regional legal and executive entities attended the conference chaired by the State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin. Representatives of leading foreign and Russian non-profit organizations working in the field of prevention and recovery, including representatives of RUN and EURAD, as well as many representatives of our affiliates and member organisations, also participated in the conference.
The conference participants discussed the current issues of countering drug trafficking and shared the experience on rehabilitation and support for healthy lifestyle, especially among young people, accumulated in different countries. “Apart from the issues of international cooperation in the legal regulation of this area, the conference focused on the best practices, methods of prevention and ways to treat individuals with drug problems,” the department said.
The speakers included: UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed , Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Yury Fedotov, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Secretary-General of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Rashid Alimov, Russian Health Minister Veronika Skvortsova, parliamentary chairmen from Indonesia, Iran, Pakistan, Uzbekistan and Ecuador, heads of the State Duma factions, speakers from various countries and representatives of foreign and Russian non-profit organizations.
By Mulka Nisic
