Addressing evolving synthetic drug challenges requires a mix of enforcement, legal, regulatory, health and education responses. In Southeast Asia, there have been limited channels to engage with policymakers (particularly parliamentarians) and provide them with briefings and trainings on synthetic drug matters and associated security and public health challenges despite the existence of relevant parliamentarian committees at the national level. UNODC proposes to address this gap by creating new channels to better engage with policymakers and provide them with the latest data and information through this initiative for developing national and regional synthetic drug policies.
The UNODC Regional Office for Southeast Asia and the Pacific has participated in the annual ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA) Advisory Council on Dangerous Drugs (AIPACODD) since its inception in 2018.
Activity 1: Participate in the annual AIPACODD.
Activity 2: Contextualize UNODC policy maker training materials for the region (i.e. translation and incorporate regional context).
Activity 3: Organize national workshops for policymakers, practitioners and academics, (including enforcement, health and education) in select countries in the region.
Activity 4: Translate the annual regional synthetic drug report and other relevant materials into select local languages to improve use.
Outcome 1: Availability and use of synthetic drug data and information for policymakers in Southeast Asia is improved.
Outcome 2: Channels of communication between policymakers, practitioners and academics are established and existing channels enhanced.
Current State Participants
This is a new initiative.
Benedikt Hofmann, Deputy Regional Representative, UNODC Regional Office for Southeast Asia and the Pacific, benedikt [dot] hofmann [at] un [dot] org (benedikt[dot]hofmann[at]un[dot]org)
