Information on the fight against drug abuse and trafficking was discussed at the 43rd ASEAN Senior Officials on Drug Matters (ASOD) meeting held from October 31 to November 3.
The meeting was attended by Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) Director Dato Paduka Mohd Zalani bin Haji Ismail as the head of the delegation, along with several senior officers from the bureau.
During the opening ceremony, Malaysia’s Secretary General of the Ministry of Home Affairs Dato’ Sri Wan Ahmad Dahlan bin Haji Abdul Aziz as the guest of honour touched on the increasingly complex drug situation with the increase in cross-border crime and the existence of organised crime syndicates. He also stressed that ASOD leaders should continue to support the zero-tolerance vision of tackling drug issues in the region and remain committed to implementing the ‘The ASEAN Work Plan on Securing Communities Against Illicit Drug 2016 – 2025’.
The meeting also saw the launch of a report published by the ASEAN Narcotics Cooperation Centre (ASEAN-NARCO) entitled ASEAN Drug Monitoring Report 2021, which presents the overall ASEAN drug situation for 2021 as well as the initiatives implemented based on the drug supply and demand reduction strategy by ASEAN member countries.
Other related meetings such as 7th ASOD+China Consultation, 7th ASOD+Japan Consultation, 15th ASOD+3 Consultation and 4th ASOD+Russia Consultation were also held back-to-back to the 43rd ASOD meeting.
