Beijing (VNA) – Vietnam is determined and committed to enhancing cooperation with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Mekong sub-region countries, and the international community in drug prevention and control efforts, striving towards the common goals of peace, stability, prosperity, and the building of a drug-free region, a senior official has said.

Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang made the statement while delivering a speech at the 14th ministerial meeting of the signatories to the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Drug Control in the Greater Mekong Sub-region held in Beijing on September 6.

The meeting was attended by nearly 100 delegates from six countries – namely Cambodia, Thailand, Myanmar, China, Laos, and Vietnam, and representatives from the UNODC.

Quang, who is also Chairman of the National Committee for AIDS, Drug and Prostitution Prevention and Control, said that over the past three decades, the Mekong sub-region countries’ cooperative mechanism in drug prevention and control has achieved important outcomes, helping to ensure security and order, promote socio-economic development, reduce poverty, and improve the quality of life for the people of the member countries.

Within the framework of the MoU signed in 1993, the UNODC and member countries have collectively built, passed, and implemented sub-regional action plans on drug prevention and control, achieving positive results.

Quang said as a responsible member, Vietnam has issued policies with long-term goals, including the national drug prevention and control programme for 2021-2025, and passed the drug prevention and control law in 2021. Vietnam has also strengthened cooperation with countries in the region and the world to address drug-related issues, and actively participated in regional and international cooperation mechanisms.

The Deputy PM affirmed that Vietnam supports the uncompromising stance against drugs and continues to pursue a long-term goal of creating a drug-free region. This involves maintaining a balance between supply reduction, demand reduction, and harm reduction through legal enforcement and socio-economic measures to eliminate the root causes of drug-related problems. Vietnam has also paid due attention to international cooperation in accordance with the principles of the three international drug control conventions.

Quang noted that the recent situation of drug production, trafficking, and use in the region and the world is extremely complex. He stressed this is an international issue that no single country can solve on its own. It requires close international cooperation and comprehensive approaches, with collaboration respecting international law, sovereignty, territorial integrity, and non-interference in internal affairs, and mutual support.

To promptly address the challenges posed by the drug situation, he suggested member countries continue to demonstrate unity and consensus in their views and positions on global drug control policies, actively contribute their voices to the concerted efforts of the international community, and support the role of the UNODC in policymaking on drug prevention and control. They should also enhance the quality of their information exchange and support each other’s capacity building, among many others.

Quang hoped that the UNODC will continue to play a constructive role in building regional cooperation programmes and efficiently managing resources. He also called for support and the development of effective drug prevention and control initiatives in the time to come.

Participants reviewed the progress of regional drug prevention and control cooperation over the past 30 years and shared each country's experiences. The conference adopted the 12th sub-regional action plan, the Beijing Declaration, and China's initiative on the settlement of synthetic drug issues in the Mekong Sub-region./.