Tackling the world drug problem is one of the most urgent and difficult tasks currently facing the international community. Illicit drugs pose interconnected challenges to peace, human rights, health, justice and sustainable development around the world. If we are to progress on the Sustainable Development Goals, which seek to promote peace and prosperity for all, we must place global action on illicit drugs high on the international agenda. It is, therefore, crucial to recognize that no country, however powerful, can stand alone in countering these multi-faceted threats. Finding solutions to the world drug problem is a shared responsibility that all countries must undertake together. UNODC stands ready to assist its partners in Latin America, the Caribbean and the European Union. In doing so, we are seeking to maximize the full potential of UNGASS 2016, and to promote a balanced approach to international drug policy that is evidence-based and scientific with a strong emphasis on public health, human rights and development. Read paper
Yury Fedotov is the Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime in Vienna.
This paper was prepared as the foreword for the EU‑LAC Foundation’s Newsletter of March 2016 on the theme “The World Drug Problem”.