(MENAFN- Emirates News Agency (WAM))
VIENNA, 14th March, 2018 (WAM) -- A UAE delegation, headed by Brigadier Saeed bin Tuwair Al Suwaidi, Director of Drugs Control at the Ministry of Interior, is participating in meetings of the 61st session of the UNODC Commission on Narcotic Drugs, CND, in Vienna that will run until 16th March 2018.
The country's delegation includes Dr. Faisal Al Bakeri, Advisor to the Minister of Education, and representatives of the National Rehabilitation Centre and the Ministry of Interior.
Brigadier Al Suwaidi delivered the UAE's speech at the meeting's opening session, where he stressed that poor economic conditions and poverty in many parts of the world exacerbate this problem, and has made them a breeding ground for terrorists to finance their operations.
He added that the UAE is aware of the challenges and is currently researching future challenges, to adopt the appropriate plans while highlighting the country's efforts to reduce the demand for drugs.
Al Suwaidi said that the UAE has created sustainable development goals, to achieve its strategic plans, prioritise the youth, and adopt relevant education and community initiatives. These include introducing the subject of ethical education in all stages of school education, to promote ethics and virtues among students and encourage them to avoid negative, harmful and unhealthy behaviours, such as consuming drugs.
The UAE recently established a new centre to provide treatment and rehabilitation services for drug addicts from all segments of the community, and launched a new initiative to create appropriate employment opportunities for people recovering from addiction, in partnership with the private sector, he continued.
Al Suwaidi explained that through their efforts to reduce the supply of drugs, law enforcement authorities have achieved a significant increase in their rate of arrest of drug dealers, reaching 85 percent during the previous year while adding that the UAE Cabinet has approved a government initiative to reduce the availability of drugs in the country, in cooperation with law enforcement forces of police, customs and coast guard authorities.
The UAE also considered the legislative requirements of its plans, by adopting a legal amendment that stipulates that the Federal Court in Abu Dhabi will hear cases of drug dealing crimes, as they are a threat to the country's national security, he said.
The UAE government is constantly seeking to develop its international relations to prevent drug trafficking operations around the world, and it has provided intelligence information that contributed to 124 operations in over 32 countries last year, he concluded.
WAM/Esraa Ismail/Nour Salman
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