murree - The government and UN official here at a regional workshop on narcotics said that money generated by illicit drug money could be used in insurgencies, terrorism and criminal activities stressing the need to deal harsh with poppy growers and traffickers of drugs.
UN Office on Drug Control (UNODC) under its Regional Programme for Afghanistan and its Neighbouring Countries has organised a two-day workshop on “Drugs and the Media, The Regional Counter Narcotics Awareness Workshop for Journalists” on September 23-24, 2014 in Bhurban.
The UNODC is a global leader in the fight against illicit drugs and transnational organised crime and operates in all regions of the world through an extensive network of field offices such as the ones in Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Secretary Narcotics Akbar Khan Hoti while addressing the participants did not rule out the impression that the money earned by trafficking drugs could reach the hands of terrorists, adding that 90 per cent of the poppy in the world was cultivated in Afghanistan. He said that while Pakistan was the biggest catcher of narcotics in the world, however, the country was still being used as a transit for smuggling the drugs onwards to Europe via Iran and Central Asian Republics.
Former Director General ANF Shakil Hussain too was of the opinion that drug money across the world had reached $70 billion and major chunk of the money was utilised by insurgents in carrying out criminal activities. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime is the UN office with the exclusive mandate to counter illicit drug trafficking, and crime prevention worldwide.
Speaking at the opening of two days counter-narcotics awareness workshop for journalists, the UNODC Representative Cesar Guedes said, “In today’s world, media has become an important part of our lives, some would agree that it is a basic need because of the significant role it plays in strengthening society. I considered it a mirror of modern society.”
This regional workshop for journalists will build on previous counter-narcotics related advocacy and public awareness raising initiatives by UNODC in the region. The overall aim is to publicise the efforts of the respective governments of the region, promote public awareness through the media. Countering the harms of illicit drugs is the shared responsibility of all levels of society, as illicit drugs harms all levels of society - the governments, civil society, the media and journalists. The media has been identified as an important tool for public awareness in today’s world and journalists can play an important role in raising public awareness of counter-narcotics issues.
This regional workshop has brought journalists from eight countries of the region including Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, Islamic Republic of Iran, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan for discussions, information sharing, building of networks and agreement on future joint working in the area of counter-narcotics awareness raising.