Reseaches conducted by various international agencies reveal that the menace of drugs is increasing in the world. According to a report released by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) on June 25, 2020, around 269 million people used drugs worldwide in 2018, a 30 percent increase compared to 2009.
Over 35 million people suffer from drug use disorders, reveals the latest World Drug Report by the UNODC. The report also analyses the impact of COVID-19 on drug and the youth, which says rising unemployment and reduced opportunities caused by the pandemic are likely to disproportionately affect the poorest, making them vulnerable to drug use, drug trafficking and cultivation in order to earn money.
It presents the world with an unprecedented challenge brought in as part of a fallout from the pandemic, adding to the burden of countries already struggling with a dwindling financial resources, rising unemployment, increasing health care expense and a myriad of social security problems. In this context the Global Programme for Implementation of the Doha Declaration becomes highly relevant.
Addressing the 64th session of the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs, Permanent Representative of Qatar to the United Nations and international organisations in Vienna H E Sultan bin Salmeen Al Mansouri said that Qatar is proud of the impressive success achieved by the Global Programme. In his address, Al Mansouri analysed the impact of COVID-19 on the global drug problem, noting that the pandemic has led to high unemployment rates, exposing the jobless people to drug abuse, trafficking and cultivation.
It has provided new opportunities for criminal groups to sell fake drugs, medicines and vaccines, making use of the shortage of controlled medicines caused by the pandemic. In order to eradicate the drug menace, with a concerted and unified action plan, countries across the world should rise up to the challenge. The immediate aim should be to save the humanity, especially the poor countries, from the purge of the pandemic.
The only way to achieve this is to vaccinate maximum number of people as early as possible. Every country has a responsibility to help one another by making enough quantity of vaccines, providing needed infrastructure facilities for keeping the vaccine etc. Qatar has already been playing its part by providing generous financial support to the World Health Organisation and the countries most affected. Qatar has also provided impressive financial contribution to research institutions in working to develop vaccines.
Recently Qatar Red Crescent Society launched an international campaign to raise $100m for providing vaccines for 3,650,000 refugees, internally displaced people and migrants in 20 countries.
