TEHRAN – The Iranian Drug Control Headquarters in cooperation with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) held the second Exhibition of Life Helpers from November 13 to 19 at the Institute for the Intellectual Development of Children and Young Adults, Tehran.

The exhibition displayed the latest achievements in the fight against drugs, focusing on prevention, treatment, harm reduction, and combating the entry and supply of drugs, the UNODC website reported.  

High-ranking military and civilian officials, along with ambassadors attended the ceremony.

At the opening ceremony of the second Life Helpers exhibition, Minister of Interior Eskandar Momeni expressed his gratitude to the UNODC Iran Country Representative and emphasized the need to boost cooperation between the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and the Country.

He highlighted recent scientific findings, stating that social harms should be addressed through social mechanisms, and efforts should be made to prevent these issues from escalating into security concerns.

In this event, Alexander Fedulov, UNODC Iran Country Representative, expressed his gratitude to all participants, and UNODC national counterparts.

He highlighted the severe impact of illicit drug cultivation, production, and trafficking on global safety, health, and well-being.

He announced that drug use is increasing, especially in developing countries, due to urbanization, demographic changes, and socioeconomic inequalities.

He emphasized the need for concerted and sustained national and international efforts to address the world drug problem, as committed by the United Nations Member States.

Fedulov highlighted that the United Nations system in Iran, through the Iran United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF), supports improved access to evidence-based drug prevention, treatment, harm reduction, and drug-related services, while strengthening national capacity for effective border management and drug trafficking control. 

A consortium of UNICEF, WHO, UNFPA, and UNODC, along with academia, civil society organizations, and Iranian national partners led by the Iranian Drug Control Headquarters, aims to enhance, and expand existing programs and introduce new ones tailored to vulnerable populations.

UNODC Iran Country Representative expressed gratitude for the efforts of nongovernmental and governmental partners, led by the Iranian Drug Control Headquarters, in enhancing effective and balanced drug control measures to improve human safety, public health, and well-being in Iran. 

In conclusion, Fedulov thanks all participants for organizing the exhibition and wishes them success in the future.

Strategies to fight narcotics need to be revised

In September, President Masoud Pezeshkian said, “As long as there is demand for narcotic drugs, their supply and distribution cannot be restricted, so the strategies for dealing with illicit drugs have to primarily focus on controlling and lowering demand.”

Referring to addiction as one of the significant concerns of society, which is a root cause of many crimes and social corruption, he highlighted the inefficiency of the methods implemented so far in dealing with addiction in the country in the past years.

The president made the remarks on September 9, in a meeting with the officials of anti-narcotics headquarters, IRNA reported.

“Despite the many efforts that have been made in the country, we are still a long way from optimal conditions which makes it necessary to review and change the current methods by learning from the successful experiences of other countries,” Pezeshkian added.

Failing to monitor and curb demand for narcotic drugs, and focusing mainly on preventing drug supply are among the mistakes in the fight against narcotics, he further noted.

Identifying the population in risk of addiction, developing preventive strategies as well as educational programs for the target group, supporting addicts to control and reduce their consumption, treating and finally empowering them to reintegrate into the society are among proven successful methods, the president stated.

He went on to underscore the significance and necessity of utilizing the capacity of health centers saying that if health centers across the country, in the form of a codified and coherent program, accurately diagnose addicted people in their target society and support them to monitor and minimize their consumption, they will be gradually cured. Consequently, the drop in demand will reduce supply of narcotic drugs, as well. 

In addition to providing social work services, the government  regards itself responsible and obliged  to take measures  that will  treat addicts, and help them earn a living by creating employment opportunities for them.

MT/MG

Photo:  Alexander Fedulov, the UNODC representative to Iran, addresses the opening ceremony of the 2nd Life Helpers Exhibition in Tehran, November 13, 2024.