Cairo: The General Secretariat of the Arab League convened a coordination meeting to discuss the establishment of an Arab Drug Observatory at its headquarters. This meeting was organized with the collaboration of the General Secretariat of the Council of Arab Interior Ministers, the European Union project for Combating Organized Crime and Terrorism, and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).
According to Qatar News Agency, the creation of the Arab Drug Observatory is a component of the "Arab Shield" initiative launched by the Council of Arab Interior Ministers in 2019. This initiative encompasses multiple programs designed to enhance the efficiency of law enforcement agencies in reducing drug demand. The framework for the observatory was developed by considering the perspectives of member states and incorporating input from their respective ministries of health.
The observatory's objectives include raising awareness about drug-related dangers through innovative campaigns, strengthening scientific research mechanisms on drugs and psychoactive substances, monitoring trends, patterns, and trafficking routes related to drug distribution in Arab countries, and providing accurate data to inform public policies on drug control.
In support of these efforts, Ahmed Aboul Gheit, Secretary-General of the Arab League, stressed the importance of collaboration between Arab ministries of health and customs authorities with the Council of Arab Interior Ministers in establishing the observatory.
During its 63rd ordinary session on December 18 last year in Libya, the Council of Arab Health Ministers underscored the observatory's significance and assigned its technical secretariat the task of continuing coordination with the General Secretariat of the Council of Arab Interior Ministers to implement the project.