UNODC Chief and Minister of Justice sign joint statement to consolidate partnership in Brazil

Credit: Isaac Amorim
Fedotov and Cardozo signing the joint statement

Brasília, 10 May 2013 - The Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Yury Fedotov, and the Brazilian Minister of Justice, José Eduardo Cardozo, signed yesterday a joint statement formalizing the establishment of the UNODC Liaison and Partnership Office (LPO) in Brazil. "With this new concept of Liaison and Partnership, UNODC seeks to expand the scope of its work with the Brazilian government, especially considering the country's financial resources, technical capacity and its rising political profile," said Fedotov, who is also Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations.

During the meeting held at the Ministry of Justice, Fedotov explained that the UNODC LPO in Brazil also covers Argentina, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay, and will focus primarily on promoting regional and intra-regional cooperation, as well as South-South initiatives. For this, UNODC and the Brazilian government will develop a join working plan for the creation of a neutral platform for international cooperation, with emphasis on promoting collaboration and dialogue with key countries in the region and the world.

According to Fedotov, "signing this statement with the Ministry of Justice represents an important milestone in UNODC's partnership with Brazil, reaffirming the commitments of both parties and paving the way for this relationship to continue to strengthen". He also thanked Cardozo for the Ministry of Justice's contribution to UNODC, which enabled the establishment of the LPO and the expansion of cooperation with the Brazilian government.

Fedotov arrived in Brazil on Tuesday, accompanied by the Director of the Division of Operations of UNODC, Aldo Lale-Demoz, and the Representative of the UNODC LPO in Brazil, Rafael Franzini. During the four-day mission, which ended today, the UNODC Executive Director met with senior officials of the Brazilian government, including the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Antonio Patriota, the Minister of the Office of the Comptroller General of the Union, Jorge Hage Sobrinho, and the National Secretary for Drug Policy of the Ministry of Justice, Vitore Maximiano. In addition, the UNODC Executive Director also participated in meetings with representatives of civil society organizations and journalists to discuss issues related to drug trafficking, drug use prevention and treatment, transnational organized crime and trafficking in persons.

Related information:

Biography - Yury Fedotov

For local Brazilian and regional media, please contact:

Ana Paula Canestrelli

Communications Assistant - UNODC LPO Brazil

anapaula.canestrelli@unodc.org

Tel: (+55 61) 3204-7206

Mob: (+55 61) 8143-4652

For international media, please contact:

David Dadge

Spokesperson - UNODC

david.dadge@unvienna.org

Tel: (+43 1) 26060-5629

Mob: (+43-699) 1459-5629

 

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