6 July 2022 – Tripoli
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), in partnership with the National Center for Desease Control (NCDC), has launched the official workplan for the “Youth 4 Impact” regional programme in Tripoli, which focuses on helping youth to become more resilient against drugs, violence and crime. The launch coincided with the celebration of the International Day against Drug Use and Illicit Trafficking, which aims to strengthen action and cooperation in achieving a world free of drug use.
Each year, individuals, communities, and various organizations all over the world join together to observe World Drug Day, raising awareness of the major problem illicit drugs pose to society. The international community continues to advocate for protecting the right to health for the most vulnerable, such as: children and youth, people using drugs, people with drug use disorders, especially in communities suffering from deteriorating economic conditions. It also continues to call for urgent action to strengthen drug abuse prevention and treatment.
The national workplan is based on three outcomes. The first outcome ensures enhanced legal, policy and institutional frameworks to effectively prevent crime and drug-use among youth. The second outcome is to support relevant sectoral systems and institutions to effectively respond to the needs of vulnerable and at-risk young men, young women, boys and girls, and their families. The third outcome aims to empower youth and raise their awareness of drugs and associated drug use, while making them more resilient to crime, all forms of violence, and exploitation.
Representatives from health, youth and education institutions, including the Ministry of Interior and the Ministry of Social Affairs, and civil society organizations got together to launch the “Youth 4 Impact” programme in Libya, on 6 July 2022, and advocate for its long-term success. The launch began with an opening speech delivered by Dr. Haider El Saeh, NCDC Director-General, Mr. Ahmed Al Kateb, Deputy Minister of Youth, Brigadier General Ibrahim Al Khoja, Anti-Narcotic General Authority (ANGA) representative within the Ministry of Interior, Mr. Polleak Ok Serei, Head of UNODC Office in Libya, and Mr. Shokri Al Jwaili, Director of Ayadi Al Khayr NGO. Furthermore, a series of technical resentations on drug prevention initiatives, including the “Line Up! Live Up!” and “Strong Families” programmes, took place, followed by briefings on the Libyan drug-related context. The event was part of the #CareInCrises international campaign, which is this year’s World Drug Day theme, referring to drug challenges in health and humanitarian crises.
The “Youth 4 Impact” regional programme, funded by the German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), was launched at the end of May 2022 and is in line with UNODC’s continuous support for Member States’ institutional capacity-building under the Regional Program for the Arab States to Prevent and Combat Crime, Terrorism and Health Threats and Strengthen Criminal Justice Systems. The programme will be active in 6 MENA countries: Algeria, Egypt, Lebanon, Libya, Palestine and Sudan.
