Vienna (Austria), 27 June 2024 - The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) launched its World Drug Report for 2024 yesterday at a special event of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND). The event marked the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking (World Drug Day), with the theme “The evidence is clear: invest in prevention”.
In his welcome remarks, H.E. Philbert Johnson emphasized the crucial role that data collection and research played in shaping drug policy decisions, through understanding drug abuse patterns, trends, and the social and economic consequences that follow. He added: “The power of data lies in its ability to guide our decision-making, ensuring that our policies are not only effective but also responsive to the evolving nature of drug abuse.”
In her opening remarks, Ms. Ghada Waly, Executive Director of UNODC, asserted: “At this pivotal time for drug-related challenges around the globe, governments and all stakeholders need to be equipped through data and evidence to inform responses and galvanize action – and that is the role of the World Drug Report.”
The 2024 World Drug Report presents the latest global, regional, and subregional estimates and trends in drug demand and drug supply in a user-friendly, interactive online format with a view to enhance and simplify access to the wealth of information made available. Angela Me, Chief of the Research and Trend Analysis Branch at UNODC, highlighted the key findings from the report at the event.
This event follows the Pledge4Action initiative launched by the Chair of the Commission earlier this year during the high-level segment of its 67th session, where 66 countries pledged specific action towards addressing and countering the world drug problem. Delegates from countries who made pledges related to improving data collection and analysis reiterated the importance of doing so, in the lead-up to the end-of-cycle review of the implementation of all international drug policy commitments scheduled in 2029.
The event featured a panel discussion with a range of experts and country delegates who shared their insights on the importance of and the use of data in shaping drug policies – Prof. Dr. Georges-Simon Ulrich, Chair of the United Nations (UN) Statistical Commission and Director General of the Federal Statistical Office of Switzerland; H.E. Ambassador Jose Antonio Zabalgoitia, Permanent Representative of Mexico to the UN in Vienna; H.E. Ambassador Shambhu S. Kumaran, Permanent Representative of India to the UN in Vienna; H.E. Ambassador Ian Biggs, Permanent Representative of Australia to the UN in Vienna; H.E. Ambassador Maurice Makoloo, Permanent Representative of Kenya to the UN in Vienna; Idriz Haxhiag, Director of Public Order and Security Policies and Strategies, Ministry of Interior, Albania; Matej Košir, Chairperson of the Vienna NGO Committee on Drugs; Inshik Sim, Programme Officer, UNODC Regional Office for Southeast Asia and the Pacific; and Camelia Abdelgelil, Data Science for Public Policy Master of Public Administration Candidate, London School of Economics and Political Science.