Roza Otunbayeva, UNAMA head and the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Afghanistan, has stressed the need for greater solidarity among global institutions to support Afghanistan in its fight against drugs.
While visiting a rehabilitation center for drug addicts in Kabul, Otunbayeva highlighted the importance of providing vocational training services to rehabilitated individuals.
Alongside Roza Otunbayeva, representatives of the World Health Organization (WHO) for Afghanistan and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) also visited this rehabilitation center.
The UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan stated: “This Centre is a testament to the power of hope and international solidarity. The collaboration between WHO, UNODC, the EU and implementing partners like the International Medical Corps and the Youth Health and Development Organization gives these women and children the opportunity to heal and reclaim their futures.”
The World Health Organization noted in a statement that decades of conflict and instability in Afghanistan have left most Afghans vulnerable, with one-third of families impacted by drugs. Representatives from WHO Afghanistan and UNODC emphasized the importance of a comprehensive approach by global institutions in the fight against drugs.
Edwin Ceniza Salvador, the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Representative in Afghanistan, said: “This Kabul Hospital Drug Addiction Center is a 150-bed … where we provide medical management for women who are addicted to drugs, but at the same time also provide them with the livelihood skills where they will help them to be integrated back in the community. This is a very prime example of where we can collectively join hands with our implementing partners, International Medical Corps and the YPHO to provide a comprehensive approach.”
Polleak Ok Serei, the UNODC Representative, spoke about drug treatment, stating: “This drug treatment center focuses on women and children. We just accompanied the visit of the Assistant Secretary General and the Special Representative of the Secretary General just to showcase what could be done and of course to push for more similar support in all of the other virtual consensus in Afghanistan.”
Meanwhile, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) held its first Counter-Narcotics Working Group meeting on November 28, 2024. UNAMA noted in a statement that the establishment of this working group was based on recommendations from the independent 2023 evaluation submitted to the UN Security Council.