UNDCP SIGNS DRUG CONTROL AGREEMENT WITH IRAN, OPENS NEW COUNTRY OFFICE

Press Release
SOC/NAR/804

UNDCP SIGNS DRUG CONTROL AGREEMENT WITH IRAN, OPENS NEW COUNTRY OFFICE

VIENNA, 25 June (UN Information Service) -- A $13 million programme that should greatly increase Iran's ability to control illicit drugs will be officially launched by the United Nations International Drug Control Programme (UNDCP) in Tehran on 26 June, the International Day against Illicit Drug Abuse and Trafficking.

The programme will be signed by Muhammad Fallah, Secretary of the Iranian government's Drug Control Headquarters, and Under-Secretary-General Pino Arlacchi, who serves as Executive Director of the United Nations Office for Drug Control and Crime Prevention (ODCCP).

The programme aims to combat Iran's drug problem by helping it cut down on illicit trafficking, particularly along the country's borders, modernize its drug laws, increase public awareness of the problem and set up projects to assist with the increasingly devastating effects of domestic addiction. Iran currently has over one million drug addicts, plus some 600,000 occasional drug users.

"I hope that this new programme will help in educating and stimulating discussion about the dangers of drug abuse, particularly among young people", said Mr. Arlacchi, noting that almost half of Iran's population is under the age of 25.

Mr. Arlacchi arrived in Iran today, where he will also inaugurate a new country office for the UNDCP. "This new UNDCP office is established in recognition of the key role which Iran continues to play in international drug control", he stated upon arrival in Tehran.

On 26 June, Mr. Arlacchi will attend the country's yearly drug-burning ceremony, where the Iranian authorities will destroy over 55 tons of illicit drugs seized in the past 12 months.

- 2 - Press Release SOC/NAR/804 25 June 1999

Iran is a major transit point for narcotics being transported from Pakistan and Afghanistan to lucrative markets in Europe. In recent years, it has seized more illicit drugs -- mainly opium and heroin -- than any other country through effective law enforcement and the investment of vast human and financial resources.

Over the past 10 years, Iran has lost 2,700 law enforcers in the fight against illicit drug trafficking.

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