2 March 2007 - Yesterday the National Press Center hosted a presentation of two reports – the Annual Report of the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) for 2006 and the Drug Abuse and Illegal Drug Trafficking Report which was prepared and published with support from the Programme of Assistance for the Prevention of Drug Abuse and Drug Trafficking in Belarus, Ukraine and Moldova (BUMAD).

The INCB Report reviews worldwide illicit drug production, trafficking and abuse trends. In particular, the Report authors point out the increasing trend of counterfeit medicines and the danger posed by unregulated markets.

According to the Report, in 2006, the market for illicit drugs in Belarus experienced a major shift, from heroin to synthetic drugs. Methadone has gradually replaced heroin as the most commonly abused substance. At the same time, the Board notes that Belarus continues to be committed to fighting drug trafficking and gives high priority to improving the legislative bases and carrying out enforcement activities aimed to detect illicit laboratories.

The national Report “Drug Abuse and Illegal Drug Trafficking in the Republic of Belarus” provides an analysis of the drug situation development in the country for the past 10 years. The document presents a comprehensive research on Belarus and its regions. The Report authors also deal with drug related crimes, and make an analysis of the national policy on the fight against drug trafficking and abuse.

The Report research focuses on patients with dependence syndrome, and persons taking psychoactive substances registered at narcological centers of the Ministry of Health of Belarus. The information about the quantities and types of confiscated drugs was submitted by the Ministry of Interior, State Customs Committee, and State Boarder Guard Committee. In general, for the first time such a comprehensive report has been released which accumulated data from all state governance bodies dealing with drugs in some or another way.

The event was attended by Ms. Cihan Sultanoglu, UN Resident Coordinator/UNDP Resident Representative in Belarus, Mr. Oleg Pekarski, Head of the Department of Drug Control and Combating Human Trafficking of the Ministry of Interior, and Mr. Vladimir Maksimchuk, Chief Narcologist of the Ministry of Health of Belarus.

For additional information please contact UNDPI Officer-in-Charge, Victor Radivinovsky, at 227-38-17, e-mail: , or UNDP Communications Associate, Vladislav Khilkevich, at 227-38-17, e-mail: .

Additional materials:

Statement by Ms. Cihan Sultanoglu, UN Resident Coordinator in Belarus, at INCB Report 2006 presentation, 1 March 2007

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