Members at 14th HONLEA assembly, Europe. © Picture: DOI / Kian Bugeja
Valletta (Malta), 16 September 2022 – The Fourteenth Assembly of Heads of Nationwide Drug Legislation Enforcement Companies (HONLEA), Europe concluded yesterday in Valletta, Malta, after 4 days of wealthy discussions amongst practitioners on regional challenges and tendencies. The assembly adopted a set of operational suggestions addressing tendencies in drug trafficking and concealment strategies; artificial drug manufacturing and trafficking; alternate options to conviction or punishment for drug-related offences; and the function of regional cooperation platforms in facilitating the alternate of actionable intelligence.
Nationwide specialists from over 20 international locations mentioned tendencies in concealment strategies and transportation of medication on the nationwide, regional and worldwide ranges. They shared info on authorized, technical and different challenges encountered in addressing the manufacturing of and trafficking in artificial medicine. Assembly individuals additional mirrored on challenges associated to using alternate options to conviction or punishment for drug-related offences on the pretrial, trial, and post-trial levels.
The assembly additionally facilitated an interactive dialogue on the roles and duties of varied legislation enforcement businesses concerned within the alternate of intelligence on the nationwide and regional ranges and fostered a wealthy alternate of views on how regional cooperation platforms can be utilized therein.
“No nation can do it alone. Malta believes in a multilateral strategy to handle challenges that cross borders,” mentioned Ian Borg, Minister of Malta for International and European Affairs and Commerce, who opened the assembly.
Byron Camilleri, Minister of Malta for House Affairs, Safety, Reforms and Equality, emphasised that with the intention to successfully deal with and counter the world drug drawback, legislation enforcement authorities “require a “whole-of-society” strategy that mobilizes all sectors and industries – from well being, justice, social welfare, and training to media and leisure.”
Ghislain D’Hoop, Chair of the Fee on Narcotic Medication at its sixty-fifth session, underscored the significance of the HONLEA deliberations, because the suggestions put ahead “allow the Fee to be told about tendencies and considerations within the areas when taking coverage choices.”
The Govt Director of the United Nations Workplace on Medication and Crime (UNODC), Ghada Waly, confused in her video deal with that “regional views and cross-regional cooperation” are wanted with the intention to deal with the world drug drawback.”
Held each two years, HONLEA, Europe – one of many 5 subsidiary our bodies of the Fee on Narcotic Medication – supplies a platform for practitioners to debate the regional perspective of the drug drawback. The Fourteenth HONLEA in Europe was the primary assembly of the CND subsidiary our bodies since 2020 to facilitate – in an in-person format – networking and information-sharing amongst nationwide specialists on the regional stage.
The Fourteenth Assembly was organized by UNODC, with the assist of the Ministry for House Affairs, Safety, Reforms and Equality and the Ministry for International and European Affairs and Commerce of Malta.
Members mentioned sensible measures taken on the nationwide stage within the implementation of the suggestions adopted by the Thirteenth HONLEA in Europe in 2019. Contributions on the nationwide, regional and worldwide ranges to the implementation of the 2019 Ministerial Declaration, adopted by the Fee at its 62nd session, had been additionally on the agenda of the Fourteenth Assembly.
The suggestions adopted by the assembly can be introduced ahead to the 66th session of the Fee in March 2023, thereby contributing a regional perspective to the interactive deliberations and the action-taking to handle and counter the world drug drawback.
