"The president has made drug trafficking control a priority in the security sector," BNN head, Commissioner General Marthinus Hukom, remarked while speaking at the 68th Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) in Vienna, Austria, Tuesday, as confirmed in Jakarta.
He remarked that to implement comprehensive drug control, the Indonesian government established a Narcotics Desk with three key objectives.
The three tasks are optimizing the effective and efficient prevention and enforcement of drug laws, improving coordination between ministries and institutions and international cooperation in drug eradication efforts and strategic policies, and formulating recommendations to optimize drug eradication.
Hukom then expressed deep concern over the global drug situation, as reflected in the 2024 World Narcotics Report.
The report recorded the prevalence of high-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) cannabis products has led to increased drug use and poses a danger to international public health, especially affecting young people.
He explained that the prevalence rate of drugs in Indonesia reached 1.73 percent in 2023, affecting around 3.33 million people.
Hukom pointed out that Indonesia is grappling with significant challenges, with a relapse rate exceeding 70 percent and the emergence of new psychoactive substances, alongside the escalating trend of drug trafficking.
Hence, he emphasized that the government remains committed to strengthening the voices of developing countries in overcoming illicit drug trafficking.
BNN proposed three key strategies to reduce the dangers of drugs to society through strategic steps by addressing the socio-economic impacts of drugs, which disproportionately affect developing countries with limited resources for prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation.
The second aspect is encouraging a balanced approach between health and safety aspects in the global drug policy and advocating for evidence-based treatment while maintaining strong law enforcement.
The third aspect is supporting the full implementation of international drug policy commitments through increased regional cooperation.
"BNN has conducted various strategic steps to strengthen collaboration, intelligence operations, coastal and border security, cooperation with neighboring countries, and family resilience programs in vulnerable areas as well as strengthening infrastructure and capacity building," he noted.
He then called on the international community to increase technical assistance, capacity building, and sustainable funding mechanisms for developing countries.
The 68th CND was held on March 10-14, 2025. The activity discussed issues related to drugs and adopted resolutions and decisions.
The discussion was led by Ambassador Shambhu Kumaran, Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations (UN) in Vienna. Each attending country presented current issues regarding drugs and their crimes, including BNN as the Indonesian delegation.
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Translator: Agatha Olivia, Resinta Sulistiyandari
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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