On 11 – 12 February 2015, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs together with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade of New Zealand co-chaired the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) Workshop on Enhancing Regional Cooperation to Address Challenges Posed by Illicit Drugs – Implementing the ARF Counter-Terrorism Transnational Crime Work Plan.  The said Workshop was held back-to-back with the ARF Workshop on Precursor Chemicals and Synthetic Drugs, co-chaired by Thailand and Canada on 12 – 13 February 2015 at the Sukhothai Hotel, Bangkok.

The Workshops provided the participants with an updated overview of the current illicit drugs situation in the Asia Pacific region, as well as regional and global efforts to combat the production, distribution and trafficking of illicit drugs.  The participants expressed concern over the rise of new psychoactive substances (NPS), trafficking of precursor chemicals, African drug syndicates (ADS) and distribution and trafficking of drugs through mail and online purchases. Participants shared information and exchanged best practices in combating the production and trafficking of illicit drugs. They also emphasized the importance of interagency, regional and international cooperation on issues of border security, intelligence exchange, law enforcement and financial investigation through
existing ASEAN mechanisms such as ASEAN Senior Officials on Drug Matters (ASOD) and ASEAN Narcotics Cooperation Center (ASEAN-NARCO) in the successful suppression of drugs.

Attended by participants from 17 ARF countries and representatives from the ASEAN Secretariat and the Regional Office for Southeast Asia and the Pacific of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the workshops underscored Thailand’s commitment to cooperate with regional partners to fulfill the aspiration for a Drug-Free ASEAN 2015 and combat the global drug scourge.