Luanda — Angola defended this Wednesday in Vienna, Austria, that prevention is the main thing to do for the whole anti-drug process, within the scope of the United Nations prevention system.
Speaking at the 66th session of the United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND), which runs from 13 to 17 March, the national director of the Institute for the Fight against Drugs (INALUD), Ana Mamede Graça, highlighted the role of the prevention system created on the basis of the three UN conventions on drug control.
The head of the Angolan delegation highlighted the fundamental role of prevention, with the spreading of necessary information to raise awareness, as well as to change the perception and behaviour of the community, and society in general.
Ana Mamede Graça reaffirmed the commitments assumed by the Angolan Government to fight drugs, emphasizing that "the Government has been working hard in an active prevention system capable of meeting the needs related to the primary health care, which are a major challenge of the health system".
She also said that Angola considers international cooperation to be a necessary argument, as through its actions are implemented to strengthen police activities, based on information gathering, surveillance of land, sea and air transport.
The CND is one of the functional commissions of the Economic and Social Council of the United Nation, being the main body responsible for drug policy making.
The commission enables member states to analyse the world drug situation and take global measures within its framework, and to monitor the implementation of the three International Drug Control Conventions, as well as to pay attention to areas related to the objectives of the Convention, including the inclusion of substances on international control lists.
The CND meets annually and adopts a set of decisions and resolutions on the world drug problem.
Angola is participating in the conference with a multi-sectoral delegation that includes, besides INALUD, experts from the Ministry of the Interior, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Health and diplomats from the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Angola in Austria.
