Cristina calls for breaking cycle of drug use to prevent youth from being its easy target
Chairperson of the Karim Khan Afridi Welfare Foundation (KKAWF) Cristina Afridi jointly with Ambassador of Spain Jose de Ory launched on Thursday the Global Initiative on Drug Use Prevention, known as the Declaration of Oviedo at the Spanish Embassy. The event aimed at bringing this global drug prevention movement to the forefront of Pakistan’s drug policies.
A number of Ambassadors of the European countries, like Nicolas Galey of France and Portugal’s Manuel FredericoPinheiro da Silva, Members of the Parliament, civil society representatives, friends and staff members of the KKAWF, volunteers and youth had come to attend the event and to express solidarity with KKAWF.
Jose de Ory, the host of the launching ceremony welcomed the guests at his residence and held the Oviedo Declaration, a landmark covenant against drug prevalence among the youth.
The Declaration of Oviedo, named after the Spanish city of Oviedo which hosted the initial expert consultations in 2023 was formally launched in March 2024 at the 67th session of the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs in Vienna to highlight the value of investing in evidence-based prevention. The declaration supported by 127 countries with 109 country focal points and over 2,413 civil society organizations was the outcome of these June 2023 meetings with the purpose to prioritize Drug Prevention as it was evidenced to hold the key to breaking the cycle of human suffering. The consultations concluded that drugs are at the root of this immeasurable devastation, and are inextricably linked to crime and financial burdens on nations.
With this brief background, Ambassador Jose commended Cristina’s efforts for countering as well as raising awareness about drugs. Drugs are a major issue in Spain still and countering its spread with prevention was vital, he said and recalled the days when the poison penetrated in the youth and parents were little aware how to deal with that.
Cristina Afridi said the worldwide support to this global initiative had raised the profile and understanding on the wisdom of Drug Prevention – to act before drug use may take hold. She stressed that breaking the cycle of drug use required youth engagement in prevention. With over 9 million drug users (2015 estimates) and a youth bulge of 150 million under age 30, Pakistan faces mounting challenges to protect its youth from the devastating harms that drug use brings, she highlighted.
As the focal point for the Declaration of Oviedo in Pakistan, the KKAWF is leading the campaign for implementation of its 10 proposals on Prevention by strengthening partnerships across sectors, including government, private sector, civil society & media to effectively combat drug use.
The 10 proposals of the Oviedo Declaration to scale up prevention in drug policies were read out by MsIramRehman. They include a call for countries to dedicate at least 25pc of their drug demand reduction strategy and policy budget on prevention by 2030. Presentation of the Declaration was followed by officially launching it with all present gathered in a group holding placards in different languages and copies of the declaration.
