Arab News Japan

TOKYO: Japan and UNODC agreed on Monday to strengthen measures against inter alia trafficking in persons in Ukraine and neighboring countries and confirmed working together for the peace and stability of Afghanistan through initiatives such as measures to combat drugs.

The agreement occurred during a meeting between Japan’s Foreign Minister HAYASHI Yoshimasa and Ghada Waly, Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).

Waly also shared with Hayashi the recognition that the role of UNODC, whose mission is to promote the rule of law, has become even more important amid the wavering of the international order, the Foreign Ministry said.

Minister Hayashi expressed appreciation for the fact that coordination between Japan and UNODC has produced significant results, including on measures against terrorism measures to combat drugs, and law enforcement capacity building in regions centered on Southeast Asia as well as Afghanistan and neighboring countries.

UNODC was established in 1997 as a result of the merging of the United Nations International Drug Control Programme and the Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Programme. Headquartered in Vienna, UNODC conducts research and analyses on illegal drugs and crime, helps countries with the conclusion and execution of conventions related to crime and narcotic drugs and the development of domestic legislation, and provides technical cooperation for capacity building in countering organized crime and terrorism.

Waly, who is visiting Japan upon invitation by the Foreign Ministry, expressed in the meeting her deep condolences regarding the passing of former Prime Minister ABE Shinzo, as well as her gratitude for the support extended by Japan to UNODC to date.