5th ASEAN Ministerial meeting on drug matters

Singapore is hosting the 5th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Drug Matters (AMMD) from 19 - 20 October 2016. Chaired by Minister for Home Affairs and Minister for Law, Mr K Shanmugam, the 5th AMMD brings ASEAN leaders together to discuss and shape ASEAN’s united response to the regional drug problem.

Holding Firm to a Drug-Free ASEAN

Deputy Prime Minister and Coordinating Minister for National Security Mr Teo Chee Hean officially opened the 5th AMMD today. In his opening address, DPM Teo spoke on the importance of strengthening collaboration within ASEAN and with other countries, in light of the challenging regional drug situation. He urged ASEAN to stand together and hold firm to the aspiration of a Drug-Free ASEAN, and build on our common ASEAN Position on Drugs to project a united voice at international platforms.[1]

Projected Outcomes of the 5th AMMD

The 5th AMMD will mark the adoption of the 10-year ASEAN Work Plan on Securing Communities Against Illicit Drugs (2016-2025). It lays out a comprehensive and balanced approach for the realisation of a Drug-Free ASEAN.[2] The meeting will also adopt the Chairman’s Statement, which re-affirms ASEAN’s collective efforts towards achieving a Drug-Free ASEAN and outlines the key outcomes of the 5th AMMD.

Chairman of the 5th AMMD, Minister Shanmugam, said, “I am heartened that ASEAN remains committed to a common vision of a Drug-Free ASEAN. The meeting saw strong support for this vision. That is the only way to deal with the scourge of drugs.”

The ASEAN Ministers also launched the green-and-white Anti-Drug Abuse Ribbon which symbolises health, vitality and strength, as a commitment of ASEAN’s united stand against drug abuse. The ribbon will be used in preventive drug education campaigns in ASEAN member states, and worn as a show of support for the anti-drug cause. Singapore will continue to work closely with our ASEAN partners towards the next ASEAN Senior Officials’ Meeting on Drug Matters in 2017 and the United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs in 2017, to secure the ASEAN community against illicit drugs.

ASEAN officials attending the 5th AMMD will also visit a local Drug Rehabilitation Centre on 21 October 2016, to gain a deeper understanding of Singapore’s approach to drug rehabilitation.

CENTRAL NARCOTICS BUREAU
20 OCTOBER 2016

DPM Teo Chee Hean giving the opening address at the 5th AMMD

ASEAN ministers at the Opening Ceremony of the 5th AMMD

[1] The ASEAN Position on Drugs was adopted at the 4th AMMD in 2015. This formed the basis of joint ASEAN statements delivered at the 59th Commission on Narcotic Drugs and the United Nations General Assembly Special Session on the World Drug Problem delivered earlier this year. The position statement can be found here.

[2] The ASEAN Work Plan on Securing Communities Against Illicit Drugs (2016 – 2025) was developed with reference to the last ASEAN Work Plan on Combating Illicit Drug Production, Trafficking and Use (2009 – 2015) and the new ASEAN Community Blueprints 2025 adopted at the 27th ASEAN Summit in November 2015.