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Speech
29 June 2022
UNRC Talking Points - World Urban Forum 2022 (WUF 11)
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Press Release
27 June 2022
UNODC World Drug Report 2022 highlights trends on cannabis post-legalization, environmental impacts of illicit drugs, and drug use among women and youth
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Press Release
24 June 2022
Statement: Reproductive rights are women’s rights and human rights
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Latest
The Sustainable Development Goals in Serbia
The Sustainable Development Goals are a global call to action to end poverty, protect the earth’s environment and climate, and ensure that people everywhere can enjoy peace and prosperity. These are the goals the UN is working on in Serbia:
Story
21 June 2022
From Uncertainty to Safety
“When you’re a child, you like being with your friends, playing football and riding a bike. You can do all that at Info Park. The best thing is that here, you can feel like a child again,” says nineteen-year-old Ali[1] from Afghanistan, in perfect Serbian. He learned it in the 5 years that he has been in Serbia. During this time, he was granted asylum, enrolled in secondary school and became a cultural mediator for Pashto and Farsi at Info Park, as part of a UNICEF-supported programme, where he helps refugees and migrants.
“To every boy that we meet at the Refugee Reception Centre, or that we find alone in the park or at the border, I say – come to Info Park, come once a week to Boys’ Day. There are boys your age, you can play with them, study, socialize, talk,” says Ali who was himself that boy, alone and scared in one of Belgrade’s parks.
He understands these children. His story, just like those of many other boys who fled their countries alone or with their families, starts with the same sentence - I had to leave.
Although he remembers a happy childhood in Kabul, his friends and his school, in 2017, when he was 14 years old, he left Afghanistan. With just one friend, he took a journey that no child should ever take.
“You set off and you don't know when you’ll see your family again. It was very hard. I walked a lot. I was afraid that the police would catch me,” says Ali.
After several months of walking, of fear and uncertainty, he arrived in Serbia a couple of days before New Year’s Eve in 2018. He slept on the streets the first few nights.
“Then people from Info Park found me and helped me settle into the Reception Centre, and later in a safe house, because I was an unaccompanied child,” says Ali.
Within Info Park’s programme for refugee and migrant children, which is implemented with the support of UNICEF, one of the activities is related to the psychosocial protection of unaccompanied children. Ali first came to Info Park’s psychosocial support workshop after one year of being in Serbia. Since then, that place has been his home away from home.
“They know my entire life here. It meant a lot to me that someone heard my story. You have to talk to someone you trust to feel better. Now I encourage other boys to talk. We’re like a family here,” says Ali.
For years, he hasn’t missed a single Boys’ Day. That’s the happiest day of the week for many other boys too.
One week they go to play football, go to the movie, or bowling. Another week they participate in workshops where facilitators teach them about the prevention of gender-based and sexual violence, abuse and human trafficking.
“Topics also include emotions, communication, stress, relationships with family, friends, health. They want to talk about stress the most, because their journey is hard and they are taking care of their families,” says Ali.
And fifteen-year-old Mohammed has not missed a Boys’ Day for the three weeks he has been coming to Info Park. Last year he fled Somalia with his mother and seven siblings.
“Our childhood was hard. We didn’t go to school and we just studied the Quran. My father told us one day - if you go to Serbia or another country, you will have a better future,” says Mohammed, a boy with bright eyes and a wide smile. Because at Info Park, he says, he is always smiling. He plays sports there, meets new friends, talks about Somalia, his father, his school.
“I feel safe here. This place is good for children. If someone is sad or under pressure, they can come here to cheer up and unload their worries,” he explains.
Children are the most vulnerable migrant population, particularly if they travel alone. They often don’t stay at the centres and that’s why they are at risk of violence and violation of their rights.
That is why UNICEF Serbia, in partnership with Info Park in Belgrade, is implementing the Child Protection and Psychosocial Support Project for refugee and migrant children, including unaccompanied and separated children.
For five years now, the Info Park team has been locating, identifying and taking care of children, usually boys who travel unaccompanied or are separated from their families. They refer them to the Centres for Social Work and the Commissariat for Refugees and Migration.
In addition to organizing educational workshops and Boys’ Days, they provide children and their families with daily information about migration experiences, possibilities for legal protection and integration, access to services in the field of health, education, coping with trauma, and experiences of sexual and gender-based violence. At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, through a Viber community and an SOS hotline, children and their parents were able to receive information on protection measures, vaccinations and assistance.
Irena Abdelmaksoud has been working for seven years at Info Park as a specialist for the protection of unaccompanied and separated children. Since 2018, she has also been involved in the programme Child protection and prevention of gender-based violence for women and children on the move. In her experience, a large number of boys are coming with existing traumas from their country of origin, but also from their journey and stay in Serbia.
“They are often unable to recognize various forms of physical or psychological violence and neglect, or are unable to make decisions that are in their best interest. One of the examples that best illustrates this is when boys initially say in interviews that they did not have any major problems along the way, but after an in-depth conversation, they reveal that they were forced to cross long and unsafe distances, that they spent days without food and water, that they witnessed scenes of violence against refugees and migrants, or that they were exposed to police brutality. This results in them having problems with sleeping, eating or concentration, and they are at times aggressive or prone to self-harming,” explains Irena.
That is why continuous work with boys, while providing a space where they can feel safe and accepted, is of crucial importance. Since the start of 2021, the Info Park team has identified and supported more than 1200 unaccompanied and separated boys from Afghanistan, Syria, Iraq, Eritrea, Pakistan, India and Bangladesh. The support has changed their lives and desires and provided opportunities for many of them.
Mohammed has also been thinking a lot about his future. He wants to be a pilot in Germany or England.
However, Ali, from the beginning of our story, wants to stay in Serbia and be a social worker or an Arabic teacher. Whatever he decides, he will certainly continue helping children who are facing hardships like he was.
Since the start of the refugee and migrant crisis, UNICEF has been working to ensure the child protection and overall wellbeing of refugee and migrant children and their parents. Workshops and info-sessions for children, recreational and creative activities, including activities for unaccompanied and separated boys, have enabled the recovery from trauma and continuation of the proper development of children and young people.
Written by Ivana Miljković
[1] The name has been changed to protect his identity.
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Story
13 June 2022
United Nations in Serbia Launches 2021 Annual Results Report
The newly published 2021 Annual Results Report on the progress made during the first year of the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework 2021-2025 provides an overview of the collective actions of 20 UN entities operating in Serbia.
Our joint goals were to work together to accelerate the achievement of the results set out in the Cooperation Framework, SDGs, and to work closely with the Government of Serbia, civil society, and partners.
This year, the main aim was to support national development priorities in three key areas:
1. Green transformation and ensuring that Serbia harnesses the full potential of a green, sustainable and inclusive economy;
2. Investment in human capital and making social equity and well-being the heart of policies and practices and;
3. Strengthening good governance and building trust through the rule of law and respect for human rights.
The overarching goal is to achieve the 2025 vision in the spirit of ‘Leaving No One Behind’.
To find out more read the full report, available at the following link.
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Story
06 June 2022
How policymakers can promote sustainable lifestyles to protect the planet
Human activity is directly linked to a majority of GHG emissions, which lead to increases in the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events – including flooding, droughts, wildfires and hurricanes – that affect millions of people and cause trillions in economic losses.
According to the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report, with the right policies, infrastructure and technology, we can make the necessary lifestyle changes to reduce 40–70 percent of GHGs by 2050, thereby improving our health and well-being.
Ahead of World Environment Day 2022, the United Nations Environment Programme’s (UNEP’s) Sustainable Lifestyles and Education team has released a policy brief that offers policymakers tools to support sustainable living. The brief, entitled Enabling Sustainable Lifestyles in a Climate Emergency, includes concrete policy strategies from around the world.
We sat down with two co-authors of the brief, Lewis Akenji and Magnus Bengtsson from the Hot or Cool Institute, to discuss how policymakers can help us reduce our impact and live more sustainably to improve our health and well-being.
What impacts do our lifestyles have on the planet?
Lewis Akenji (LA): Everything we do has an impact on the planet: what we eat, how we move around, where we live, what we do for fun, what we wear and so on. And it is not restricted to the impact on the climate crisis. For example, food systems alone are responsible for around 80 per cent of deforestation and biodiversity loss. But this doesn’t mean that we as individuals are fully responsible for these impacts and are able to make the required changes on our own.
The systems that provide for our needs and aspirations – made of infrastructures, laws, social norms, etc. – need to change the daily options we have to become more sustainable, accessible, affordable and desirable. Collective decisions and government actions are needed to make such changes happen.
What changes can we make as a society to live more sustainably?
Magnus Bengtsson (MB): Changing our ways of living is critical in confronting the climate emergency and other environmental crises. The changes that need to happen as a society vary from country to country and also within countries. Yet, there are some things that have to change in many places. We need to travel less by car or motorcycle and instead walk, cycle or use public transport.
Those of us who can do so need to switch to cleaner types of energy at home and try to use less energy to heat and cool our dwellings. Those who often eat meat, fish and dairy need to eat more plants instead, while we all need to reduce the amount of food we waste.
Finally, we need to seriously reconsider the goods and services we need and buy. We all have a role to play, but for change to happen as a society, we need policymakers to step up. The goal of this policy brief is precisely to offer a framework and provide examples of what is already happening around the world to enable policymakers to step up.
About World Environment Day
World Environment Day on 5 June is the biggest international day for the environment. Led by UNEP and held annually since 1973, the event has grown to be the largest global platform for environmental outreach, with millions of people from across the world engaging to protect the planet.
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Story
04 June 2022
Hundreds of cyclists in Belgrade and Serbia took part in the ride on the occasion of the International Bicycle Day bringing the message of necessity of more sustainable urban transport
Belgrade, June 3, 2022 - On the occasion of marking the World Bicycle Day, UN Serbia, the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the Ulice za bicikliste Association, in the presence of the Ministry of Trade, Tourism and Telecommunications, organized a special edition of Critical Mass while the topic of the event was Bike Chic. Hundreds of cyclists have ridden together with the message that it is necessary to work harder on the promotion of cycling as a means of transportation.
Participants were invited to dress chic, the way they would go to a business meeting, but also to an evening out or to the theater. The goal of the event was to show that cycling is not an activity that requires special sports equipment, but safe driving conditions, bicycle lanes, calmer traffic and less motor traffic on the streets.
"Cycling is a great transportation option for urban areas, reducing pollution, traffic and costs for everyone. More than 50% of movement in urban areas is less than 5 km and can easily be done by bicycle. We need more bicycle paths, better infrastructure, so that everyone can ride a bicycle safely through all parts of the city," said Françoise Jacob, UN Resident Coordinator in Serbia.
The Netherlands is one of the countries where cycling is a way of life, and on that occasion, Joost Reintjes, Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to Serbia, joined the ride - "Many cyclists who joined us today confirmed that many people are willing to use bicycles as a means of transport. The bicycle is healthy for people and the environment, it is a cheap means of transportation, and easy to park. It is a type of transport that is suitable for everyone regardless of age, lifestyle, or profession. "We hope that more cyclists on the streets will influence the traffic culture and better infrastructure," Reintjes added.
The event was attended by Tatjana Matić, Minister of Telecommunications, Tourism and Trade, who emphasized that "Such an initiative is necessary to raise awareness on the topic of the environment and the Green Agenda." The Republic of Serbia recognizes the importance of promoting healthy lifestyle and reducing noise and pollution. We need to preserve and maintain a healthy rhythm of life for all of us, protect the environment, but also continue to invest in infrastructure for urban cycling. The Ministry of Trade, Tourism and Telecommunications supports such initiatives and we will continue to participate in actions that will contribute to a better future for us and for generations to come. "
Zoran Bukvić from the Ulice za bicikliste Association emphasized that "Cities in the 21st century are facing many challenges, and transport is just one of them. In the fight against pollution and climate change, we must adapt to sustainable types of transportation, such as walking, cycling, and quality public transport. We should stop perceiving cycling only as a sport and recreation, but also as an equal type of transport. In that sense, it is important that today we have shown by example that sports equipment is not required for riding a bicycle, but safe driving conditions and less motor traffic on the streets.
Cyclists passed New Belgrade, a part of the city known for its large number of business centers, where they promoted the bicycle as an ideal means of transportation to go to work, but also to school, college, or an evening out. On that occasion, a strong message was sent to employers that caring for employees means providing conditions to get to work with the healthiest means of transport, and to decision-makers that caring for citizens means investing further efforts in developing reasonable cycling infrastructure and realization of planned bike paths.
About Biking and World Bicycle Day
In 2018 the United Nations General Assembly declared 3 June the World Bicycle Day, thus recognizing the importance of cycling and its contribution to realization of the Sustainable Development Goals. International days are opportunities to draw raise awareness about certain issues and call for action, which is what we are doing on this occasion.
The bicycle has been used as a means of transportation for more than 100 years. In the Netherlands, cycling flourished in the 1970s as a response by local authorities to the oil crisis. The change began with the opening of streets for cyclists on Sunday in all streets, and now, 50 years later, the number of cyclists in the Netherlands exceeds 22 million.
One of the proven patterns for the development of cycling as a means of transportation is the development of cycling infrastructure in cities. Although Belgrade is not Amsterdam, because it is hilly in relation to the Dutch plains, the morphology of the terrain does not have to be an obstacle. Namely, from the beginning of the development of cycling infrastructure in the Netherlands, as well as the provision of benefits to cyclists, there is a clear increase in this healthier mode of transport in everyday life.
The prejudice that the bicycle is a means of transport for the poor had been overcame by the fact that the bicycle is the most popular means of transport in the richest countries in Europe. The Cycle chic trend also shows that not only athlethes use bicycle.
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Story
24 June 2022
Campaign against toxic masculinity yields success in Serbia
Under the headline "Show that you are in the first league!", media campaign in Serbia against toxic masculinity and harmful gender stereotypes reached over seven million women and men, girls and boys.
With sexist jokes and “boys will be boys” attitudes, football clubs have long been traditionally masculine environments. This adherence to traditional masculine ideals and rigid gender roles is known as toxic masculinity, an interpretation of masculinity that causes harm to both women and men and is characterized by dominance, aggression and emotional repression.
To address the issue of toxic masculinity and recruit football players as drivers of change, a video entitled "Show that you are in the first league!" was produced as part of the regional campaign “Embracing positive masculinities to promote gender equality and end violence against women,” developed within UN Women regional programme on ending violence against women in the Western Balkans and Turkey “Implementing Norms, Changing Minds,” funded by the European Union.
The video features six well-known and respected football players from the Western Balkans – Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo*, North Macedonia, Serbia – and Turkey who share their thoughts on positive masculinity and how normalizing men’s violence against women harms men and boys as well.
“Now, as an adult man, I believe mistakes can be corrected! People can change. Treat others with the love and respect that they deserve,” said Nemanja Matic, Serbian football player with Manchester United.
In addition to Nemanja Matic, the video portrayed messages from Lorik Cana, former Nantes football player, originally from Albania; Edin Džeko, football player in Inter Milan, native of Bosnia and Herzegovina; Amir Rrahmani, football player in S.S.C. Napoli, originally from Kosovo; Ilija Nestorovski, football player in Udinese Calcio, native of North Macedonia; and Altay Bayındır, football player in Fenernahce football club from Turkey.
The campaign, which took place in February in Serbia, yielded great results, with 21 media reports including special video broadcastings on three national TV stations. In the online world, "Show that you are in the first league!" reached over 30,000 women, men, girls and boys, under the hashtag #BudiPrvaLiga [Be in the first league].
In addition, UN Women in Serbia partnered with Soccer, the country’s largest betting company, which broadcast the video in over 280 betting shops throughout February and March.
Drazenko Ruljic, managing director of Soccer, said it was an honour for them to take part in this campaign. “This partnership meant a lot to us, and we have been broadcasting the video in all our betting shops throughout the country. Preserving families and speaking out against all kinds of abuse is of great importance to us, and we will continue supporting similar campaigns in the future with this type of powerful message for our players,” Ruljic noted.
Natalija Ostojic, programme manager with UN Women in Serbia, mentioned that UN Women is devoted to addressing social norms that perpetuate inequality as the cornerstone of preventing violence against women. “We are happy that the campaign reached so many people, especially men at betting shops, as predominantly masculine spaces,” said Ostojic.
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Press Release
27 June 2022
UNODC World Drug Report 2022 highlights trends on cannabis post-legalization, environmental impacts of illicit drugs, and drug use among women and youth
According to the report, around 284 million people aged 15-64 used drugs worldwide in 2020, a 26 per cent increase over the previous decade. Young people are using more drugs, with use levels today in many countries higher than with the previous generation. In Africa and Latin America, people under 35 represent the majority of people being treated for drug use disorders.
Globally, the report estimates that 11.2 million people worldwide were injecting drugs. Around half of this number were living with hepatitis C, 1.4 million were living with HIV, and 1.2 million were living with both.
Reacting to these findings, UNODC Executive Director Ghada Waly stated: “Numbers for the manufacturing and seizures of many illicit drugs are hitting record highs, even as global emergencies are deepening vulnerabilities. At the same time, misperceptions regarding the magnitude of the problem and the associated harms are depriving people of care and treatment and driving young people towards harmful behaviours. We need to devote the necessary resources and attention to addressing every aspect of the world drug problem, including the provision of evidence-based care to all who need it, and we need to improve the knowledge base on how illicit drugs relate to other urgent challenges, such as conflicts and environmental degradation.” The report further emphasizes the importance of galvanizing the international community, governments, civil society and all stakeholders to take urgent action to protect people, including by strengthening drug use prevention and treatment and by tackling illicit drug supply. Early indications and effects of cannabis legalization Cannabis legalization in North America appears to have increased daily cannabis use, especially potent cannabis products and particularly among young adults. Associated increases in people with psychiatric disorders, suicides and hospitalizations have also been reported. Legalization has also increased tax revenues and generally reduced arrest rates for cannabis possession.
Continued growth in drug production and trafficking
Cocaine manufacture was at a record high in 2020, growing 11 per cent from 2019 to 1,982 tons. Cocaine seizures also increased, despite the Covid-19 pandemic, to a record 1,424 tons in 2020. Nearly 90 per cent of cocaine seized globally in 2021 was trafficked in containers and/or by sea. Seizure data suggest that cocaine trafficking is expanding to other regions outside the main markets of North America and Europe, with increased levels of trafficking to Africa and Asia.
Trafficking of methamphetamine continues to expand geographically, with 117 countries reporting seizures of methamphetamine in 2016‒2020 versus 84 in 2006‒2010. Meanwhile, the quantities of methamphetamine seized grew five-fold between 2010 and 2020.
Opium production worldwide grew seven per cent between 2020 and 2021 to 7,930 tons – predominantly due to an increase in production in Afghanistan. However, the global area under opium poppy cultivation fell by 16 per cent to 246,800 ha in the same period.
Key drug trends broken down by region
In many countries in Africa and South and Central America, the largest proportion of people in treatment for drug use disorders are there primarily for cannabis use disorders. In Eastern and South-Eastern Europe and in Central Asia, people are most often in treatment for opioid use disorders.
In the United States and Canada, overdose deaths, predominantly driven by an epidemic of the non-medical use of fentanyl, continue to break records. Preliminary estimates in the United States point to more than 107,000 drug overdose deaths in 2021, up from nearly 92,000 in 2020.
In the two largest markets for methamphetamine, seizures have been increasing – they rose by seven per cent in North America from the previous year, while in South-East Asia they increased by 30 per cent from the previous year, record highs in both regions. A record high was also reported for methamphetamine seizures reported from South-West Asia, increasing by 50 per cent in 2020 from 2019.
Great inequality remains in the availability of pharmaceutical opioids for medical consumption. In 2020, there were 7,500 more doses per 1 million inhabitants of controlled pain medication in North America than in West and Central Africa.
Conflict zones as magnets for synthetic drug production
This year’s report also highlights that illicit drug economies can flourish in situations of conflict and where the rule of law is weak, and in turn can prolong or fuel conflict.
Information from the Middle East and South-East Asia suggest that conflict situations can act as a magnet for the manufacture of synthetic drugs, which can be produced anywhere. This effect may be greater when the conflict area is close to large consumer markets.
Historically, parties to conflict have used drugs to finance conflict and generate income. The 2022 World Drug Report also reveals that conflicts may also disrupt and shift drug trafficking routes, as has happened in the Balkans and more recently in Ukraine.
A possible growing capacity to manufacture amphetamine in Ukraine if the conflict persists There was a significant increase in the number of reported clandestine laboratories in Ukraine, skyrocketing from 17 dismantled laboratories in 2019 to 79 in 2020. 67 out of these laboratories were producing amphetamines, up from five in 2019 – the highest number of dismantled laboratories reported in any given country in 2020. The environmental impacts of drug markets
Illicit drug markets, according to the 2022 World Drug Report, can have local, community or individual-level impacts on the environment. Key findings include that the carbon footprint of indoor cannabis is between 16 and 100 times more than outdoor cannabis on average and that the footprint of 1 kilogram of cocaine is 30 times greater than that of cocoa beans.
Other environmental impacts include substantial deforestation associated with illicit coca cultivation, waste generated during synthetic drug manufacture that can be 5-30 times the volume of the end product, and the dumping of waste which can affecting soil, water and air directly, as well as organisms, animals and the food chain indirectly.
Ongoing gender treatment gap and disparities in drug use and treatment
Women remain in the minority of drug users globally yet tend to increase their rate of drug consumption and progress to drug use disorders more rapidly than men do. Women now represent an estimated 45-49 per cent of users of amphetamines and non-medical users of pharmaceutical stimulants, pharmaceutical opioids, sedatives, and tranquilizers.
The treatment gap remains large for women globally. Although women represent almost one in two amphetamines users, they constitute only one in five people in treatment for amphetamine use disorders.
The World Drug Report 2022 also spotlights the wide range of roles fulfilled by women in the global cocaine economy, including cultivating coca, transporting small quantities of drugs, selling to consumers, and smuggling into prisons. ***
The 2022 World Drug Report provides a global overview of the supply and demand of opiates, cocaine, cannabis, amphetamine-type stimulants and new psychoactive substances (NPS), as well as their impact on health.
For further information, please visit:
World Drug Report 2022 homepage
Globally, the report estimates that 11.2 million people worldwide were injecting drugs. Around half of this number were living with hepatitis C, 1.4 million were living with HIV, and 1.2 million were living with both.
Reacting to these findings, UNODC Executive Director Ghada Waly stated: “Numbers for the manufacturing and seizures of many illicit drugs are hitting record highs, even as global emergencies are deepening vulnerabilities. At the same time, misperceptions regarding the magnitude of the problem and the associated harms are depriving people of care and treatment and driving young people towards harmful behaviours. We need to devote the necessary resources and attention to addressing every aspect of the world drug problem, including the provision of evidence-based care to all who need it, and we need to improve the knowledge base on how illicit drugs relate to other urgent challenges, such as conflicts and environmental degradation.” The report further emphasizes the importance of galvanizing the international community, governments, civil society and all stakeholders to take urgent action to protect people, including by strengthening drug use prevention and treatment and by tackling illicit drug supply. Early indications and effects of cannabis legalization Cannabis legalization in North America appears to have increased daily cannabis use, especially potent cannabis products and particularly among young adults. Associated increases in people with psychiatric disorders, suicides and hospitalizations have also been reported. Legalization has also increased tax revenues and generally reduced arrest rates for cannabis possession.
Continued growth in drug production and trafficking
Cocaine manufacture was at a record high in 2020, growing 11 per cent from 2019 to 1,982 tons. Cocaine seizures also increased, despite the Covid-19 pandemic, to a record 1,424 tons in 2020. Nearly 90 per cent of cocaine seized globally in 2021 was trafficked in containers and/or by sea. Seizure data suggest that cocaine trafficking is expanding to other regions outside the main markets of North America and Europe, with increased levels of trafficking to Africa and Asia.
Trafficking of methamphetamine continues to expand geographically, with 117 countries reporting seizures of methamphetamine in 2016‒2020 versus 84 in 2006‒2010. Meanwhile, the quantities of methamphetamine seized grew five-fold between 2010 and 2020.
Opium production worldwide grew seven per cent between 2020 and 2021 to 7,930 tons – predominantly due to an increase in production in Afghanistan. However, the global area under opium poppy cultivation fell by 16 per cent to 246,800 ha in the same period.
Key drug trends broken down by region
In many countries in Africa and South and Central America, the largest proportion of people in treatment for drug use disorders are there primarily for cannabis use disorders. In Eastern and South-Eastern Europe and in Central Asia, people are most often in treatment for opioid use disorders.
In the United States and Canada, overdose deaths, predominantly driven by an epidemic of the non-medical use of fentanyl, continue to break records. Preliminary estimates in the United States point to more than 107,000 drug overdose deaths in 2021, up from nearly 92,000 in 2020.
In the two largest markets for methamphetamine, seizures have been increasing – they rose by seven per cent in North America from the previous year, while in South-East Asia they increased by 30 per cent from the previous year, record highs in both regions. A record high was also reported for methamphetamine seizures reported from South-West Asia, increasing by 50 per cent in 2020 from 2019.
Great inequality remains in the availability of pharmaceutical opioids for medical consumption. In 2020, there were 7,500 more doses per 1 million inhabitants of controlled pain medication in North America than in West and Central Africa.
Conflict zones as magnets for synthetic drug production
This year’s report also highlights that illicit drug economies can flourish in situations of conflict and where the rule of law is weak, and in turn can prolong or fuel conflict.
Information from the Middle East and South-East Asia suggest that conflict situations can act as a magnet for the manufacture of synthetic drugs, which can be produced anywhere. This effect may be greater when the conflict area is close to large consumer markets.
Historically, parties to conflict have used drugs to finance conflict and generate income. The 2022 World Drug Report also reveals that conflicts may also disrupt and shift drug trafficking routes, as has happened in the Balkans and more recently in Ukraine.
A possible growing capacity to manufacture amphetamine in Ukraine if the conflict persists There was a significant increase in the number of reported clandestine laboratories in Ukraine, skyrocketing from 17 dismantled laboratories in 2019 to 79 in 2020. 67 out of these laboratories were producing amphetamines, up from five in 2019 – the highest number of dismantled laboratories reported in any given country in 2020. The environmental impacts of drug markets
Illicit drug markets, according to the 2022 World Drug Report, can have local, community or individual-level impacts on the environment. Key findings include that the carbon footprint of indoor cannabis is between 16 and 100 times more than outdoor cannabis on average and that the footprint of 1 kilogram of cocaine is 30 times greater than that of cocoa beans.
Other environmental impacts include substantial deforestation associated with illicit coca cultivation, waste generated during synthetic drug manufacture that can be 5-30 times the volume of the end product, and the dumping of waste which can affecting soil, water and air directly, as well as organisms, animals and the food chain indirectly.
Ongoing gender treatment gap and disparities in drug use and treatment
Women remain in the minority of drug users globally yet tend to increase their rate of drug consumption and progress to drug use disorders more rapidly than men do. Women now represent an estimated 45-49 per cent of users of amphetamines and non-medical users of pharmaceutical stimulants, pharmaceutical opioids, sedatives, and tranquilizers.
The treatment gap remains large for women globally. Although women represent almost one in two amphetamines users, they constitute only one in five people in treatment for amphetamine use disorders.
The World Drug Report 2022 also spotlights the wide range of roles fulfilled by women in the global cocaine economy, including cultivating coca, transporting small quantities of drugs, selling to consumers, and smuggling into prisons. ***
The 2022 World Drug Report provides a global overview of the supply and demand of opiates, cocaine, cannabis, amphetamine-type stimulants and new psychoactive substances (NPS), as well as their impact on health.
For further information, please visit:
World Drug Report 2022 homepage
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Press Release
27 June 2022
Statement: Reproductive rights are women’s rights and human rights
To be able to exercise their human rights and make essential decisions, women need to be able to decide freely and responsibly on the number and spacing of their children and to have access to information, education, and services.
When safe and legal access to abortion is restricted, women are forced to resort to less-safe methods, too often with damaging or disastrous results—especially for women who are affected by poverty or marginalization, including minority women.
The ability of women to control what happens to their own bodies is also associated with the roles women are able to play in society, whether as a member of the family, the workforce, or government.
UN Women remains steadfast in our determination to ensure that the rights of women and girls are fully observed and enjoyed worldwide, and we look forward to continued evidence-based engagement with our partners everywhere in support of rapid progress towards universal enjoyment of universal rights.
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Press Release
28 June 2022
Outcomes of the UN supported Consultations on Transforming Education in Serbia, presented at the Palace of Serbia
The consultations aimed to formulate the main priorities and future commitments in the education system in Serbia, to be presented during the Transforming Education Summit convened in New York by the UN Secretary-General next September.
Although the COVID-19 pandemic is still not over, globally and locally it is already time to take decisive actions to prevent further learning disruptions and the deepening of inequalities regarding access to education.
At her opening speech, the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Serbia, Mrs Françoise Jacob, noted: “In the realization of the national consultations, ahead of the Transforming Education Summit, I am very thankful to the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development for taking the lead role in the realization of the national consultations on transforming education. Let’s seize the moment and mobilize the action, ambition, solidarity and solutions needed to achieve SDG4 and transform education in Serbia between now and 2030.”
National consultations in Serbia serve as an opportunity to take stock of the efforts being undertaken to ensure equal and quality education. Furthermore, they provide a place to reimagine education to be resilient to future shocks and transformative to fit the needs of all children and youth.
“The aim of these consultations was to assess and formulate main priorities and perspectives of our education system. Report on national consultations in Serbia as well as Statement of commitment for transforming education are submitted to the TES Secretariat and will be presented at this occasion”, said in her address State Secretary Anamarija Viček, noting that the report presented outlines the opinion, vision and commitment of a wide range of key stakeholders in the education sector from government authorities, to formal and informal educational practitioners and parents.
In a view of supporting a country-tailored consultation process, UN Secretary-General António Guterres encouraged UNESCO and UNICEF, separate UN agencies both with mandates in education, to accompany governments and engage stakeholders through the national consultation work stream: “It was a great honor to support the consultations process in Serbia on such an important and generational topic as transformation of education. We are also deeply proud that the process was inclusive, bringing forward the perspectives of the most imminent educational actors: government authorities, academia, teachers, parents and students who were at the forefront of the ‘educational battle’ to curb the effects of COVID-19 to education and worked relentlessly to ensure that education never stops”, said Siniša Šešum, Head of UNESCO Antenna in Sarajevo.
As the voice of youth will be in focus during the Summit, 940 young people from across Serbia participated in June 2022 in online and offline consultations to express their views, expectations from transforming education, as well as to join efforts with young people worldwide to reimagine education by 2030.
“For children, education quality and relevance matter. They want their voices to be heard. And to matter! We should seize the momentum created by the upcoming Transforming Education Summit to drive concrete actions addressing the needs of children and youth”, concluded Mrs Deyana Kostadinova, UNICEF Representative in Serbia.
From April to June, the consultation process gathered recommendations from 1,143 persons to identify priority areas and formulate recommendations for achieving quality, equal, healthy and sustainable education from all children and youth by 2030.
Watch full video at the link.
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Press Release
23 June 2022
UNHCR opened an exhibition displaying objects from refugees and celebrities who support them
This year’s World Refugee Day marks a dismal milestone as the number of forcibly displaced persons worldwide has passed the staggering figure of 100 million. All those people, no matter where they are coming from, nor what their religious belief and political background might be, face the same dilemma when they are forced to leave their previous lives behind them, and embark on journeys into the unknown. What to take with you when you have just a couple of moments to pack in a hurry is a question looming ahead of all refugees and other displaced people, and this very dilemma is the theme of the display at the Ethnographic Museum.
Refugees from former Yugoslavia, the Middle East and Africa, as well as those from Ukraine responded to UNHCR’s call to lend us the real objects that they had brought with them into their countries of destination. Hence, visitors to the exhibition will have a chance to see an ivory decorated prayer book and handmade cards for Women’s Day by former refugees from Croatia; a traditional costume and a dress for special occasions from Burundi; as well as Grandma’s perfume and a handmade glass from Ukraine.
The importance of standing shoulder-to-shoulder with refugees and lending them a hand in support in their hour of need has been demonstrated by some local celebrities, such as Rambo Amadeus, Lana Bastasic, the Roma band “Pretty Loud”, and many others. They have provided UNHCR with the objects they believe they would take with them if they were forced to leave their homes overnight, and these objects have also been displayed in the exhibition.
The exhibition “What They Took with Them” will be open at the Ethnographic Museum until 30 June.
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Press Release
20 June 2022
UN Resident Coordinator in Serbia: We can all take action to say #NoToHate
Hate speech not only affects the specific individuals and groups targeted, but societies at large.
In July 2021, the UN General Assembly highlighted global concerns over “the exponential spread and proliferation of hate speech” around the world and adopted a resolution on “promoting inter-religious and intercultural dialogue and tolerance in countering hate speech”. The resolution recognizes the need to counter discrimination, xenophobia and hate speech and calls on all relevant actors, including States, to increase their efforts to address this phenomenon, in line with international human rights law. The resolution proclaimed 18 June as the International Day for Countering Hate Speech, which will be marked for the first time in 2022.
The devastating effect of hatred is sadly nothing new. However, its scale and impact are amplified today by new technologies of communication, including social media, so much so that hate speech has become one of the most frequent methods for spreading divisive rhetoric and ideologies on a global scale. If left unchecked, hate speech can even harm peace and development, as it lays the ground for conflicts and tensions, wide scale human rights violations or increased discrimination against particular groups. More recently, we have also seen how online hate speech targeted to individuals may have led to extreme self harm actions, increased depression and suicide. This is yet a new frontier for our common fight for universal human rights.
The United Nations defines Hate Speech as “any kind of communication in speech, writing or behavior, that attacks or uses pejorative or discriminatory language with reference to a person or a group on the basis of who they are, based on their religion, ethnicity, nationality, race, color, descent, gender or other forms of identity. This is often rooted in, and generates intolerance and hatred and, in certain contexts, can be demeaning and divisive.” It feeds from a mix of fear, ignorance, anger, unhealthy group behaviours, egoistic desire for personal gain, and the protective anonymity of operating from behind a screen. It can be very casual, such as a comment at the bottom of a media article, a picture, or a statement on social media – or very explicitly calling for offline action. To some extent, it is also a collateral effect of extreme individualism, and in some contexts, the result, and the cause of weakening democratic processes. There are various levels of gravity in incitement to hate, which must be addressed diligently through public condemnation, legal and judicial action, information and education.
The United Nations has a global strategy to address hate speech, which emphasizes the need to counter hate holistically and with full respect for freedom of opinion and expression, while working in collaboration with relevant stakeholders, including civil society organizations, religious leaders, media outlets, tech companies and social media platforms. We have to engage at multiple levels: with the sources of hate speech, the conveyors such as social media platforms, the judicial and legislative systems, the education system. Most recently, there is a particular effort towards ensuring that social media platforms become fully accountable for the impact of their strategies, are a lot more diligent to protect their users, and are not used to incite offline violence against specific individuals and groups – as was the case in 2017 with Facebook platform used to foment violence against Rohingyas ethnic minority. This is part of a wider effort of the UN to ensure that technology products, policies, practices and terms of service comply with human rights principles and curtail the fast spreading of misinformation.
In Serbia, language or communication of sensation, hate, discrimination and intolerance is routinely used by political leaders, media outlets, celebrities, sports spectators, social media users. It targets multiple groups and individuals – migrants, the LGBT community, women, activists, or those with particular political affiliation, profession or economic status. 2021 was marked by a climate in which segments of the civil society did not feel safe or acknowledged due to incidents of threats and public attacks. We have also witnessed repeated and consistent rise of divisive narratives related to extreme nationalism, past conflicts and denial of established individual responsibility for harm done against people in the Western Balkans. Serbia’s constitution, anti-discrimination law and criminal laws address much of these situations, but are not yet fully used.
Dialog, solidarity, civic education, mediation and strengthening the concept of a common good and common future, are the remedies to hate speech, beyond the required ethical and judicial mechanisms that must be in place to sanction the worst cases of hate speech. Dialog is about agreeing on common goals while understanding, appreciating and using diversity and difference of opinions and perspectives. We must augment, expand, reshape the dialogs as a key enabler to build trust. Hate speech, divisive narratives, personal attacks, particularly in the public sphere such as traditional media, social media or national parliaments can take the country away from a strong, empowering social contract, much needed to steer the nation towards a transformative future. Hate eats us up, it does not make us feel good, it breaks families and friendships, it creates enemies, it creates sorrow, extreme pain.
We all have the moral, political and legal duty of speaking out firmly against instances of hate speech and promote trust, reconciliation, dialog, compromises, solidarity and ultimately, love. This first International Day to Counter Hate Speech is a call to action, for upholding the values and principles at the core of the United Nations charter. As UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said, “let us recommit to doing everything in our power to prevent and end hate speech by promoting respect for diversity and inclusivity”.
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