UNIS/NAR/857
8 September 2004
Sri Lanka, United Nations Drugs and Crime Office Discuss Areas of Mutual Concern
VIENNA, 8 September (UN Information Service) -- Jayantha Dhanapala, Secretary General of the Government Peace Secretariat of Sri Lanka and Sarath Amunugama, Minister of Finance, met with Antonio Maria Costa, the Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in Vienna today.
Their discussions focused on the situation in Sri Lanka in general and issues related to the internal conflict on the island.
The subject of human trafficking was also spoken about at the meeting, as well as problems of corruption and terrorism.
Mr. Dhanapala and Mr. Costa also explored the potential areas of cooperation and collaboration between UNODC and the Government of Sri Lanka. It was agreed to work more closely in different areas of mutual concern.
The most recent UNODC project in Sri Lanka covered interventions in prisons, training of service providers and strengthening the drug abuse monitoring system. The project could serve as best practice in the region. Sri Lanka also takes part in several regional projects in the fields of precursor control and prevention of HIV/AIDS among drug using populations.
Sri Lanka is a signatory to all three United Nations Conventions on drug control, namely the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs (1961), the Convention on Psychotropic Substances (1971) and the Convention Against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (1988). Sri Lanka is signatory to the United Nations Convention on Transnational Organized Crime, but has yet to ratify it. It has ratified the United Nations Convention against Corruption.
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