This Conference is hosted by the Government and the Ministry of Law and Order and Southern Development of Sri Lanka with the assistance of the United Nations Office for Narcotics and Crime. Internal Affairs, Home Affairs Ministers or Deputy Ministers of Bangladesh, Comoros, India, Iran, Madagascar, Mozambique, Seashells, Sri Lanka and Tanzania will participate at this Conference. Officials from Internal Security and Law Enforcement Agencies on Drugs of Pakistan, Qatar and Mauritius are also among the participants.
Two forums will precede the Conference, viz., the 40th Congress of Heads of the Asian Region Law/Drugs Enforcement National Agencies (HONEIA) to be held from October 24-27 and the Meeting of Heads of Drug Enforcement Agencies of the Indian Ocean Region to be held on October 28-29. Both will be hosted by Sri Lanka and will be held in Colombo.
The 40th HONEIA Congress will deliberate on the problems and Drug Abuse growing in the Asia- Pacific region with a view of finding solutions to them. Over 1.00 officials of Law Enforcement and Public Security institutions as well of the United Nations will participate in it. Heads of Regional Drug Enforcement agencies will also discuss about related operational priorities and regional collaboration mechanisms.
The Heads of institutions will draw attention of the High Level Meeting of Interior Security and Internal Affairs Ministers on October 29th on the following issues:
- Joint meeting of Ministers in charge of Law/Drugs Enforcement in the Indian Ocean region to meet common challenges
- Joint determination by Ministers on the treat level and formulation of remedies to meet it in association with UNODC and other international organizations
- identifying priority spheres for regional counter drug trafficking collaboration
-Development of collaboration and dialogue between drug enforcement agencies in the Indian Ocean region
The United Nations Secretariat on Drugs and Crime annually holds a Congress of National Leaders of Drug Enforcement for the regions Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean as well as the Asia-Pacific.
Arrangements have also been made to hold an Indian Ocean Region Maritime Crime Conference under the supervision of the Global Maritime Crime Program under the United Nations Secretariat on Drugs and Crime. High level Drug Enforcement Agency officials from 20 Indian Ocean countries will participate in it. It will deliberate on the growing threats posed by transportation of drugs through ocean routes.
