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| UNODC is cosponsor of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS - UNAIDS |
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News and Events
2005
The Arab Conference for Protecting the Youth from Substance Abuse, Cairo, Arab Republic of Egypt, 12 - 14 June 2005 (PDF)
UNODC Regional Office for the Middle East and North Africa Retreat: UNODC ROMENA Office Retreat 24 - 27 May 2005
UNODC Regional Office for the Middle East and North Africa Initiative: UN Staff Training on Early Detection of Drug Abuse, 7 March 2005 (PDF)
Mentor Arab Region Follow Up Committee, Cairo, Arab Republic of Egypt 13 – 14 February 2005 (PDF)
2004
Visit of Executive Director, Mr. Antonio Maria Costa to Egypt, 1-5 October (PDF)
11 February -- Lebanon moves forward with juvenile justice reform
L ebanon’s First Lady Andrée Lahoud inaugurated a new residential institution for girls in conflict with the law at Dahr el-Bashek. The new facility is the result of efforts by the First Lady with support from a UNODC technical assistance project in co-operation with Lebanon’s Ministries of Justice and Interior.
Lebanon is working to reform prison services for minors and improve the treatment and detention conditions of young offenders. As part of these efforts, a residential institution for female minors is being established to provide a separate facility from adult female detainees. Educational and vocational services, and a social rehabilitation programme are also being provided at the new girls institution. The overall objective is to ensure the protection of the rights and the best interests of juveniles deprived of their liberty.
Lebanese national authorities are completing a comprehensive reform of the juvenile justice system to ensure the harmonization of national provisions and policies with the United Nations standards and norms for juvenile justice, and especially with the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Modernization, effectiveness, regard for human rights, and adherence to international standards and norms are well-established objectives of the national authorities to promote juvenile justice reform as part of social justice for children and adolescents.
Government officials and representatives of the international community attended the opening event.
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2003
12 October -- UNODC launches third drug demand reduction expert network in Africa
Cairo, Egypt – Only two months after the creation of the West African Drug Demand Reduction Expert Network in Dakar, Senegal, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) is establishing a new tegional network in North Africa for research and programming. The Local Expert Network for North Africa, or LENnorth, will be officially launched in Cairo at the Sheraton Hotel during a three-day regional meeting from 12 to 14 October 2003, hosted by the UNODC Regional Office for North Africa and the Middle East.
Read more.
June – Profile of Mr. Mehdi Ali, UNODC Regional Representative for the Middle East and North Africa
Al-Ahram Weekly, "Mehdi Ali: the pursuit of excellence with random twists", by Yasmine El-Rashidi
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22 – 27 June – 38th Session of the Subcommission for the Near and Middle East
Mr. Mehdi Ali, Regional Representative of the UNODC Office for the Middle East and North Africa, represented UNODC Executive Director Antonio Maria Costa in Jordan at the 38th Session of the Subcommission for the Near and Middle East held 22 - 27 June 2003. Mr. Ali opened the session in the presence of His Royal Highness Hamza bin Al-Hussain, Heir Apparent of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, senior government officials, the diplomatic corps and the delegations of the Member States of the Subcommission. |
10 March - UNODC Works for Demand Reduction in Egypt
UNODC's Cairo Regional Office attended the National Conference on the Egyptian National Strategy for the Protection, Rehabilitation and Integration of Street Children in Egypt, organized by the National Council for Childhood and Motherhood (NCCM). The Conference was opened and chaired by Egypt's First Lady Mrs. Suzanne Mubarak and was attended by 10 ministers, heads of UN agencies and members of the diplomatic corps.
In his speech, Mr. Mehdi Ali, UNODC Regional Representative for the Middle East and North Africa, emphasized the on-going strategic cooperation between UNODC and NCCM in drug demand reduction in Egypt through the implementation of two projects that provide comprehensive services for street children who abuse drugs. Additionally, a national demand reduction campaign is being launched soon in all major national media outlets, fostered by UNODC with the collaboration of NCCM.
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24 January 2003 - UNODC Launches Project in Support of Juvenile Justice Reform in Lebanon
The UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), in cooperation with Lebanon's ministries of Justice and Interior, launched on 24 January 2003, a project to support juvenile justice reform in Lebanon. Held under the patronage of Lebanon's First Lady Andree Lahoud, the event was highlighted by statements from UN Development Programme Resident Coordinator Yves de San, UNODC Regional Representative Mehdi Ali, the ministers of Justice and Interior and the First Lady.
The project will be implemented in two phases. The first phase aims to reform prison administration and detention conditions with special attention on the situation of girls. The second phase will focus on setting up a Youth Care Service and strengthening national policies to prevent juvenile delinquency and recidivism, as well as establishing a judicial protection procedure for victims and children at-risk.
The event received wide coverage in national and international media, including Lebanese television stations and newspapers.
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2002
December 2002 - Agency-level HIV/AIDS and drug abuse workshop
In December 2002 the Egypt Regional Office of UNODC organized the first of three workshops to develop a strategic framework to deal with drug abuse and HIV/AIDS in the Middle East and North Africa. This was the first sub-regional workshop on this topic held at the agency level, and it included UNAIDS cosponsor agencies, international NGOs and other UN agencies involved with HIV/AIDS.
The workshop focused on four topics in plenary and working group sessions: data and information collection; prevention; treatment, rehabilitation and care and; outreach. The participants worked toward a feasible solution to the drug abuse and HIV/AIDS problem by contributing their knowledge and experiences from other parts of the world.
[Background]
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24 June 2002 - New Project Aids Street Children in Egypt
In a ceremony on 24 June 2002, the UNDCP Regional Representative, Dr. Mehdi Ali, and Ambassador Moshira Khattab, Secretary General of the National Council for Childhood and Motherhood, signed a technical assistance project, "Demand reduction among street children in Egypt".
This project will address the problems related to the lack of capacity for providing adequate prevention services for an increasing number of street children in Egypt. The immediate objective of the programme is build comprehensive drug abuse prevention and treatment services for street children in Cairo and Alexandria at selected governmental and non-governmental institutions in an effort to reduce their numbers. |
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15 May 2002 - Lebanese Prime Minister Meets with UNODC
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On 15 May 2002, UNODC's Regional Representative, Dr. Mehdi Ali, briefed Prime Minister Rafik Hariri on UNODC's assistance to Lebanon in the areas of drug control and crime prevention. Dr. Ali also outlined UNODC's future plans in the region. The prime minister expressed his appreciation for UNODC's support to Lebanon and praised the close and excellent relationship it has with the country. He was also highly appreciative that these efforts will continue, particularly for the Bekaa Valley. The prime minister reiterated his government's strong commitment to drug control and crime prevention to ensure a drug- and crime-free Lebanon. He concluded by extending his best wishes to the new executive director, Mr. Antonio Maria Costa. |
25-29 March 2002 - Kuwait
UNODC Honours the Role of Arab Women
Dr. Mehdi Ali, UNODC's regional representative, accompanied by Faisal Hegazy, the national programme officer, went on mission to Kuwait 25-29 March. As part of the mission, meetings were held with senior government officials (Ministry of Education, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Social Affairs, the National Committee for Drug Control and the Kuwaiti Committee for Drug Control) to explore developing technical assistance cooperation to enhance the country's drug control efforts. Dr. Ali presented UNODC's annual award of achievement in drug demand reduction to Shiekha Hissah Saad Al-Sabah for her extraordinary endeavours in prevention and awareness of drug abuse among Kuwaiti youth. The award ceremony was well attended by members of the ruling family, senior governmental officials and NGOs and was featured widely in local media.
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Dr. Ali with Sheikha Hissah and Sheikha Latifa
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Sheika Heissah discussing future cooperation with UNDCP
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Minister of the Interior and Sheikh Saif Ibn Zayed
discussing future cooperation with UNDCP.
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17-25 March - United Arab Emirates
UNODC Honours the Role of UAE Police in Combating Drugs
UNODC's Regional Representative, Dr. Mehdi Ali, and the National Programme Officer, Faisal Hegazy, travelled to the United Arab Emirates 17-25 March. During the visit, Dr. Ali held meetings with senior government officials (the Minister of the Interior, the Minister of Justice and Sheikh Saif Ibn Zayed, Deputy Minster of Interior and Commander of Abu Dhabi Police) to explore possibilities for technical cooperation. The regional representative also used the occasion to present UNODC's annual award of achievement in drug control to Major General Dhahi Khalfan Tamim, Commander of the Dubai police, for his outstanding endeavours and achievements in the area of supply reduction. The award ceremony was well attended by the country's political leaders, senior government officials and the diplomatic community. The ceremony garnered extensive media coverage, including television broadcasts. Dr. Ali also used the opportunity to hold side meetings with the dignitaries and high officials in attendance and gave several interviews to the media.
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1999-2001 Events
Egypt's First Lady Mrs. Suzanne Mubarak and Dr. Mehdi Ali |
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