26 February 2025
Excellencies, Distinguished Guests, Partners,
We are gathered here today to discuss an extremely grave and urgent matter.
A matter that destroys individuals, tears families apart and eviscerates communities.
A situation that has only worsened in recent years and―in many corners of our region―is spiralling out of control.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I begin my intervention with some uncomfortable truths.
Around the world, an estimated 5.6% of people have used drugs in the last 12 months.
In our region, that figure goes up to 6.7%.
In fact, the Eastern Mediterranean has one of the highest burdens of substance use globally.
With cannabis, opium, khat and tramadol topping the list as our narcotics of choice.
A 2019 study found that no less than 3.4 million people in the Eastern Mediterranean had drug use disorder, a more than twofold increase over a period of twenty years.
And the region counts more than 31,000 deaths per year associated with substance use disorders.
Only 1 in 13 people receive treatment, and the quality of that treatment varies significantly.
Treatment for substance use disorder is seldom a one-off because addiction is a chronic disease.
Data suggests that more than two-thirds