Kuala Lumpur (VNA) – Tackling drug threats, cybercrimes, and human trafficking will top the agenda at the 8th Meeting of the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA) Advisory Council on Dangerous Drugs (AIPACODD) 2025, which began on June 10 in Kuantan, Malaysia.
In his opening remarks, AIPA President and Speaker of the Malaysian House of Representatives Tan Sri Johari Abdul said that a report by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) released on May 28 warned that ASEAN youth are facing emerging threats from synthetic drugs, especially when they are disguised in products such as e-cigarettes. Therefore, the AIPACODD agenda needs to be updated to effectively address cross-border crimes and the linkages between drug crimes and human trafficking, wildlife trafficking, money laundering and cybercrime.
Speaking at a press conference on the sidelines of the meeting, Johari said that ASEAN delegates will share experiences in dealing with these types of transnational crimes. The AIPACODD sets out two main objectives - promoting consensus among ASEAN countries in building common policies and coming up with new ideas, especially on preventing cybercrimes and human trafficking.
The results of the meeting will be sent to the ASEAN Secretariat for accelerated implementation.
The two-day AIPACODD meeting is expected to adopt an official resolution on June 11. A representative from the Philippines which hosts the next meeting, will deliver a speech at the closing ceremony./.
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At their meeting, the two leaders also discussed ASEAN-EU cooperation and appreciated the results achieved, especially the progress in the negotiations of the ASEAN-EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA).
