UNITED NATION
Economic and Sosial Commission and the Pacific
United Nations Building, Rajadamnern Nok Avenue,
Bangkok 10200, Thailand.

I have great pleasure in congratulating the World Youth Foundation, under the visionary guidance of the Rt Hon Datuk Seri Mohd Ali Rustam, Chief Minister of Melaka, Malaysia, for organizing the International Conference on Drugs and Young People.

“Providing an enabling environment for young people to make choices” marks a milestone in a deeper-level of efforts to address in a more meaningful way the issue of drugs and young people in the Asian and Pacific region. The Conference highlights a significant shift away from a punitive approach that blames individuals for drug addiction, to one that focuses on collective responsibility for creating the protective factors that would enable young people to make the correct choices regarding drug use.

Young people in the region are doing relatively well. They are better educated. They are healthier and may expect to live longer than previous generations. Their future is also promising at the family, community and economic levels.

Despite these possibilities, there are young people who are unable to deal with rapid social change and setbacks. Among them are young people who experience rejection and dysfunctionality that they do not have the coping skills and requisite guidance and support to deal with. Many are from seemingly regular, well-to-do family backgrounds and are enrolled at school, but succumb to the temptation to experiment with drugs that have become easily available. Some others may live in poverty and experience violence at home and on the streets. A number of young people slip into drug abuse, delinquency and crime as part of their victimization in sexual abuse and exploitation.

In this context, the Conference marks an important step forward in the region’s efforts to reduce youth drug abuse. Young people could play a vital role in enhancing the youth-friendliness and effectiveness of the comprehensive approach that the Conference is advocating: classroom instruction, peer assistance, parent education, school policies and mentoring for at-risk students, municipality recreation programmes, community policing and neighbourhood support programmes.

Community-based and school-based initiatives are of crucial importance in drug use prevention among youth. They must include interventions that convey developmentally appropriate messages throughout childhood, adolescence and young adulthood, reinforced by life skills that enable young people to deal effectively with the challenges and risks that are part of a world of rapid change.

I am especially pleased that young people from other regions of the world are also invited to this important Conference. Taking a step back from action to share experiences and reflect collectively on issues of common concern facilitates international advancement in tackling the seemingly intractable problems of youth drug abuse.

Please accept my very best wishes for the success of the Conference.

San Yuenwah
Chief
Health and Development Section
Emerging Social Issues Division
United Nations Economic and Social
Commission for Asia and the Pacific