INVITATION TO THE REPRESENTATIVES OF THE MEDIA

What:  AU Continental Consultation on Strengthening Synthetic Drug Supply Reduction

When: 25 - 27 August 2025

Where: Gaborone, Botswana

Who:   Department of Health, Humanitarian Affairs and Social Development.  

Why: Illicit drug trafficking, synthetic drug production and related transnational organized crime (TOC), continue to thrive in Africa posing new challenges to international counternarcotic efforts, as well as a variety of emergent threats to the continent and beyond. Illicit synthetic drug trafficking is evolving and has become increasingly transnational and complex.  Criminals are increasingly exploiting new and emerging information communication technologies to undermine the rule of law, human rights, socio-economic development, public health & security, the environment and cultural heritage. These transnational organised crimes are often associated with terrorist financing, illegal financial flows, trafficking in small and light weapons, migrant smuggling, poverty, violence and armed conflicts.

The nexus and the negative impact of illicit drug trafficking and related crime in Africa are well documented^[1] which clearly inhibit the achievement of UN2030 Goals and the AU’s 2063^[2] Agenda.  Given the relevant changes, the African Union  has been developing novel strategies and adaptations of existing ones as a measure to track emergent drug flow patterns, dismantle major criminal syndicates involved in such trafficking and its related organised crimes to block the rise of future hotspots.

Objectives:

The objectives of the continental consultation are to:

1. Promote inter-agency collaboration and strengthen mechanisms for real-time intelligence exchange systems;
2. Provide detailed information on the Pan African Epidemiology Network on Drug Use (PAENDU) supply reduction data collection tool and important variables included to ensure effective data collection;
3. Understand the current trends on illicit drug trafficking in Africa with a special focus on synthetic drugs, related organised crime and the number of arrests due to drug related offences based on data from Member States;
4. Exchange knowledge, share best practices, protocols and drug policy frameworks to facilitate appropriate data flows to disrupt TOC activities at critical points of the supply chain in Member States.

Expected outputs:

1. Clear understanding of the nature, context and impact of drug trafficking and related crimes, collaboration and strengthened mechanism for real time intelligence exchanges including road map for interventions.
2. To ascertain the efficiency of PAENDU data collection form and determine its utility regarding its effectiveness in the field.
3. Reviewed situations of drug trafficking and related organised crime, existing responses and emerging threats, role of policy advocacy, research and data collection on drug trends, priority areas for intervention and mitigating impact.
4. Work plan analysis of identified priority areas due to current data, for continuous implementation in subsequent years to improve counter responses to trafficking and challenges to human security.

Participation at the event:

Delegates expected at this event include the President of the Republic of Botswana,  the African Union Commissioner for Health, Humanitarian Affairs and Social Development, the United States Ambassador to Botswana in addition to top officials of law enforcements, including police, customs and maritime security of African Union Member States, together with designated representatives of international and regional organizations such as the AFRIPOL, INTERPOL, INCB, UNODC, EUROPOL, INL, the World Customs Organization, the Universal Postal Union (UPU), the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime (GI-TOC), ESACD, AMA, Regional Economic Communities and the relevant Departments of the African Union Commission.

Representatives of the media are invited to cover the Opening Ceremony and the media engagement session to be addressed by the President of Botswana, AU Commissioner for Health, Humanitarian Affairs and Social Development and the US Ambassador to Botswana. The Programme is attached.

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For further information, please contact:

Dr Ruth Akinola I Head of Social Welfare, Drug Control and Crime Prevention Division | Health, Humanitarian Affairs and Social Development | African Union Commission | E-mail: AkinolaO@africanunion.org| Addis Ababa, Ethiopia|

King David Cartey I Strategic Communication Attache`| Health, Humanitarian Affairs and Social Development | African Union Commission | E-mail: CarteyD@africanunion.org| Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Faith Ochieng I Information and Communication Directorate, African Union Commission I E-mail: DIC@africanunion.org