United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the Maldives have discussed combating transnational organised crime. The discussion was held during a meeting after the UNODC Regional Representative for South Asia Marco Teixeria presented his letter of appointment to Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdulla Shahid.
During the meeting, Minister Shahid and Regional Representative Teixeria discussed the role of UNODC in South Asia. The discussion also focused on the areas that UNODC is assisting the government of Maldives in, including combating transnational organised crime, countering terrorism and violent extremism, and shared hopes for strengthened cooperation in the future.
Furthermore, Regional Director Teixeria also briefed Minister Shahid on the formulation of the new Regional Programme for South Asia (2023-2027). The regional programme will be aligned with the work being carried out under the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF 2022-2026) and support the realisation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and other internationally agreed development frameworks.
The foreign ministry has stated that UNODC has been exemplary in its work to support the government in its ongoing activities on juvenile justice reform, combating the smuggling of migrants, drug trafficking, and maritime security which are some of the key priority areas of the government of the Maldives.