Press Release: Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield Launches Alliance to Prevent Drug Harms in Collaboration with United Nations and Tech Industry

Today, Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield, Representative of the United States to the United Nations, launched the Alliance to Prevent Drug Harms (Prevent Alliance), alongside representatives from the United Nations and the tech industry, including Meta, Snap Inc., and X Corp.

“Two out of every five Americans know someone who has died of an opioid overdose…in every corner of the world…we’re seeing a rapid rise in synthetic drug use, dependence, and overdose death,” said the Ambassador. “This is an international crisis…we’ve seen the criminal groups that produce these drugs adapt quickly.”

That adaptation includes the use of technology platforms, including social media, to promote the illicit use of non-medical synthetic drugs.

“This alliance between the United States, the United Nations, and our partners in the private sector, holds immense potential to make a meaningful difference. To disrupt this crisis, both here in the United States and all across the globe, and adapt with the same agility, the same resourcefulness, of those we’re up against. This is a good step, but we all know much more needs to be done to address this problem.” Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield continued.

The Prevent Alliance, a public-private partnership effort, is committed to ending the use of online platforms to aid the flow of illicit substances. Through a framework for cross-industry cooperation, the Prevent Alliance will work to disrupt the availability of synthetic drugs online, promote drug-prevention content across platforms, and enables cross-sector communication establishing the best evidence-based practices for drug-prevention campaigns.

The alliance builds upon the work of the Global Coalition to Address Synthetic Drug Threats, a multilateral effort to combat the threats posed by synthetic drugs launched by Secretary Blinken last year, and the U.S.-led adoption of new controls targeting the synthetic drug manufacturing process at the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs earlier this year.

Maggie Nardi, the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State of the Bureau for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL), said, “Governments alone cannot shield people from the dangers of synthetic drug misuse; we must forge stronger alliances with public health, civil society, affected communities, academics, and industry to combat their illicit manufacture, distribution, and promotion.”

Under the Biden Administration, the United States is dedicating more resources to tackle the demand for drugs, including more resources for public awareness, health interventions and services to prevent and reduce the implications of drug use, as well as measures to prevent, detect, and stop the illicit manufacturing and trafficking of drugs. These efforts include support for the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and Commission on Narcotic Drugs, as well as U.S. leadership in rallying countries around the Global Coalition to Address Synthetic Drug Threats.

“Evidence-based prevention is key to respond to the drug use situation globally, especially in a rapidly digitalized world. Social media nowadays carries an important influence on the individual. To harness this influence positively, science can help,” said Delphine Schantz, director of UNODC’s New York office. “UNODC together with WHO reflected on that science through the International Standards on Drug Use Prevention. This science aims at creating a healthy and safe environment for children and youth, fostering resilient generations against drugs and any risky social and health behaviors. Working through this science, social media could be one of those added layers of prevention.”

“Families and communities around the world are struggling with the opioid crisis,” said Nell McCarthy, Vice President of Trust and Safety at Meta. “From governments to the private sector, and health care systems to civil society organizations, we must all do our part to combat this crisis, which is why Meta is proud to be part of the Prevent Alliance.”

Source: https://usun.usmission.gov/ambassador-linda-thomas-greenfield-launches-alliance-to-prevent-drug-harms-in-collaboration-with-united-nations-and-tech-industry/ July 2024