Topic: 2024-Substance Abuse
Country: Bangladesh
Delegate Name: Sophie Roberts
Sophie Roberts
World Health Organization
Substance Abuse
Bangladesh
Mattawan High School
Substance abuse disorders affect many people worldwide, and they have led to a significant increase in deaths and illnesses in the past decade. There are an estimated 2.6 million deaths per year worldwide due to alcohol, and an additional 0.6 million due to psychoactive drugs. Substance abuse can harm families socially and economically. It can also increase someone’s lifetime risk of noncommunicable disease, such as cardiovascular disease and cancer. Additionally, injectable drugs contribute to the spread of bloodborne pathogens like human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and hepatitis C due to contaminated needles and unsanitary conditions.
The United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 3.5 is strengthening the prevention and treatment of substance abuse, and there are several UN resolutions focused on that goal. In 2020, the General Assembly passed the resolution “International cooperation to address and counter the world drug problem.” The resolution emphasizes that substance abuse is a shared global problem, and urges that member states cooperate to address substance abuse and its underlying causes. In 2024, the United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs issued “Promoting recovery and related support services for people with drug use disorders.” This resolution called on member states to promote and fund addiction treatment facilities and support financial stability for people in recovery and their families.
2.88% of Bangladeshis who attend general practice checkups have substance abuse disorders, and that rate is likely higher in people who do not seek regular medical care. The top drugs of abuse in Bangladesh are amphetamines, cannabis, pethidine (an opiate), and phensedyl (a cough medication). Bangladesh started its war on drugs in 2015 and has focused on tackling the illegal drug trade. In the process, they’ve stopped drug dealers and suppliers from taking advantage of vulnerable populations. As well as tackling the source of drugs, the Bangladeshi government is dedicated to treating substance abuse and its associated harms. The Bangladeshi public healthcare system created an addiction treatment center in Dhaka, with regional centers around the country, However, the system only has a total of 199 beds at dedicated rehabilitation facilities, and many people with substance abuse disorders in Bangladesh cannot afford treatment at private facilities. Bangladesh has also adopted a national harm reduction policy by creating drop-in centers offering needles and syringes, HIV testing, STD infection management, and addiction outreach services. Bangladesh has also demonstrated its dedication to fighting substance abuse worldwide by coauthoring the resolution “International cooperation to address and counter the world drug problem.”
The delegation of Bangladesh advocates for capacity-building in drug rehabilitation facilities, the expansion of harm reduction policies, and increasing global awareness about substance abuse. Many developing countries have few public drug rehabilitation facilities, leaving limited options for people with substance abuse disorders. This delegation emphasizes the importance of allocating global health funds to substance abuse rehabilitation centers in low- and lower-middle-income countries. Bangladesh also recognizes the importance of managing the transmission of infections due to injectable drugs, and believes that member states should expand the reach of harm-reduction centers, with services such as STD testing and clean needles and syringes. Global health funding and NGOs can assist in expanding harm-reduction centers to developing nations. Bangladesh also emphasizes the importance of spreading global awareness about drug abuse and its consequences, especially in impoverished areas. This delegation also believes that increasing the consequences of illegal drug dealing will reduce the spread of drugs to vulnerable populations. The delegation of Bangladesh calls for the United Nations to collaborate and make substance abuse treatment, harm reduction, and education available to all communities.
References:
https://nimh.gov.bd/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/01-Substance-abuse.pdf
https://www.cnn.com/2018/06/08/asia/bangladesh-drug-war-intl/index.html
https://hri.global/publications/harm-reduction-information-note-bangladesh/
https://www.who.int/news/item/25-06-2024-over-3-million-annual-deaths-due-to-alcohol-and-drug-use-majority-among-men
https://www.cdc.gov/persons-who-inject-drugs/about/index.html#:~:text=A%20deadly%20consequence%20of%20the,rates%20among%20at%2Drisk%20populations.
https://www.unodc.org/documents/commissions/CND/Drug_Resolutions/2020-2029/2024/Res_67_1.pdf
https://nida.nih.gov/research-topics/global-health
https://www.globalgoals.org/goals/3-good-health-and-well-being/
