The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has conducted a national stakeholders’ which is aimed at enusring the safe disposal of drugs, chemicals and their waste.

In a statement on Thursday, Oct. 5, the Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB) stated that the program is dedicated to support the selected Southeast Asian countries, including the Philippines, ‘relative to the safe handling, storage, and disposal of drugs and precursor chemicals.’

The DDB stressed that the main objective of the activity is to develop institutional strengthening strategies to minimize public health and environmental problems due to seized substances.

Initiated through the DDB, the discussion covers the assessment of the status of chemicals seized in the Philippines; strengthening technical capacities through the preparation and implementation of national disposal plans; and sharing of good practices and regional cooperation.

The DDB welcomed Keith Norman and Inshik Sim from the UNODC-Regional Office for Southeast Asia and the Pacific, Associate Professor Roy Gerona, from the University of California and Severino Uy of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) ‘as the subject matter experts who discussed the aforementioned topics.’