ReageraMera

Dear Mrs. Dahl, former speaker of the Parliament; dear Mrs. Larsson, Minister of Health; Excellencies, dear Mrs. Diskul - thank you for coming. Last we met was at the Golden Triangle in Thailand.

I am so very pleased to see and welcome delegates from so many countries at this important conference.

Unfortunately, drug abuse has become a global problem. In the past we could talk about producer countries and consumer countries. But the situation has changed. Now we have a universal problem and a challenge which demands joint solutions. All countries and all people must work together to find these solutions.

Young people have become particularly vulnerable to drug abuse. We must try and protect young people from exposure to narcotics, and of course to prevent them from drug addiction. When young people become involved with drugs, it leads all too often to suffering - not only for the addicts but also for their relatives and friends.

It is our highest priority to work together, all of us, to prevent drug abuse and the harm that drugs can and do cause.

This is why I myself became involved with Mentor Sweden and I am proud to be one of the co-founders and president of Mentor International. Mentor's mission is to prevent drug abuse among children and young people and to promote their health and well-being. One way Mentor works to prevent drug abuse among young people is by giving them the self-confidence and the strength,  skills and abilities to say no to drugs.

Parents are also an important group for Mentor. It is vital for parents to support their teenagers and make sure that they have education and support to help in communicating and relating with their children.

This is an important conference - a forum - an exchange of knowledge and views in the campaign against narcotics. I am delighted to see how many we are who are determined to work for prevention and against the global problem of drug addiction. The gathering is an important opportunity to learn from each other. We need to work together and offer a team approach in our responses.

We can prevent. We can provide opportunities for young people. We can protect our young people from drugs.

We are offering a message of hope and health for our young people.

Thank you and all good wishes for a successful forum!