BUDAPEST (ILO News) – The European Commission (EC) and the International Labour Organization (ILO) have joined forces to support the institutions responsible for youth employment policy in the Western Balkans in introducing a youth guarantee (YG). The European Training Foundation (ETF) is also a partner in the realization of interventions. Inspired by similar schemes in the EU Member States, a youth guarantee is a commitment to support every young person under the age of 30 who is not employed, in education or training (so-called NEETs). This commitment entitles young people to receive a good quality offer of employment, traineeship, apprenticeship, or continued education within four months of leaving school or becoming unemployed. The EC/ILO support includes the adaptation of the youth guarantee to the Western Balkans through policy, programming and monitoring support, advanced training, and peer-learning across Western Balkans and EU. This EC/ILO Technical Assistance Facility (TAF) comes after the second EU-Western Balkans Ministerial Meeting on Employment and Social Affairs on 8 July, at which ministers and representatives responsible for employment endorsed a Declaration on ensuring sustainable labour market integration of young people . The Declaration recognises the disproportionate negative impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the labour market situation of young people and spells out a commitment to gradually implement youth guarantees in the region. The Declaration takes inspiration from the EU Council Recommendation of 30 October 2020 on A Bridge to Jobs – Reinforcing the Youth Guarantee . Young people are bearing the brunt of the massive economic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic. Globally, youth employment fell by 8.7 per cent in 2020 compared with 3.7 per cent for adults. An examination of the share of young people who are not in employment, education, or training (NEET) provides a snapshot of young people’s overall vulnerability to the economic situation. Simply stated, if the employment rate goes down, either the NEET rate or the educational participation rate (or both) must increase. Clearly, a reduction of employment compensated by an increase in education is, in principle, more desirable than an increase in NEET rates. However, in the Western Balkans, the loss of employment and the rise in inactivity has not – in general – been offset by a return to education. In Montenegro, for instance, four out of five young people who lost their job became inactive rather than unemployed, but did not go back to education. NEET rates in the Western Balkan economies remained above the pre-crisis level throughout 2020, although in some cases they declined from their peak in 2020Q2, thanks to the measures implemented. In Serbia, one out of five young people fall within the NEET category, but it can be as high as one out of three in other parts of the region. The ILO has called on  governments for action to prevent short-term exit of youth from the labour market turning into long-term exclusion for a generation of young people. The implementation of a youth guarantee could help in avoiding long-term scarring effects, i.e. the increased likelihood of more spells of unemployment or inactivity, lower earning prospects, and lower chances of obtaining a good quality job. The ILO is a specialised technical agency that leads the action of the United Nations system on employment and the world of work. This partnership with the European Commission to facilitate the establishment of youth guarantees in the Western Balkans builds on the previous EC/ILO Joint Action on the Youth Guarantee  targeted at EU member states. It contributes to achieving the objectives set out in the EC’s Economic and Investment Plan for the Western Balkans (EIP)  in October 2020. The EIP promotes long-term economic recovery, a green and digital transition, regional integration, and convergence with the European Union; it includes a flagship initiative on the Youth Guarantee with a view to offering better perspectives to young people and mitigating the brain drain.

Vienna, 24 June 2021 Around 275 million people used drugs worldwide in the last year, while over 36 million people suffered from drug use disorders, according to the 2021 World Drug Report, released today by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). The Report further noted that in the last 24 years cannabis potency had increased by as much as four times in parts of the world, even as the percentage of adolescents who perceived the drug as harmful fell by as much as 40 per cent, despite evidence that cannabis use is associated with a variety of health and other harms, especially among regular long-term users. "Lower perception of drug use risks has been linked to higher rates of drug use, and the findings of UNODC’s 2021 World Drug Report highlight the need to close the gap between perception and reality to educate young people and safeguard public health,” said UNODC Executive Director Ghada Waly. “The theme of this year’s International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking is “Share facts on drugs. Save lives”, emphasizing the importance of strengthening the evidence base and raising public awareness, so that the international community, governments, civil society, families and youth can make informed decisions, better target efforts to prevent and treat drug use, and tackle world drug challenges.” According to the Report, the percentage of Δ9-THC —the main psychoactive component in cannabis— has risen from around six per cent to more than 11 per cent in Europe between 2002-2019, and around four per cent to 16 per cent in the United States between 1995-2019, while the percentage of adolescents that perceived cannabis as harmful declined by 40 per cent in the United States and by 25 per cent in Europe. Moreover, most countries have reported a rise in the use of cannabis during the pandemic. In surveys of health professionals across 77 countries, 42 per cent asserted that cannabis use had increased. A rise in the non-medical use of pharmaceutical drugs has also been observed in the same period.  Drug Use Rising, but Science-Based Treatment More Available Between 2010-2019 the number of people using drugs increased by 22 per cent, owing in part to global population growth. Based on demographic changes alone, current projections suggest an 11 per cent rise in the number of people who use drugs globally by 2030 -- and a marked increase of 40 per cent in Africa, due to its rapidly growing and young population. According to the latest global estimates, about 5.5 per cent of the population aged between 15 and 64 years have used drugs at least once in the past year, while 36.3 million people, or 13 per cent of the total number of persons who use drugs, suffer from drug use disorders. Globally, over 11 million people are estimated to inject drugs, half of whom are living with Hepatitis C. Opioids continue to account for the largest burden of disease attributed to drug use. The two pharmaceutical opioids most commonly used to treat people with opioid use disorders, methadone and buprenorphine, have become increasingly accessible over the past two decades. The amount available for medical use has increased six-fold since 1999, from 557 million daily doses to 3,317 million by 2019, indicating that science-based pharmacological treatment is more available now than in the past. The Dark Web Drug markets on the dark web only emerged a decade ago but major ones are now worth at least US$ 315 million in annual sales. Although this is just a fraction of overall drug sales, the trend is upwards with a fourfold increase between 2011 to mid-2017 and mid-2017 to 2020. Rapid technological innovation, combined with the agility and adaptability of those using new platforms to sell drugs and other substances, is likely to usher in a globalized market where all drugs are more available and accessible everywhere. This, in turn, could trigger accelerated changes in patterns of drug use and entail public health implications, according to the Report. The Drug Market Rebounds and Shifts The new report shows that drug markets have swiftly resumed operations after the initial disruption at the onset of the pandemic; a burst that has triggered or accelerated certain pre-existing trafficking dynamics across the global drug market. Among these are: increasingly larger shipments of illicit drugs, a rise in the frequency of overland and water-way routes used for trafficking, greater use of private planes for the purpose of drug trafficking, and an upsurge in the use of contactless methods to deliver drugs to end-consumers. The resilience of drug markets during the pandemic has demonstrated once again traffickers’ ability to adapt quickly to changed environments and circumstances. The Report also noted that cocaine supply chains to Europe are diversifying, pushing prices down and quality up and thereby threatening Europe with a further expansion of the cocaine market. This is likely to widen the potential harm caused by the drug in the region. The number of new psychoactive substances (NPS) emerging on the global market fell from 163 in 2013 to 71 in 2019. This reflects trends in North America, Europe and Asia. The findings suggest national and international control systems have succeeded in limiting the spread of NPS in high income countries, where NPS first emerged a decade ago. Drug Risks, New Developments Spurred by Pandemic COVID-19 has triggered innovation and adaptation in drug prevention and treatment services through more flexible models of service delivery. Many countries have introduced or expanded telemedicine services due to the pandemic, which for drug users means that healthcare workers can now offer counselling or initial assessments over the telephone and use electronic systems to prescribe controlled substances. While the impact of COVID-19 on drug challenges is not yet fully known, the analysis suggests that the pandemic has brought increasing economic hardship that is likely to make illicit drug cultivation more appealing to fragile rural communities. The social impact of the pandemic –driving a rise in inequality, poverty, and mental health conditions particularly among already vulnerable populations-- represent factors that could push more people into drug use.  *** The 2021 World Drug Report and further content is available here: https://wdr.unodc.org/ The 2021 World Drug Report provides a global overview of the supply and demand of opiates, cocaine, cannabis, amphetamine-type stimulants and new psychoactive substances (NPS), as well as their impact on health, taking into account the possible effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.   * *** * For further information and interview requests, please contact: Brian Hansford Chief, UNODC Advocacy Section
Phone: (+43-699) 1458-3225
Email: brian.hansford[at]un.org

New York, USA – 29 March 2021 The Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide Alice Wairimu Nderitu is very concerned at pronouncements from officials in Montenegro questioning the commission of the crime of genocide in Srebrenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina, in 1995. She also notes a series of concerning developments in that country that contribute to sowing fear, mistrust and hate. Genocide and other atrocity crimes must not be a matter of any kind of arbitration, especially those legally processed based on evidence. The terrible events that occurred at Srebrenica in July 1995 have been adjudicated by the ICTY and ICJ. Both the ICTY and the International Court of Justice have concluded that the acts committed at Srebrenica constituted genocide. There is simply no space for denial or relativization of Srebrenica genocide and the legitimacy of the ICTY.  The Secretary-General, in his message on the commemoration of the 25th anniversary of the genocide in Srebrenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina last year, called on “everyone in the region and beyond to counter hate speech and the rhetoric of division and narratives of mistrust and fear”. He noted that acknowledging the past is a vital step towards rebuilding trust, and that reconciliation means rejecting denial of genocide and war crimes and of any effort to glorify convicted war criminals. It also means recognizing the suffering of all victims and not attributing collective guilt. The Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide would like to remind that genocide denial divides people, communities and states; it feeds on and strengthens contested narratives about the past, the present and the future. It also undermines the judicial decisions that have been made and therefore undermines justice.  Denying the genocide in Srebrenica constitutes an attack on human dignity, particularly to the victims and survivors. It is unacceptable and must be condemned.   Alice Wairimu Nderitu has been appointed by the United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres as Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide on 10 November 2020.

Njujork, SAD - 29. marta 2021. Specijalna savjetnica UN za sprečavanje genocida, Alis Vairimu Nderitu, veoma je zabrinuta zbog izjava zvaničnika u Crnoj Gori koje dovode u pitanje izvršenje zločina genocida u Srebrenici, u Bosni i Hercegovini, 1995. godine. Savjetnica UN primjećuje niz zabrinjavajućih dešavanja u Crnoj Gori koja doprinose širenju straha, nepovjerenja i mržnje. Genocid i drugi zločini ne smiju biti predmet bilo kakve arbitraže, posebno oni koji su zakonski do kraja procesuirani na osnovu dokaza. Međunarodni krivični sud za bivšu Jugoslaviju i Međunarodni sud pravde donijeli su presude o strašnim događajima koji su se dogodili u Srebrenici u julu 1995. godine. Oba suda presudila su da djela počinjena u Srebrenici predstavljaju genocid. Jednostavno nema prostora za poricanje ili relativizaciju genocida u Srebrenici, niti za dovođenje u pitanje legitimiteta Međunarodnog krivičnog suda za bivšu Jugoslaviju. Generalni sekretar je u svojoj poruci povodom obilježavanja 25. godišnjice genocida u Srebrenici, prošle godine, pozvao „sve u regionu i šire da se suprotstave govoru mržnje i retorici podjela i narativima nepoverenja i straha". Naveo je da je priznavanje prošlosti vitalni korak ka ponovnoj izgradnji povjerenja, a da pomirenje znači odbacivanje negiranja genocida i ratnih zločina i svakog veličanja osuđenih ratnih zločinaca. To takođe znači i jasno prepoznavanje patnje svih žrtava i ne pripisivanje kolektivne krivice. Specijalna savjetnica UN za sprečavanje genocida podsjeća da negiranje genocida dijeli ljude, zajednice i države; hrani i jača sporne narative o prošlosti, sadašnjosti i budućnosti. Takođe podriva donijete sudske odluke i stoga podriva pravdu. Poricanje genocida u Srebrenici predstavlja napad na ljudsko dostojanstvo, posebno na žrtve i preživjele. To je neprihvatljivo i mora se osuditi.   Generalni sekretar Ujedinjenih nacija Antonio Gutereš imenovao je Alis Vairimu Nderitu za Specijalnu savjetnicu UN za sprečavanje genocida 10. novembra 2020.