Presentation by a participant
Presentation by a participant
In August 2021, the United Nations Asia and Far East Institute for the Prevention of Crime and Treatment of Offenders (UNAFEI) hosted the 1st Youth International Training Course for five days, where 12 Japanese students and 11 JDS fellows had the opportunity to participate online. The theme of the training was “Youth Initiatives for Prevention of and Desistance from Drug-related Offences,” and the participants learned about domestic and international efforts and issues related to criminal justice and treatment of offenders.
Various lectures were given by Japanese and foreign experts to deepen the participants’ understanding of drug issues from a wide range of perspectives, such as the actual situation of drug manufacturing and trafficking in Southeast Asia, organized crime related to drugs, necessary measures for recovery from drug addiction, and the practices of Japanese criminal justice agencies regarding drug issues. Based on the knowledge gained from the lectures, the participants engaged in case-study style group workshops on effective initiatives of the prevention of and desistance from drug use and presented the results on the last day.
One of the JDS fellows who participated in the program gave his impressions as follows, “Based on the case example of illegal drug use presented in the case study, questions raised and discussed as how it will eventually affect her life and how she can regain her normal life. It was very interesting to learn about the role of the community, national strategies to eradicate drug trafficking, and prevention of illegal activities, etc. The participants had diverse views and innovative ideas. This was a very interesting training.”
UNAFEI is a United Nations regional training institute, established in 1962 by agreement between the United Nations and the Government of Japan. The main activities of the Institute include international training and seminars for criminal justice practitioners from various countries, and research on crime prevention and treatment of offenders. The UNAFEI strives to promote the sound development of criminal justice in the Asia-Pacific region and other countries and to strengthen mutual cooperation, in line with the policies and initiatives of the United Nations.
UNAFEI has the longest history and achievements among the UN regional training institutes in Latin America, Africa, Northern Europe, etc., and cooperates in the formulation and implementation of the UN’s global crime prevention and treatment policies.
