Lima became a meeting point for authorities and specialists from Latin America, the Caribbean and the European Union at the Multi-Actor Dialogue on Combating Illicit Drug Trafficking, an initiative promoted by Peru’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the EU-LAC Foundation.
The event brought together more than one hundred representatives from all the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as several nations of the European Union. Peru’s Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Jorge Raffo Carbajal, and the Executive Director of the EU-LAC Foundation, Alberto Brunori, opened the gathering.
Brunori stressed: “Confronting transnational drug trafficking is a shared responsibility that requires a coherent, comprehensive and coordinated response not only from governments, customs and police forces, but also from civil society and the private sector on both sides of the Atlantic.”
In his remarks, Ambassador Raffo underlined that the fight against illicit drug trafficking is a priority for Peru, both in its public policy and in its foreign policy. He pointed out that this crime employs violence and intimidation, particularly affecting the most vulnerable populations in the country’s Andean and Amazonian regions.
Throughout the sessions of the Multi-Actor Dialogue, participants analysed the main challenges of transnational drug trafficking, with particular attention to port and border control, and explored new opportunities to strengthen bi-regional cooperation in this area.
Over two days, representatives from governments, customs authorities, public prosecutors’ offices, police forces and port administrations from Latin America, the Caribbean and the European Union, together with experts from international organisations, civil society, the private sector and academia, shared experiences and proposals to tackle the challenges of transnational drug trafficking.
This bi-regional dialogue, part of the run-up to the 4th CELAC-EU Summit, contributed to identifying synergies and complementarities among existing initiatives, as well as deepening effective mechanisms for bi-regional cooperation.
