The Plan provides guidance for ASEAN cooperation in the four priority areas of preventive drug education, treatment and rehabilitation, law enforcement, and research. It also identifies eight strategic thrusts, namely,: promote human resource development; develop mechanisms to ensure greater reliability of project funding; review regional need, for data on drug abuse and trafficking; develop cooperative programmes with other ASEAN organsations; develop an integrated drug information system; intensify working relationships with third countries and international organisations; facilitate early ratification of all relevant United Nations conventions on drugs; enhance research, monitoring and evaluation of drug abuse control programme, in the region; and enhance the role of' NGOs in drug control. In recognising the increasing difficulties encountered by, ASOD in obtaining Dialogue Partner funding for its projects, the Plan recommended that UNDCP could be approached to provide financial support to ASEAN-initiated regional or sub-regional projects, or alternatively, the ASEAN Fund could be re-vitalised for the same purposes.

To operationalise the Plan into concrete projects and activities, the ASEAN Secretariat has obtained funding support from the UNDP ASP-5 Sub-Programme on Human Development to implement a project to design a work programme for ASOD based on the priorities and programme areas identified in the Plan. The work programme as reviewed by an Experts Group Meeting in July 1995 and will be finalised by the 18th ASOD Meeting to be held in August 1995 in Bangkok. The implementation of the Plan will further assist ASEAN in intensifying cooperation in overcoming the serious problem of drug abuse and illicit trafficking at the national, regional and international levels, as directed by the Fourth Summit.

During the year under review, ASOD furthered its efforts in fostering international cooperation in its fight against drug abuse as directed by the Fourth ASEAN Summit. Following the decision of the First Meeting of the 27th ASC in November 1993 in Bangkok to approve the participation of Laos and Vietnam in t-o ASOD projects, namely, the "ASEAN-EC Three-Year Plan of Action on Preventive Drug Education,, and the "ASEAN Training Course for Drug Rehabilitation Professionals", the Philippines, as coordinator of the first project, sent a four- person ASEAN Project Team to Laos and Vietnam in April 1994 to Identify and brief relevant officials about implementation arrangements. The visit provided the ASEAN Project Team with an opportunity to initiate contacts with senior Lao and Vietnamese officials, responsible for drug control and also to provide them with information on the mechanisms for ASEAN collaboration and cooperative activities pursued by ASOD. The project team again visited Laos and Vietnam in May 1995 as part of its effort to monitor the implementation of two projects under the ASEAN-EC Three-Year Plan of Action on Preventive Drug Education, namely: "Strengthening ASEAN Preventive Drug Information Programmes" and "Parent- Youth Movement Against Drug Abuse".

With respect to relations with ASEAN's Dialogue Partners, cooperation with the European Union has further intensified during the past year. The EU has been a major source of funding for ASEAN collaborative projects on drug control. On the future directions of cooperation between the EU and ASEAN, the 11th ASEAN-EU Ministerial Meeting (AEMM) held in September 1994 in Karlsruhe, Germany identified the fight against drugs and HIV/ AIDS as among those to be given pre- eminence. The Ministers also expressed their determination. for closer cooperation in increasing the effectiveness of policies and measures to counter the illicit traffic of narcotics and psychotropic substances, the laundering of financial proceeds, the diversion of trade in precursor chemicals and measures to prevent and reduce drug abuse.

During the 11Th ASEAN-EU joint Cooperation Committee (JCC) Meeting held in January 1994 in Davao City, the EU submitted for ASEAN's consideration the guidelines for the establishment of a Sub- Committee on Narcotics to serve as a regular and sole forum for ASEAN and the EU to discuss cooperation on drug matters. The 17th ASOD Meeting proposed a counterdraft set of guidelines for the consideration of the EU, which included, among others, the need for the Sub- Committee to discuss prevention and enforcement issues including human resource development, precursors control, mutual legal assistance and technical assistance for drug interdiction.

With respect to EU-funded projects, one project on the Development and Validation of Evaluation Instruments for Preventive Drug Education was completed in 1995, and two projects continue to be implemented namely: "Strengthening ASEAN Preventive Drug Information Programmes" and "Parent-Youth Movement Against Drug Abuse". The project "ASEAN- Training Course for Drug Rehabilitation Professionals" still awaits the remittance of project funds from the EU despite the formalization of the financing agreement in October 1993.

The EU will be a major source of funding for ASEAN collaborative projects in drug control and drug matters which have been identified as priority areas of concern for. ASEAN-EU cooperation - a position reiterated at the Eleventh AEMM held in September 1994 'n Karlsruhe, Germany.

Several ASOD project proposals is have been submitted t. other Dialogue Partners for funding consideration in the past year but commitments of funding support have not been forthcoming.

During the period under review ASOD made progress in combatting drug abuse through intensified regional and international collaboration. In particuIar, ASOD's cooperation with the EU was strengthened through the implementation of several projects in supply and demand reduction and the proposed establishment of a Sub-Committee on Narcotics. Regional cooperation in drug matters will be further intensified and strengthened through the implementation f the ASEAN Three-Year Plan of Action on Drug Abuse Control.