Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has delivered a letter to Council of Europe Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić informing her of his country’s decision to join the Pompidou Group as of January 2022.
The participation of Ukrainian experts in the work of the Group will help with the creation and implementation of programmes for treatment of addictions, care and rehabilitation of people with substance use disorders, and exchange of information on trends related to drug trafficking and drug use, said Permanent Representative to the Council of Europe Borys Tarasyuk.
The decision follows 10 years of fruitful cooperation between Ukraine and the Pompidou Group.
Ukraine joined the Council of Europe in 1995 and has made many commitments to the rule of law, democracy and human rights. Joining the Pompidou Group is a further step in addressing drug-related challenges based on Council of Europe values, notably through integrating human rights into all stages of drug policy making. A strengthened focus on human rights is one of the key elements of the Pompidou Group’s renewed mandate adopted in June 2021 on the occasion of its 50th anniversary, which was also extended to addictive behaviours related to licit substances (such as alcohol or tobacco) and new forms of addictions (such as Internet gambling and gaming).
Ukraine joins Council of Europe’s drug policy cooperation platform the Pompidou Group