BRICS calls for united fight against global drug menace

GUWAHATI, JUL 6 (PTI): BRICS member countries on Monday underscored the importance of collectively tackling the drug menace, describing it as a transnational threat requiring enhanced cooperation, intelligence sharing and exchange of best practices among nations. Participating in the two-day meeting of heads of anti-drug agencies from BRICS countries that began here, representatives highlighted the grouping’s tradition of cooperation and stressed the need to strengthen it further.
The meeting is focusing on three priority areas– combating synthetic drugs and precursor diversion, strengthening intelligence sharing and operational coordination, and enhancing capacity building and institutional cooperation.
Speaking on the sidelines of the meeting, Ethiopian Embassy Chargé d’Affaires in Delhi, Nebiyu Tedla, said the drug menace had become an international issue and platforms like BRICS provided opportunities for collaboration, exchange of information and coordinated efforts.
He said Ethiopia would share its experience in combating drugs and their socio-economic impact while learning from other countries. Tedla expressed hope that the discussions would help identify best practices and appreciated India’s chairship in fostering consensus among member countries. Russia’s anti-drug department chief Ivan Gorbunov also stressed the importance of sharing experiences, saying participating countries had a common objective and significant experience in tackling drug-related issues. He expressed confidence that the meeting would benefit all partners.
Lucas Barbosa of Brazil’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs emphasised the need for collective action to address the transnational challenge of drugs. He said BRICS had a long tradition of cooperation and that members intended to strengthen collaboration in law enforcement and intelligence sharing, adding that drugs posed a transnational threat that could only be addressed through joint efforts.
BRICS, initially comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, expanded in 2024 to include Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, while Indonesia joined the grouping in 2025. The bloc has emerged as an influential grouping, bringing together 11 major emerging economies that account for around 49.5 per cent of the global population, about 40 per cent of global GDP and nearly 26 per cent of global trade.