Fiji is set to formalise a new anti-drug partnership with Indonesia’s National Narcotics Board, with Cabinet having approved a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on June 24.
Minister for Policing Ioane Naivalurua told Parliament the agreement with the Republic of Indonesia’s National Narcotics Board, known as BNN, would provide a framework for technical support, professional development, intelligence exchange and institutional strengthening to combat drug trafficking and abuse.
“By way of background, at the outset I would like to register our appreciation to the honourable Minister for Defence and Veteran Affairs for the work that he had done to initiate this particular arrangement,” he said.
Mr Naivalurua said Indonesia had been countering the dangers of narcotics since 1971, with BNN established in 1999 as the National Narcotics Coordinating Board before adopting its current name in 2002.
He said BNN’s mandate included:
- Co-ordinating relevant government agencies in the formulation and implementation of national drug control policies; and,
- Co-ordinating the implementation of the National Drug Control policies.
“This is aligned very well to the government’s National Counter Narcotic Strategy 2023 to 2028,” he said.
A study visit last year by permanent secretary for Home Affairs, Lieutenant-Colonel Mason Smith, paved the way for collaboration through a written agreement.
“Soon we will be seeing a team from Indonesia visiting us here in Fiji, where we are going to discuss in more detail on what the MOU is about,” Mr Naivalurua said.
He confirmed the agreement would be signed once the implementation plan was finalised.