Staff Reporter:
Social Welfare and Women and Children Affairs Minister Prof Dr AZM Zahid Hossain yesterday called for taking international standard science-based and integrated approaches to protect the youth from the curses of drug abuse.
“We should not keep the emphasize on the efforts of fear-based or prohibition-oriented campaigns alone in this regard,” he said while addressing a seminar at Prof Dr. M.H. Khan Auditorium of Ahsanullah University of Science and Technology (AUST) here as the chief guest.
The seminar on ‘Evidence-Based Initiatives for Youth Drug Prevention’ was organized by the AUST with the support from Dhaka Ahsania Mission and the Bangladesh Chapter of the International Society of Substance Use Professionals (ISSUP), marking the observance of the ‘International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking-2026.
Highlighting the importance of coordinated efforts in building a drug-free society, the minister stressed the collective roles of government institutions, educational establishments, families and social organiza-tions.
“We must build a social movement involving all sectors of the society to eliminate drugs from the coun-try. Only then we can establish a humane and prosperous country,” he said.
The minister also noted that the ministry of social welfare and the ministry of women and children af-fairs are implementing various initiatives to equip the youth with practical skills through education, training and capacity-building programs.
He added that the national budget has allocated the highest level of resources toward poverty reduction while also prioritizing improvements in healthcare services.
The keynote speech was delivered by Director of Health of the Dhaka Ahsania Mission and General Sec-retary of the ISSUP Bangladesh Chapter Iqbal Masud.
The seminar was attended by representatives from various government and non-government organiza-tions, public health experts and researchers.
