G8 Ad Hoc Meeting of Drug Experts Outline

1. Name of Meeting

G8 Ad Hoc Meeting of Drug Experts

2. Date and Venue

Date: Wednesday, December 13 to Friday, December 15, 2000
Venue: World Convention Center inside Seagaia, Miyazaki City, Miyazaki Prefecture

3. Participants

Drug experts from the G8 and the United Nations International Drug Control Program (UNDCP). Former Prime Minister of Japan Ryutaro Hashimoto, president of the Federation of Japanese Parliamentarians to Fight Against Abuse of Narcotics and ATS (amphetamine-type stimulants), is scheduled to give the keynote speech on the first day.

4. Background and Aims

(1) The issue of drugs was taken up at the G8 Kyushu-Okinawa Summit that took place in July 2000. Many people's lives are ruined by drugs, particularly amphetamines, and G8 leaders agreed to strengthen international cooperation aimed at countering the threat posed by the production and illicit trade in drugs.

(2) With the growing new threat posed by amphetamines and other synthetic drugs, G8 countries decided to hold the G8 Ad Hoc Meeting of Drug Experts, at which discussions by experts from the G8 and the UNDCP are scheduled to focus on measures for tackling amphetamines and other synthetic drugs.

(3) As the venue for the G8 foreign ministers meeting in July, Miyazaki Prefecture is the ideal venue for this meeting, which is being held as a follow-up to the summit.