UNICEF and Drug Control Headquarters join forces to protect children in Iran

UNICEF Iran and the Drug Control Headquarters (DCHQ) have reaffirmed their commitment to protecting children and adolescents from the dangers of substance abuse through strengthened collaboration on prevention, treatment, and education initiatives.

During a meeting between Dr. Hossein Zolfaghari, Secretary-General of DCHQ, and Dr. Monica Oledzka-Nielsen, UNICEF Representative a.i. in Iran, on May 4, both parties emphasized the urgency and importance of expanding joint efforts to safeguard the well-being of Iran’s young population.

"UNICEF's activities in Iran are positive in various areas, including parenting, drug use prevention in juvenile correction centres, mental health and empowerment centres, especially girls' empowerment programmes, and training NGOs", said Dr. Zolfaghari, adding that "our joint work with UNICEF on developing guidelines and substance use disorders treatment protocols for children and adolescents will soon be published and serve as the foundation for our collaborative efforts. I believe our activities with UNICEF must continue expanding both in scope and quality.”

Dr. Nielsen acknowledged DCHQ's pivotal support: "Without the support of the Drug Control Headquarters, the actions taken by UNICEF in Iran would not have been possible."

She underscored the successful development of the joint initiative, MASARAT –Adolescent Girls Psychosocial Wellbeing and Empowerment Centers. She further emphasized its positive outcomes and highlighted it as a promising model that could be effectively replicated across the region to support adolescent girls.

Dr. Nielsen expressed hope that under Dr. Zolfaghari's leadership at DCHQ, UNICEF's cooperation with various organizations could be strengthened. "If we improve our communication processes and programme implementation," she added, "we can establish this as a successful model for the entire region."

UNICEF and DCHQ partnership has resulted in successful achievements for the children in Iran since 2018, with three joint work plans benefiting thousands of children and families across Iran. Key achievements include training over 5,400 Iranian and Afghan parents in positive parenting techniques, providing mental health and drug prevention support to more than 1,050 adolescents in juvenile correction centres, reaching nearly 3,900 at-risk adolescent girls through wellbeing and empowerment centres, and developing nine treatment protocols for children with substance use disorders. The collaboration has also enhanced the capacity of 939 university counselors and 31 national NGOs to prevent drug use among youth.