Several people were felicitated for contributing to the committee’s cause.

The eighth annual closing ceremony of the Permanent Committee for Drugs and Alcohol Affairs (PCDAA) for 2012-2013 has been held  under the patronage of HE the Minister of State for Interior Affairs Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa al-Thani and in the presence of the director-general of Public Security (DGPS) and PCDAA head Staff Major-General Saad bin Jassim al-Khulaifi.

General Directorate of Customs director Ahmad Ali al-Mohannadi,  Kahramaa general manager Fahd Hamad al-Mohannadi, directors of various departments in the Ministry of Interior and several key personalities from the field of drug prevention attended the event.

The closing ceremony was held to honour those who had contributed to the activities and events of the committee in the 2012-2013 period. It also highlighted the committee’s appreciation of the efforts made to reach the desired goals in terms of protecting the society and spreading awareness about the dangers of drugs.

Maj-Gen al-Khulaifi said drugs were a global problem and the State of Qatar, like other countries across the world, was concerned about it. The solution, he added, could be achieved only through the concerted efforts of countries, institutions and individuals.

The DGPS said Qatar has an integrated security system to combat the menace of drugs and detect the plans of criminal networks in this regard. Besides, co-operation between Qatar and other GCC countries also has a key role to play.

Maj-Gen al-Khulaifi pointed to the awareness initiatives of the PCDAA, which saw the participation of 7,000 students from different schools and youth centres. He thanked all authorities and institutions that had contributed to the battle against drugs.

The ceremony started with verses from the Holy Qur’an. PCDAA member Mansour Saadi said the past years had seen several practical steps in the formulation of public policies to deal with the problem of drugs in the country.

PCDAA secretary Major Ibrahim Mohamed al-Samih said the ninth stage of the National Project to Raise Awareness on Risk and Dangers of Drugs (Weqaya) would continue to achieve great success in educating young people through the use of innovative methods.

In the next phase, the committee will seek to enhance awareness and draw the attention of the society as well as individuals to the seriousness of the drugs problem.

 

BELOW: Officials and dignitaries at the event.