The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has urged all member states to adhere to their commitments to promote balanced, human rights-based approaches to drug control, in line with the three international drug control conventions and the outcome document of the United Nations General Assembly special session on the world drug problem.

In response to media and civil society enquiries regarding reports from Bangladesh on anti-drug operations that have allegedly resulted in dozens of deaths, the UNODC said it is closely following developments in the situation.

“We stand ready to engage with all countries to help bring criminals to justice with the appropriate legal safeguards, in line with international standards and norms, and to promote evidence-based prevention, treatment, rehabilitation and reintegration,” the UNODC said in its statement.