SADC has welcomed and recognized Seychelles' contribution and proposal for the introduction of a comprehensive regional strategy to collectively address drug issues in the SADC region.

The Summit agreed that there was an imperative necessity for the region to adopt a concerted and robust strategy to address the multifaceted components of the scourge of drugs in view of the harsh consequences being felt by the population of member states, particularly the youth.

During his intervention on the Decision on HIV/AIDS, President Faure highlighted that Seychelles has seen an increase in HIV infections due to the rise in intravenous drugs users. Consequently, President proposed the urgent need to therefore jointly address the drug problem as a region.

The Secretariat welcomed President’s proposal and decided to put in place the necessary mechanism via a Task Force to elaborate on this issue and contribute to a strategic roadmap, which should be submitted for consideration at the next Council meeting in March 2018.