On April 5, 2006 the city of Dubai witnessed a unique event for youth and youth activists in the Arab Region. This important date witnessed an important turning point for the region where we no longer say no to drugs, but we take actions to protect young people from drug misuse through awareness, training and advocacy to place issues of prevention on the forefront of the drug agenda.

April 5, 2006 was a date through which the UNODC, WHO, Right Start Foundation and Dubai Police Force all came together to say, let us work diligently to prevent our youth and children from drug misuse by supporting Mentor Arabia, a foundation launched on that date for that purpose by building the perfect triangle of partnerships: Civil Society, Governments and the Private Sector=Proper strategic and long term planning to ensure youth empowerment, youth wellness, and a drug-free Arab society.

Mentor Arabia, as a branch of Mentor Foundation International (www.mentorfoundation.org) comes to the Arab region at a stage where we can no longer stand to be indifferent to this destructive phenomenon. Young people have been invited to take part in this organization through the establishment of direct projects that target youth involvement and by including young people in the decision-making process of the organization through a Youth Advisory Panel (the first in all regional civil society organizations in the region) and a Youth Representative on the Board of Trustees, whose role is to ensure that young people’s views are incorporated in the organization’s policies and strategies.

It is really inspiring to see such efforts unfold as a reality after long work. I invite young people to visit Mentor Arabia’s section on the Mentor website, and invite all Arab youth to join Mentor Arabia in its endeavors to help us in our cause.