Divaghar Voothayakumar, a Senior Students’ Association Officer in the Students’ Association Department at the University of Nottingham Malaysia, was invited to participate in a Technical Consultation organised by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) from 28 to 30 January 2026 in Vienna, Austria.
The consultation’s aim was to develop an evidence-informed toolkit for designing, implementing, and evaluating social media-based drug prevention campaigns. Participants included policymakers and academics from leading institutions such as Harvard University, University of Cambridge, and George Washington University, alongside experts from Germany and the United Arab Emirates.
The consultation forms part of the Alliance to Prevent Drug Harms (Prevent Alliance), a global multi-stakeholder initiative involving major technology companies including Meta, Snapchat, and X, in collaboration with the United States Department of State and UNODC. The Alliance works to prevent the misuse of digital platforms for illegal activities related to synthetic drugs while strengthening global awareness of the dangers of synthetic drug misuse.
The toolkit is intended to establish new global digital prevention standards by providing evidence-based strategies to detect and disrupt illegal drug-related content, strengthen digital governance practices, and promote safer online environments. It also aims to enhance prevention messaging and youth engagement through stronger cross-sector collaboration between academia, technology companies, and international organisations.
Prior to joining the University of Nottingham Malaysia, Divaghar was invited in 2024 to serve as a key expert contributor to the Prevent Alliance initiative. This work focused on developing an evidence-informed framework to prevent the misuse of digital platforms for synthetic drug-related activities, with an emphasis on empowering young people to become informed advocates for safer online communities.
His contributions are informed by longstanding involvement in youth engagement and drug prevention. In 2017, while pursuing a Bachelor of Social Science (Social Work) at the National University of Malaysia, he was appointed a Youth Drug-Free Ambassador by the Malaysian National Anti-Drugs Agency (AADK), where he led advocacy and community engagement initiatives focused on drug prevention among young people.
In 2020, he represented Malaysia at the World Youth Forum on Substance Use Prevention, which brought together youth leaders from around the world to exchange experiences and learn from peers in other regions. Following the forum, Divaghar continued working with UNODC through the Youth Initiative, contributing to community engagement activities and advocacy efforts related to prevention and youth empowerment.
Divaghar’s involvement reflects the growing recognition of expertise related to youth engagement and prevention initiatives within the University’s Students’ Association Department. Being invited to contribute to an international initiative involving major technology firms, government agencies, and the United Nations strengthens the University’s global visibility and engagement in policy-relevant discussions.
Posted on 10th March 2026