Mehdi Ali: The pursuit of excellence, with random twists Changes of tack Profile by Yasmine El-Rashidi

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To describe Mehdi Ali is no easy task. He is slightly intimidating in his statuesque manner, a man whose respect for work, for life, and for himself radiates in his tailored appearance and professional prowess.

"So tell me," he asks almost immediately, "how did you go about doing your research for this story? What kind of information do you have? And why exactly did you choose to profile me?"

There is momentary stuttering.

"Would you like a list of my publications? And my CV? You can find it on the Internet -- do a search."

He pauses for a split-second, though it feels significantly longer.

"Or I could just print it out for you."

The résumé is in a folder on his uncluttered desk.

"Presidential award by the president of the Republic of Iraq for the top graduate at the University of Baghdad", is the first thing that stands out. "1965", it reads.

"I was born in Iraq. I went to school and university there. It's my homeland."

He is not keen to elaborate.

"You must realise that I speak to you now as a senior UN diplomat. I can talk about Iraq, and what's happening there, but it will be off the record of course."

Ali is not one to waste time. And he has obviously chosen to talk about the UN first.

"Let me start by mentioning the three important elements in life," he begins. "The first is that you need to have a work ethic and believe in what you are doing," he says. "The UN Office of Drug and Crime Prevention is very exciting and very satisfying to me."

"Because of the three points I will tell you: a) I belong to the culture, I am from the region and care about the people, b) I started the office, so for me it's my creation, and c) I absolutely believe in what I'm doing. I believe in the work, I believe in the importance of giving back to the people, giving back to the region. I believe in helping the people of my region. Yes I am an American citizen, but these are my roots."

Ali's entry to the field obviously merits a long- winded explanation.

"My BSc is from the University of Baghdad," he says, "from the Faculty of Economics and Political Science. My master's I received from the London School of Economics. In Statistics," he adds. "Then I went to Cambridge for my PhD."

"I then spent 20 years at the World Bank."

His curriculum vitae reveals much more.

"Lecturer in Economics, Institute of Finance and Commerce, Baghdad," it reads. "Lecturer in Statistics, University College, Baghdad, Iraq; Economic Planning Adviser, The Government of United Arab Emirates, People's Democratic Republic of Yemen and Yemen Arab Republic; Economist for the Arab Republic of Egypt, Yemen, Arab oil-producing countries, Arab Development Institutions, Europe, Middle East and North Africa region (MENA), The World Bank."

"Economic Adviser to the Ministry of Finance, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia -- Secondment from the OPEC fund; Director for Asia Region, OPEC Fund for International Development, Vienna, Austria; Senior Projects Officer, Education and Manpower, Projects Department, South Asia Region; Senior Economist, Asia Region; Senior Economist, Africa Region."

"My life has been a series of random factors," he offers, then randomly moves on. "I was in Vienna before I came here," he continues. "I was a member of the cabinet of the United Nations International Drug Control Programme (UNDCP); chief of the Resource Mobilisation and Inter-Agency Cooperation Service (RMICS)."

He continues.

"I never thought I would leave Vienna to come to Egypt but this offer came up, and I did. I was designated to negotiate with then Foreign Minister Amr Moussa to set up an agreement for the establishment of our office."

"We set a record," he says. "Ambassador Mustafa El-Fiki was an active ambassador, so he helped facilitate and expedite things. In six months the agreement had passed through all official channels and the office was registered and on the books."

A little recruiting, a little furnishing later and the UN Office for Drug Control was established with Ali relocated to Cairo as regional representative of UNODC's office for the Middle East and North Africa.

"The office," he says, "covers the region. Drugs are a huge problem. You can't deal with drugs one country at a time. Think of your house. You can clean your house by sweeping the dust out, but your neighbours will suffer. You need to find a way of removing all the dirt from all the houses and gardens and streets."

"We choose countries according to how and where drugs grow, we follow their production and distribution. Egypt has always played a lead role in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, and given its strategic location it was the obvious choice for head office. It was quickly recognised and in 1999 its mandate was expanded to include crime prevention."

The transformed UN Office for Drug Control and Crime Prevention (UNODCCP) opened a Lebanese outpost, and a Morocco office will open next week (10 June).

"We tackle the regional problem by working on both the supply and demand sides," Ali says. "The supply side focusses on preventing drugs from entering the region -- heroin from Afghanistan or cannabis from Morocco, for example. In addition, we try to deter entry by reducing production. That's one part of the equation."

The economist in Ali is clearly emerging.

"The other half of the equation is the demand side of things," he continues. "We do that through education, seminars, schooling, highlighting the health and adverse social impact of drug taking. It also means providing facilities for abusers. You can't focus on one side of the situation. Global anti-drug efforts have not been a total success on the supply side; only 20 per cent of drugs are seized, 80 per cent reach the population. I believe in a balanced approach."

"In the countries of the Middle East and North Africa there is more emphasis on demand reduction. This is a direct result of the youthfulness of the population. Youth," he continues, "by definition is adventurous and willing to experiment. And drugs are an attraction. You need to educate the young, you need to raise awareness. Just scaring kids is not going to work."

Ali has two children of his own.

"I sit with my kids and we talk things through. If you tell a kid 'no', it will make them curious and they will want things more. And posters are an obsolete method of prevention -- you need dialogue with the young."

Mrs Suzanne Mubarak is, he says, the ideal example of a communicator when it comes to the country's young.

"Mrs Mubarak is engaged and involved in protecting the young," he says. "She held a youth forum for two days which she chaired personally," he continues. "She debated with young people as a mother, as a teacher, and as the first lady. The outcome? We're projectising it right now to translate the information," he says. "But events like this have been shown to make a difference. They force kids to think, they give them a role model, they inspire them and allow them to become empowered. You have to hit an issue like crime and drugs from every possible angle."

"The juvenile justice system, for example," he continues. "It needs to be equipped with social workers, with learning resources. You can't just lock a young person up and say now you've learned your lesson, now behave."

Rehabilitation facilities are a major area of concern.

"The facilities need upgrading. And we need more. The wealthy portion of the population can get treatment in private clinics," Ali continues. He is impassioned by this point, his body language, intonation, and moving hands all underlining its importance.

"But where do the poor people go?"

"We need facilities, we need commitment. We need to follow the example of some of the other countries in the region. And we need national mobilisation. People like [Minister of Interior] Habib El-Adli are helping to make this possible. Our Anti-Narcotics General Administration (ANGA), is one of the oldest in the world. It has the experience and the expertise. Officers from the region are now coming to be trained here."

Ali pauses momentarily. He looks up and focusses at the map on the wall in front of him. He points into the air with his chin.

"The Palestinian Authority," he says. "We've trained officers from there. Now we're training the Libyans."

Once again Ali changes pace. He is accelerating.

"The Libyans have a very comprehensive programme funded by the government. It covers both the supply and demand sides; prevention, treatment and training of officers. They have a very comprehensive educational campaign. The Libyans are looking at elements of the equation."

Like HIV, he explains.

"There is a strong link between drugs and HIV. When you are under the influence of drugs you are more likely to engage in high- risk sexual behaviour." He takes a deep breath, places his hands on his desk and nods his head. "The Libyans are looking at that aspect of it too. The success of the anti-drug campaign there is a tribute to the leadership. Libya's head of state is strongly committed to the issue of drugs. In fact," he continues, leaning forward, opening his eyes wider and raising his eyebrows, "Tripoli is the only country in the world where the head of state publicly warns the people against drugs. He has compared drugs to weapons of mass destruction."

He chuckles quietly.

"We all know what that means."

But the fact remains that parts of the region are major supply hubs.

"Fifty per cent of the cannabis in Europe is produced in Morocco," he says. "To change that requires huge effort. Something that many people don't realise is that if you want to eradicate the drug problem in an area, when it comes to the supply side you need to offer producers other options, alternative means of money making. It's complicated and problematic."

Not too problematic, however.

"The number one drug of abuse in the region is cannabis," he says. "Followed by pills, heroin and cocaine. The region's drug use is certainly less high than in some parts of the world but given the youthfulness of the population, and a new generation of pills, there are challenges ahead."

Psychotropic drugs are, he says, "easy to manufacture".

"There are many debates on tackling the drug problem. As the UN we never interfere within a country -- we work on a macro-level. We train the country. The UN is nothing but an expression of its member states. It is the collected beliefs and opinions we work on. Society decides on the laws. Society decided that alcohol should be legal and drugs not. Our role is to assess the situation in a country, look at patterns, at the drugs of choice, at trade routes. We point countries in what we believe is the right direction."

They are principles that he believes apply equally to his life and family.

"Like I said I talk to my children about everything. I talk openly and reason with them, and by choice they pursue healthy lifestyles," he says, his tone changing from senior diplomat to firm- yet-fair father. "You need to instil in children the ability to say no in a smart way. They'll be under pressure to start something soon. Alcohol is on the horizon, and that serves as a gateway to drugs. But if they are secure enough, and comfortable enough with themselves, then it won't be such a temptation. And they need to have goals," he adds. "Plans for their future."

Much like their father.

"We all have plans," he laughs, though for a moment he gives the impression he would like to be vague.

"Beyond the UN I'll be contributing to the development of my homeland and the socioeconomic development of the Arab region. That is where I intend to put my expertise -- particularly at the disposal of Iraq."

"I started school six months late," he says. "So I couldn't read and write," he continues. "At seven my teacher told me I was stupid and I failed. But that teacher did me a favour. After that I was always first. Then I went to Cambridge and by chance the World Bank were there looking for recruits. I had no intention of speaking to the representatives but my ex-wife -- whom I had met there -- said I should just talk. I did, they said I had potential, and they flew me to Paris for an interview and offered me a job. Random factor," he emphasises.

With a little bit of prodding the formal façade appears to slip.

"To be wise in life we should remain active and vigorous. And we need to leave a bit to fate."

He stops.

"And we need to respect diversity. The world is big and diverse and you need to respect that, it makes life interesting. And of course you should have goals and be ambitious, but sometimes you must surrender to certain situations. Life has necessary losses. You must lose, and you must accept the loss because that's a way of growing. And the more you lose, the more able you are to handle losses. You lose friends, you lose parents, and the ultimate loss is your life."

"Let me tell you something," he offers randomly. "I don't know when my birthday is. I don't know when I was born. You are born, and you die, and the important thing is how you slice the time you are given. Our problem is that we are victims of social patterns and traditions and we learn to compromise at a young age and the hypocrisy begins."

"Pete Sampras is a great role model. He knows how to lose without getting angry and he is determined, he is committed. He earns a lot, but he earns what he puts in. That's something I tell my kids to remember. You can't get out more than you put in."

He pauses, as if to check whether he should continue.

"I try to instil a respect for time, and I tell them that when they work they must excel. Whatever job they do, they shouldn't do it half-heartedly."

There is a sudden change of tack.

"I had hoped to be a poet," he confesses. "I still write occasionally. I also like music and I play squash, and my hobby is travelling. But if my work was removed," he considers, "I would dedicate my life to writing."

And reading, of course.

"I like Pushkin, I like biographies and autobiographies, I like TS Eliot. I am fascinated by how people have managed their lives and how they have lived their lives and coped with situations. That takes me back to birthdays. We are here and we exist. What is important is what we choose to do with this time. Why do we celebrate our birthdays?"

His theory is social cohesion.

"I am forced to celebrate with my wife and kids," he says, revealing that both wife and son will celebrate their birthdays the following day. "But we need to focus our energies on other things. The purpose of life is to contribute to each other and to promote peace and develop human talents. We must seek external peace and social peace, but we also have to focus on what is inside."

That inner peace and the search for it is all too often absent from life. Which, he believes, is why the world turns to distractions such as drugs.

Several days after the interview I bump into Ali. He is rushing across a Maadi street with his son, heading towards one of the neighbourhood gyms.

I follow him into the building, catching up with him a few minutes later. Ali is already sitting down. Beside him is his wife and son; the three of them watch a group of young girls dance. Ali looks over, nods his head and points to his daughter.

"It is important to enjoy life, but it's important to work hard," I recall him saying. "Not just at work, but also on ourselves and our relationships. Like I said, when you do something, you commit to it and give it everything you have. I remind my kids of that everyday."