INCREASED FINANCING FOR UNITED NATIONS DRUG CONTROL AND RELATED CRIME ACTIVITIES ESSENTIAL, THIRD COMMITTEE SPEAKERS SAY
Press Release
GA/SHC/3309
INCREASED FINANCING FOR UNITED NATIONS DRUG CONTROL AND RELATED CRIME ACTIVITIES ESSENTIAL, THIRD COMMITTEE SPEAKERS SAY
19951020 Increased financial resources should be allocated to United Nations entities dealing with drug related issues and crime, speakers told the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural), this morning, as it continued its consideration of crime and criminal justice and international drug control.The representative of Japan urged Member States to increase their contributions, noting that, according to the proposed budget for the 1996-1997 biennium, the level of UNDCP's resources was expected to decline by 26.2 per cent compared to the previous year.
The representative of Pakistan said for the 1995-1996 biennium, the UNDCP had been given a budget of only $190.6 million. The $500 billion a year drug industry with "its global network of organized crime and political clout" was too big a threat to be eliminated with the inadequate resources put at the disposal of the United Nations.
Urging international financial support for the African Institute for the Preventions of Crime and Treatment of Offenders, the representative of The United Republic of Tanzania warned that should the Institute fail, not only Africa, but the entire world would suffer.
The representative of Israel said some international funds, originally intended for humanitarian assistance, had been channelled to finance terrorist and other criminal activities in her country. Mechanisms to identify the means of collecting and transferring such funds needed to be established, she added.
Statements were also made by the representatives of Guinea, Cuba, Hungary, China, Belarus and the Philippines. The representative of UNESCO made a statement.
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Also this morning, the Third Committee agreed to a revision of its organization of work. The revisions included a new item, on the substantive discussion of the Fourth World Conference on Women and its follow-up, as well as a sub-item entitled "the report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights".
The Committee will meet again at 10 a.m., Monday 30 October, to conclude its consideration of crime prevention and criminal justice as well as international drug control.
Committee Work Programme
The Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) met this morning to continue its discussion on crime and criminal justice, as well as issues related to international drug control.
On the subject of crime and criminal justice, the Committee had before it a report of the Secretary-General on the African Institute for the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders; the Secretary-General's report on progress made in the implementation of General Assembly resolution 49/158 on the strengthening of the United Nations crime prevention and criminal justice programme; the report of the Secretary-General on the implementation of the Naples Declaration and Global Action Plan against Organized Transnational Crime; and the report of the Secretary-General on the Ninth United Nations Congress on the Prevention of Crime and Treatment of Offenders.
On international drug control, the Committee had before it the report by the Secretary-General on the implementation of resolution 48/112. (For background information on reports before the Committee, see Press Release GA/SHC/3305 of 17 October.)
The Committee also had before it a report of the Secretary-General (document A/50/460) on the implementation of the Global Programme of Action on international cooperation against illicit production, supply, demand, trafficking and distribution of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances, adopted by the General Assembly on 23 February 1990 at its seventeenth special session.
The report states that the resolution asked the Commission on Narcotic Drugs and United Nations drug-control bodies to continuously monitor progress on the implementation of the Global Programme of Action and the Secretary-General to report annually to the General Assembly on all activities relating to the Global Programme of Action and the efforts of Governments. To facilitate reporting, the Commission sent a questionnaire to all Governments soliciting information on activities undertaken to implement the Programme of Action. As of 1 September 1995, replies had been received from 67 States.
According to the report, the Commission and the Economic and Social Council in 1995, adopted several resolutions that had a bearing on the themes of the Global Programme of Action.
The report said that with respect to reducing the illicit demand for drugs, the most common actions implemented by Governments were prevention campaigns seeking to increase awareness of the dangers of drug abuse. Not all campaigns, however, were targeted and only very few were long-term, sustained efforts embedded in a comprehensive national demand-reduction strategy. It
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recommended that States should draw up comprehensive and sustainable national demand-reduction strategies that encompassed prevention, education, treatment and rehabilitation programmes and allocated sufficient resources to implement them. They should also carefully monitor the implementation and effectiveness of national demand-reduction strategies and share experience thereon with other States, either through the United Nations International Drug Control Programme (UNDCP), or on a bilateral basis.
The report also reviews the efforts by States at prevention of drug abuse with a view to elimination of demand. It also reviews the treatment, rehabilitation and integration of drug addicts as well as the issue of cooperation at the multilateral level. It noted that UNDCP had been involved in a number of cooperative efforts in the regions of Africa, Asia and the Pacific, Europe and the Middle East and Latin America and the Caribbean regions.
It said that five States became party to the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs of 1961 this year, while seven became party to the Convention on Psychotropic Substances of 1971, and 12 to the United Nations Convention against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances of 1988. States had continued to make progress in enacting the necessary legislative and administrative measures to give effect to the conventions. Others that had not yet become parties to the conventions had adopted appropriate measures to comply with their provisions while completing the comprehensive legislation required for ratification or accession. By 1 September 1995, 151 States were parties to the 1961 Convention as amended by the 1972 Protocol, 136 States were parties to the 1971 Convention and 114 States were parties to the 1988 Convention. Twenty States were parties to the 1961 Convention in its unamended version.
UNDCP continued to provide legal assistance in advocacy supporting the adoption of adequate drug-control legislation, assessment of legislative needs, drafting of new or amended laws and the provision of post-adoption implementation or problem-solving advice, the report continued. Assistance was provided to 24 States in 1994-1995. UNDCP also organized four subregional legal workshops aimed at enhancing subregional cooperation in legal matters. Workshops also served to train personnel in the implementation of new laws.
The report also reviews activities connected with the United Nations Decade Against Drug Abuse which covers the years 1991 to 2000.
Statements
ISSA TRAORE (Guinea) said his Government had taken institutional and legislative actions to combat drug-related problems such as trafficking, consumption and illegal sales. An anti-drug central office had been established in his country to organize all related drug activities. He called
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for increased support for developing countries to fight the drug problem. It was indispensable to implement the existing drug control Conventions.
JUAN ANTONIO FERNANDEZ (Cuba) said, overall, the drug problem had acquired a transnational dimension that required international action. However, "united action to combat illicit drugs must respect the sovereignty of countries", he emphasized. The achievements of the international community in its fight against drugs had fallen short of expectations. The illicit drug business was corrupting people. A periodic evaluation of the international strategy to solve the problem was necessary.
He supported Mexico's proposal to hold a conference, to evaluate the drug situation in the world. Although drug consumption in his country was not a real problem, the current economic transformations made it vulnerable to it.
CSILLA ABRAHAM-NAGYI (Hungary) said international assistance was greatly needed in her region to fight the current drug problem. Although her country used to be considered a typical transit one on the Balkan route, it was no longer just that. It had also become a drug-consumer country. Furthermore, marijuana cultivation and the illicit laboratory production of synthetic drugs had emerged.
Her Government had responded to the drug problem by strengthening the existing institutional framework for drug-abuse control. A national strategy against drug abuse had been started, which included the establishment of a network of local drug-prevention committees. In addition, a national data collecting system covering law enforcement, justice and treatment had been put into operation.
ABDUL QADIR MAMDOT (Pakistan) said that for the 1995-1996 biennium, the UNDCP had been given a budget of only $190.6 million. The $500 billion a year drug industry with "its global network of organized crime and political clout" was too big a threat to be eliminated with the inadequate resources put at the disposal of the United Nations.
"The drug dimension is not being sufficiently reflected in the programmes of work of other United Nations bodies and entities", he said; every United Nations conference needed to address the drug problem. Also, donor countries and multilateral financial institutions could enhance their contribution towards education, treatment and rehabilitation of drug abusers. He welcomed the collaboration between UNDCP and the International Olympic Committee. Such collaboration would use sports to reach out to youth in an effort to prevent drug abuse.
The United Nations needed to take multi-sectoral initiatives, including income generation schemes and agricultural extension services to fight the
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drug problem. In his country, the narcotics problem had started with the invasion of Afghanistan by the former Soviet Union. Poppy-growing farmers needed international economic assistance.
DAPHNA SHARFMAN (Israel) said international terrorism was one of the greatest dangers to world peace and security. The international community needed to unite efforts against it. Some international funds, originally intended for humanitarian assistance, had been channeled to finance terrorist and other criminal activities in her country. Mechanisms should be established to identify the means of collecting and transferring such funds. In addition, international legislation that would enable a State to demand that another freeze the cash flow from its territory, needed to be implemented.
WANG DONG-HUA (China) said that in recent years, drug abuse and illicit trafficking had been increasing steadily. The problem had become more and more complicated. Drug-related crimes, violence and other criminal activities had permeated into all areas of society, posing a threat to the socio-economic development of an increasing number of countries and to peace and stability of regions.
He said that China's anti-drug policy was a three-pronged one, which placed equal emphasis on prohibition of the sale, cultivation and consumption of narcotic drugs. That policy aimed not only at reduction of drugs, but more importantly at the elimination of the source of drugs. With very strict law enforcement, the drug problem would be put under permanent control. In the past year, China had achieved a breakthrough in cracking down on transit trafficking and transnational trafficking by organized ringleaders. Also, new administrative rules concerning compulsory detoxification had been issued at the beginning of this year, ensuring that there would be planned and guided work with respect to preventive education on drug control, monitoring and rehabilitation of drug addicts.
China had also produced and broadcast a television documentary this year with the aim of arousing public awareness of the drug menace, he went on. The documentary revealed and condemned the damage done by drugs to individuals, families and society.
IGAR GUBAREVICH (Belarus) said that organized crime threatened the economic development of States, as well as their political development. At the moment, law enforcement agencies of the countries with economies in transition did not have the experience to combat such crime.
He said that serious crime was on the increase. Belarus was particularly worried about such crimes as those in financial areas, counterfeiting of money and traffic in stolen cars. Criminal organizations had become technically sophisticated.
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He said that the climate in Belarus encouraged a lot of foreigners to come to go there, and they included criminal elements. There were now 300,000 illegal immigrants in the country. Belarus was actively involved in combatting crime and had instituted a number of laws in that regard. Laws were also before the Parliament, including one to combat corruption. In addition, a body had been created to coordinate work to combat crime.
He said that more than one third of the drugs in the illicit market in Belarus came from abroad. There had been a trend towards establishment of links between drugs groups in Belarus and international partners. Belarus, therefore, needed assistance at all levels; fighting transnational crime required joint efforts by all States.
MITSUKO HORIUCHI (Japan) expressed concern over the proposed programme of work in crime prevention and criminal justice for the biennium 1996-1997. The programme did not fully reflect the requirements for the implementation of the outcomes of the Naples Conference on Organized Transnational Crime (1994) and the Ninth Congress on the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders (Cairo, 1995). Furthermore, insufficient financial and human resources had been allocated to the programme.
In regard to the drug problem, she supported a new multidimensional international strategy that sought to reduce supply and demand as well as to promotion comprehensive national drug-control plans integrated into each country's overall economic and social plans. The abuse of stimulants had greatly increased in North America and Southeast Asia, she went on. The abuse of opium, heroin, and cocaine was also increasing. There was an urgent need to reinforce measures to bring the problem under control.
In the proposed budget for the biennium 1996-1997, the level of UNDCP's resources was expected to decline by 26.2 per cent compared to the previous year. She urged Member States to increase their contributions and honour their pledges in a timely manner. Her country had increased its contribution to UNDCP to $6 million in 1995.
RADHIA N. MSUYA (Tanzania) said the African Institute for the Prevention of Crime and Treatment of Offenders could play an important role in crime prevention and control for sustainable human development in Africa. The Institute was essential for African countries "eager to improve their situation and advance towards peace, development, justice and democracy". She called for international financial support of the Institute so that it could continue with its work against crime. "Should the Institute fail, Africa will suffer the most; however, the effects will be felt worldwide", she emphasized.
She supported the upgrading of the Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Branch into a division; it had been instrumental in providing technical assistance to developing countries.
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ALFATIH IBRAHIM HAMAD, representative of United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), said that in the fight against drugs, education represented one of the most vital tools for integration and cohesion. Education shaped both individuals and societies and empowered the youth to take their destiny in their own hands. It could also make a more lasting contribution to the reduction of demand for drugs.
He said that governments could not reduce the demand for drugs in isolation. To achieve meaningful results, action against substance abuse should benefit from international cooperation, notably through the United Nations system. UNESCO placed its action against drug abuse within the framework of the recommendations of the International Conference on Drug Abuse, and Illicit Trafficking.
He said that UNESCO's role in education for the prevention of drug abuse had been underlined at the special session of the General Assembly on drug control in 1990 and at several other fora. UNESCO cooperated with the UNDCP in the implementation of preventive education projects in a number of countries, such as Ghana, Senegal, Myanmar, the Eastern Caribbean States and in Latin America.
He said that, notwithstanding the increasingly important place given to demand reduction, including preventive action, resources should be more equitably distributed between supply reduction and demand reduction and that an improved balance between their respective budgets should be achieved.
RUTH S. LIMJUCO (Philippines) said her Government supported the criminalization of the traffic of women and girls. The United Nations needed to work efficiently in its fight against crime. Crime and violence posed dangers to all societies. For that reason, appropriate United Nations measures, as well as a joint international commitment against crime, were imperative. The world's success or failure in its fight against crime was critical for the its well-being, she emphasized.
Revised Organization of Work
Committee Chairman Ugyen Tshering (Bhutan) said that the General Committee had decided this morning that the substantive discussion of the Fourth World Conference on Women and its follow-up should be held in the Third Committee, along with consideration of any other appropriate actions and proposals.
He said an additional sub-item, which would be entitled "Report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights", would also be allocated to the Third Committee.
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Mr. Tshering said that there would be no meetings of the Committee next week because of the observance of the fiftieth anniversary of the United Nations and the observance of the anniversary of the International Youth Year.
Due to serious delays in the issuance of documentation, the Committee would now begin consideration of the advancement of women on 10 November, he continued. It had been scheduled to begin consideration of that item on 31 October, but the Chairman said that while the Committee was likely to have most of the documentation by that date, the report on the World Conference on Women and the follow-up report of the Secretary-General were not expected until 10 November. The report of the Secretary-General on the proposed merger of International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women and United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) was also not expected to be ready.
The Committee agreed to the modification of its work programme.
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