INNOVATIVE STRATEGY NECESSARY TO COMBAT SOPHISTICATED CRIMINAL NETWORKS, SAY SPEAKERS IN THIRD COMMITTEE DEBATE ON CRIME
Press Release
GA/SHC/3360
INNOVATIVE STRATEGY NECESSARY TO COMBAT SOPHISTICATED CRIMINAL NETWORKS, SAY SPEAKERS IN THIRD COMMITTEE DEBATE ON CRIME
19961021 Innovative and comprehensive strategies at the international, regional and national levels were needed to fight increasingly sophisticated criminal networks, the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) was told this afternoon, as it continued its general debate on crime, criminal justice, drug prevention and the elaboration of an international convention on transnational crime.The representative of Jamaica, speaking on behalf of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), said there should be more innovative and new investigative techniques to counter the superb intelligence capabilities of the drug cartels. She called for equal emphasis on both supply and demand reduction and urged States not to resort to unilateral action out of frustration at the sophisticated measures used by drug traffickers.
On behalf of the European Union, Bulgaria, Cypress, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Iceland, Lithuania, Malta, Norway, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia, alternative development programmes were an important part of an integrated approach to control and reduce the supply of drugs and address the social and economic causes of drug cultivation, said the representative of Ireland. Curbing demand required comprehensive strategies, that addressed the underlying reasons for drug addiction, especially among young people.
Several speakers addressed the need for specific measures to coordinate law enforcement efforts, ensure technical assistance, especially for developing countries, and to implement legislation on drug trafficking and related crimes, such as money laundering.
Also this afternoon, a draft resolution on the role of cooperatives in the light of new economic and social trends was introduced by Mongolia.
Statements were also made by the representatives of Colombia, Canada, Argentina, Malaysia, China, Libya, Indonesia, Hungary, Kazakstan, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, and Switzerland.
The Committee will meet again tomorrow, Tuesday, 22 October at 10 a.m. to continue its consideration of crime and international drug control.
Committee Work Program
The Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) met this afternoon to continue its examination of crime prevention and criminal justice, international drug control and the question of the elaboration of an international convention against organized transnational crime. (For background see Press Release GA/SHC/3357 of 18 October.)
Also introduced this afternoon the Committee heard the introduction of a draft resolution on the role of cooperatives in the light of new economic and social trends (A/C.3/51/L.4), sponsored by Costa Rica, Cote d'Ivoire, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Ghana, Indonesia, Krygyz Republic, Mongolia, Morocco, Nicaragua, Panama, Philippines and Viet Nam. Additional sponsors include Bangladesh, Guinea-Bissau, Myanmar and Nigeria.
By the terms of the draft the General Assembly would request the Secretary-General to continue to support the goals and objectives of the cooperative movement and to submit to the Assembly's fifty-fourth session a report on legislative and administrative initiatives taken by countries.
The Assembly would urge Governments, international organizations and specialized agencies, in collaboration with cooperative organizations, to consider the role and contribution of cooperatives in implementing and following-up the outcomes of the World Summit for Social Development (Copenhagen 1995), the Fourth World Conference on Women (Beijing 1995), and the United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat II), held this year in Istanbul. Governments and relevant organizations would accomplish that end by July, utilizing and developing the potential and contribution for attaining social development goals that cooperatives would make, particularly the eradication of poverty, the generation of full and productive employment and the enhancement of social integration and by encouraging and facilitating the development of cooperatives, including measures to enable poor people and vulnerable groups to create and develop cooperatives.
Statements
JOHN D. BIGGAR (Ireland), speaking on behalf of the European Union, Bulgaria, Cypress, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Iceland, Lithuania, Malta, Norway, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia, said that money laundered from drug-related crimes undermined legitimate economic structures and distorts world trade. Experts had estimated that the illegal profits from drug trafficking alone amounted to at least $500 billion. The extent and nature of drug trafficking, drug abuse and transnational organized crime meant that no Government acting alone could hope to combat them successfully. Therefore, all countries should adopt and implement in full the forty recommendations of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), the leading initiative against international money laundering. The Task Force was established by the heads of State or Government of the Group of Seven major industrialized countries
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and the President of the Commission of the European Communities. Universal adherence to international instruments, and their full implementation, would greatly enhance the ability of national economies to withstand the financial threats resulting from the activities of drug traffickers and organized crime.
The fight against drug abuse and drug trafficking cannot rely solely on law enforcement measures, he said. More States have recognized the need for education and comprehensive demand reduction. Curbing demand required comprehensive strategies, which took account of the reasons which underlay drug addiction, especially among young people. Civil society, including non- governmental organizations, the mass media and sporting bodies had important roles to play in ensuring the success of programmes of prevention.
He added that alternative development programmes form an important part of an integrated approach to controlling and reducing the supply of drugs and addressing the social and economic causes of drug cultivation. Due to the large expenditures required for alternative development, it was essential that labor be divided between the various agencies concerned. It was also essential that States be committed to these strategies and the affected populations participate in the decision-making process. In accordance with the United Nations Global Programme of Action adopted by the Assembly at its 1990 Special Session and on the basis of United Nations Conventions, the international fight against drugs was an integral part of the European Union's development cooperation policy. Funding had been made available for cooperation with developing countries and for cooperation with countries in Central and Eastern Europe.
ALEJANDRO BORDA (Colombia) said his Government recognized the importance of national efforts to address illegal drug trafficking and related crimes. However, the best way to deal with the problem was international cooperation. It was important to correct the tendency to reduce resources for such cooperation, including at the bilateral and regional levels. The result of the world strategy against drugs was not ideal. Drug abuse continued to increase steadily, and deaths had tripled in the last decade. In some countries, the consumption of synthetic drugs was five times that of cocaine and heroin combined.
Outlining Colombia's efforts to battle illegal drug trafficking and related crimes, he said two important pieces of legislation had been presented to the national Congress -- one on confiscation of assets and another which increased penalties for drug related crimes. A third draft which would be presented soon, would enable Colombian authorities to expedite judicial assistance to foreign authorities for the application of preventive and definitive remedies in order to seize or forfeit assets involved in drug trafficking. The United Nations International Drug Control Programme had been helped design the legal strategy. He said the Carli Cartel had been destroyed. Its leaders and main accomplices were under arrest and had been brought to trial, with full respect
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for due process. Judicial authorities had established agreements with financial control entities so as to better detect and share information on money laundering and improve the effectiveness of enforcement and punishment. Programmes to prevent the use of psychotropic drugs and treatment programmes had been strengthened. A wide programme of aerial and manual eradication of coca leaves, poppies and marijuana crops was being enforced, notwithstanding the high human, economic and material costs. Colombia had proposed to the General Assembly, a global plan of action and invited other Members to join the solution and study it jointly within the framework of shared responsibility, equality and an integrated approach.
ANDRE FRANCOIS GIROUX (Canada) said the 1998 General Assembly special session focusing on drug issues was in response to the importance Member States attached to the issue of drug trafficking. It was an occasion for all States to confirm their commitment to combatting drug abuse and trafficking. The Canadian Government believed that all States had a responsibility to take a balanced look at refining their strategies and consider the many elements of demand reduction in the same way as they focused on supply reduction.
Canada's activities in prevention, treatment, rehabilitation, training, research and community action were just as important as enforcement activities, he said. For this reason, the Government was a strong supporter of efforts to produce a Declaration of the Guiding Principles of Demand Reduction and looked forward to participating in the Working Group which will meet in Vienna.
In a period of declining resources, all States have the responsibility to make the best use of their opportunities. With focus and discipline, the next two sessions of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs could be used effectively to prepare for the special session. The Commission on Narcotic Drugs, as the central body for dealing with drug related matters within the United Nations, was the ideal place for these preparations.
PATRICIA DURRANT (Jamaica) spoke on behalf of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Member States -- Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize. Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago. She said CARICOM countries were cooperating on regional efforts to share information and curb the international drug trade. In May, a plan of action was adopted in Barbados for drug control co-ordination and cooperation. Caribbean countries were mostly affected by the trans-shipment of drugs. The problem had worsened with an increase in drug abuse and related adverse effects, including violent and organized crime which had placed severe financial pressure on States. They had to allocate scarce resources to rehabilitation programmes and to deal with corruption and money laundering. Some countries had implemented legislation making money laundering a criminal offence and others had taken steps to implement laws to confiscate proceeds derived from drug trafficking.
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CARICOM Governments would also continue to collaborate with the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force located in Trinidad and Tobago, which was established to deal with money laundering.
She said there was a need for a more balanced approach to international drug control and for equal emphasis on both supply and demand reduction processes. There was much co-ordination at the sub-regional and regional levels but less at the international level. That meant a fragmented and conflicting picture of the global situation. Drug traffickers were able to take advantage of the lack of coordination. Some States, out of frustration at the sophisticated measures used by drug traffickers, were reacting by taking unilateral action. But that undermined cooperation between countries. She urged other countries to strengthen their commitment to multilateralism. There seemed to be a consensus on the need to re-examine methods currently being used to fight drugs. However, militaristic methods were not effective. There should be more innovative and new investigative techniques and advances in technology to counter the superb intelligence capabilities of the drug cartels. Hopefully, the 1998 special session of the General Assembly would address those issues as well as the need for further assistance to developing countries.
ELIAS JASSAN (Argentina) said the beginning of close cooperation and joint activities in the drug control program was positive, especially in the areas of money laundering and judicial assistance to States. Technical assistance was such an important issue in helping developing countries contribute to the fight against drug trafficking that there should be a reconsideration of technical assistance, placing it in the proper perspective.
The resources available to the United Nations Drug Control Programme were not adequate and should be increased on a timely basis because requests for assistance were constantly increasing, he said. The Argentine Government supported the contents of the Declaration on Crime and Public Security recommended by the Economic and Social Council because corruption, in its various manifestations, was invading all countries, organizations and activities. It was an element that undermined the institutional lives of States. States had reacted collectively and in a timely way to the scourge of corruption, and now the time had come to attack this problem at the global level by harmonizing concepts and policies for all States of the United Nations. Argentina also gave its full support to Poland's draft convention on organized crime. Although all delegations condemned terrorism and terrorist acts, there were difficulties on achieving an agreement on basic principles.
CHANG SEE TEN (Malaysia) said as international crime became multifaceted in nature and involved individuals or groups in more than one country, greater coordination and collaboration within the international community to combat this scourge was needed. Therefore, Malaysia welcomed the recommendations of the Ninth United Nations Congress on Crime Prevention concerning international cooperation and technical assistance. His Government believed that countries
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must abide by and implement the provisions of all Conventions that they were party to. Above all, drug abuse and the illicit trafficking of drugs posed a particularly serious threat to developing countries. The fight against those criminal activities drained away scarce resources from the vital needs of socio-economic development. At the same time, the drug-related crimes had an adverse impact on the environment, health, economy and security.
In addition to international efforts to cripple drug trafficking, a renewed commitment and efforts were necessary to address the social and economic dimensions of the problem, he said. Alternative economic activities must be found for those who were dependent on drug cultivation and production. Alternative crops should be introduced to reduce the area cultivated with drug-producing crops.
CHENGXIN SHI (China) said that the 1998 special General Assembly session on international drug control should help the international community develop strategic goals which would give impetus to current global efforts. He hoped necessary preparations would be made to make the special session successful. Combating drugs should be a priority for the international community and the United Nations should devote its energies to dealing with drug abuse and related crimes, including arms trafficking and money laundering. Joint international efforts were needed which were based on national programmes. The developing countries which had suffered as a result of drug trafficking would benefit from technical assistance. It was important to remember that in seeking to eradicate the drug menace, States must respect the sovereignty of countries and not take any action which would infringe that principle under the guise of helping deal with the illicit drug problem.
His Government had been striving to attack both the roots and the symptoms of the drug problem with its policies and programmes, which included treatment and rehabilitation. This year, a number of drug trafficking cases had been cracked. It was also seeking to control the distribution of licit drugs and psychotropic substances to prevent them entering the illicit trade. There had been some successes in sub-regional co-operation, but his country still faced formidable challenges. For example, the situation in the Golden Triangle remained basically the same.
JAMALEDDIN HAMIDA (Libya) said his Government welcomed all efforts made by the international community to consolidate combative measures against organized crime and all initiatives to strengthen international cooperation. It was important to terminate all organized crime at national boundaries. However, Poland's draft resolution on organized crime raised many questions concerning terminologies and definitions, and it needed a careful study and a redrafting in accordance to the seriousness of the issue before the Committee.
Further discussion and study was needed to link Poland's draft proposal to criminal laws already existing in various legal systems, he said.
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Specifically, extradition was a sensitive and important issue that needed further study in accordance with existing international laws. The political elements of extradition were not clearly addressed in that section. It was clear that a delicate, sensitive drafting was needed on the subject of organized crime.
SUTJIPTOHARDJO DONOKUSUMO (Indonesia) said money laundering was one of the most serious questions which must be resolved by the international community. The Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice had asked the Secretary-General to consider the establishment of a joint unit to provide technical assistance regarding the proceeds of crime, including the prevention of money laundering. The developing countries would be in a better position to cooperate to find solutions to transnational crime if they were given technical cooperation and advisory services. Concerning implementation of the Naples Political Declaration and Global Plan of Action, he said it would greatly assist the international anti-crime effort, if the Secretary-General established a central repository for national legislation, information on organized crime structures, as well as instruments for international cooperation.
Indonesia had drafted a new penal code which included provisions against money laundering, he continued. Its gun control laws had kept the rates of crime involving firearms to a very low level. It had established a national standing committee to coordinate efforts against transnational crime and looked forward to the establishment of a central repository of information to assist those efforts. Substantial progress to combat organized crime could only be made with the availability of technical cooperation and the United Nations requisite advisory services. The Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Programme could only be strengthened if it received the needed resources.
ISTVAN SANDOR (Hungary) said organized transnational crime posed a serious threat to civilized societies. More concerted efforts by States and regional organizations were needed to preserve the international legal order and the achievements of democracy and development. Only a universal effort, organized by the United Nations through its crime prevention mechanism could deal with the problem. His Government supported the proposal initiated by Poland for a convention on transnational organized crime.
Hungary attached great importance to enhancing regional and interregional cooperation in crime prevention and criminal justice, he said. His Government had played an active role in fighting the new growing challenge of illegal immigration. It was chairing the so-called Budapest Group which was building cooperation against illegal immigration at the pan European level. It required strengthening of law enforcement in the newly established democracies in the region and the establishment of the International Law Enforcement Academy in Budapest in cooperation with the United States.
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He said Hungary was still not a target for the distribution of hard drugs but it had been used as an important transit route. More than two-thirds of the heroin coming from south-west Asia and seized in Europe was trafficked along the so-called Balkan route. One-tenth of the European seizures originated from that direction and had been seized by Hungarian authorities with the cooperation of other countries and support from the United Nations International Drug Control Programme. Six major projects were being implemented in the region in the fields of information exchange, law enforcement, and enhancement of the operational capability of drug-related institutions.
MS. JOULDYZ AKICHEVA (Kazakstan) said the growing trend toward the consolidation of criminal groups and the spread of organized crime were huge threats to States in transition. Readjustment of national criminal legislation could not always keep pace with new socio-economic realities, and it was not always possible for Governments to have the resources necessary to battle criminal activity. The United Nations potential to combat drug-related crime need to be strengthened. The Government also supported the Global Action Plan to battle organized crime, favored the International Code of Conduct for public officials, and expressed gratitude to Poland for drafting the resolution on organized crime.
Kazakstan called for strengthened financial support to the Commission on Crime prevention and Criminal Justice. The existing situation caused by a lack of financial resources, was calling into doubt its effectiveness in promoting cooperation. Illegal drug traffic was one of the biggest problem currently facing Kazakstan; it was not only a resource base for illegal traffic but also a transit link for contraband in the region. In the complex of measures to fight illegal drug traffic, international cooperation was paramount, she said. Hopefully, the climate of cooperation would continue, eventually becoming systematic and not ad hoc in purpose. The 1998 special Assembly session on drug issues should be a forum for development of cooperation to properly orient measures and action and find funding.
OLIVIER KRLIU (The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia) said this year his Government had adopted a three-pronged national strategy for combating drug abuse: the modernization of national legislation so it was in harmony with international legal standards; the establishment of an inter-ministerial commission to monitor and control a information data base; and a prevention strategy which focused on public education. The Government had also adopted a new criminal code, and legislation was before Parliament on a criminal proceedings law, a law on narcotics and another on money laundering. The international community should pay attention to harmonizing legislation and police procedures so that its efforts would be more effective.
He said no country was safe from the effects of transnational crime which was a destabilizing influence on social, economic and political institutions and a danger to international security and stability. In recent
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years, his country had seen an increase in the number of criminal acts by organized groups. In keeping with international criteria for crime prevention, his Government was giving priority to the implementation of international legal standards. Legislative reforms had been introduced which would make for more efficient and successful identification, disclosure and prevention.
JOHANNES J. MANZ (Switzerland) said the fight against illicit drug trafficking and abuse was a high priority for his Government. The drug phenomenon must be addressed through a multi-disciplinary and multifaceted strategy, including programmes of prevention, harm reduction, repression of drug trafficking and money laundering. As problems related to illicit drugs were on the rise, now was the time to strengthen determination and to reassess national and international drug strategies to find new instruments and means which would be more effective to address the problem.
The international community had to remain vigilant in order to monitor new trends in drug abuse as well as drug supply, he said. Most European countries were faced with the problem of designer drugs, which were stimulants such as amphetamines and ecstasy. This increase was due to the fact that production of these drugs was simple and the chemicals used were cheap and available in most countries. Youth deemed these drugs fashionable, yet the health risks were poorly understood due to lack of data. These factors made prevention and treatment difficult. Switzerland reaffirmed the high priority assigned by its Government to international drug control. It was a party to 1961 and 1971 Conventions and the 1972 Protocol. And although it had not yet acceded to the 1988 Vienna Convention, Switzerland had already fulfilled all the international obligations provided in this Convention.
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