ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL TAKES ACTION ON RESOLUTIONS AND DECISIONS PROPOSED BY SUBSIDIARY BODIES
Press Release
ECOSOC/5733
ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL TAKES ACTION ON RESOLUTIONS AND DECISIONS PROPOSED BY SUBSIDIARY BODIES
19970722 (Reissued as received.)GENEVA, 21 July (UN Information Service) -- The Economic and Social Council reaffirmed this afternoon that Israeli occupation remained a major obstacle for Palestinian women with regard to their advancement, self-reliance, and integration in the development planning of their society.
The Council's statement came as it continued to take action on draft resolutions and decisions proposed by subsidiary bodies. Measures on social development, crime prevention and criminal justice, and narcotic drugs were also approved.
Through the resolution on "Palestinian women", passed by a roll-call vote of 44 in favour to 1 against, the Council called upon Israel to facilitate the return of all refugees and displaced Palestinian women and children to their homes and properties in the occupied Palestinian territory; and urged Member States, financial organizations of the United Nations system, non-governmental organizations and other relevant institutions to intensify financial and technical assistance to Palestinian women for the creation of projects responding to their needs, especially during the transitional period.
Before the vote, a representative of the United States called the text "unacceptable", saying it addressed permanent status issues that were the subject of direct negotiations between the parties concerned in the Middle East peace process.
In further action, the Council, among other things, renewed the mandate of the Open-ended Working Group on the Elaboration of a Draft Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women; endorsed the international year of older persons in 1998; approved a call for appropriate legal, administrative, financial and other measures to ensure full participation and equality for persons and children with disabilities, and recommended to the General Assembly that a special session on combating drug trafficking be held from 8 to 10 June 1998.
Prior to taking up the draft texts, the Council heard country delegations stress the importance of a comprehensive international strategy against drug trafficking. A representative of Mexico urged the international
community to renew its efforts to combat drugs, and said that it was important to discuss issues like money laundering along with trafficking and the destruction of crops. Meanwhile, a representative of Luxembourg said the upcoming special session of the General Assembly should lead to a reaffirmation of political commitment on behalf of countries to prevention of the traffic in drugs, and to development of efforts to deal with synthetic derivatives and precursors of such drugs. And a representative of China warned that the special session should not only be "empty talk".
Representatives of the Russian Federation, Guatemala, Switzerland, Ukraine, Argentina, Poland, Sudan, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the World Health Organization (WHO), and Cuba also addressed the Council on the topic of drugs and on other issues, including social development, refugees, migration and transnational crime.
The Council will resume at 10 a.m. Tuesday, July 22, to take action on resolutions and decisions recommended by the Commission on Human Rights.
Action on Resolutions and Decisions: Status of Women
In a resolution on Palestinian women, one of a series of resolutions contained in the report of the Commission on the Status of Women (document E/1997/27), the Council, following a roll-call vote of 44 in favour to 1 against, with no abstentions, among other things, reaffirmed that the Israeli occupation remained a major obstacle for Palestinian women with regard to their advancement, self-reliance, and integration in the development planning of their society; demanded that Israel, the occupying Power, comply fully with the Universal Declaration on Human Rights, The Hague Convention, and the Geneva Convention on protection of civilians in time of war, in order to protect the rights of Palestinian women and their families; called upon Israel to facilitate the return of all refugees and displaced Palestinian women and children to their homes and properties in the occupied Palestinian territory; and urged Member States, financial organizations of the United Nations system, non-governmental organizations and other relevant institutions to intensify financial and technical assistance to Palestinian women for the creation of projects responding to their needs, especially during the transitional period.
SETH WINNICK (United States) said the resolution was unacceptable because it addressed permanent status issues that were the subject of direct negotiations between the parties concerned in the Middle East peace process. The language was one-sided and would not advance the status of women in society.
In a resolution on agreed conclusions on the critical areas of concern cited by the Commission on Status of Women, the Council, among other things, took note of the report of the Secretary-General on thematic issues before the
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Commission and the recommendations contained in them; called upon all to cooperate in implementing the strategies adopted at the Fourth World Conference on Women and other recent international conferences; called upon governments, the United Nations system, and other international organizations to mainstream a gender perspective into all policies and programmes; and endorsed the agreed conclusions of the Commission on the topics of women and the environment; women in power and decision-making; women and the economy; and the education and training of women.
In a measure on renewal of the mandate of the Open-ended Working Group on the Elaboration of a Draft Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, the Council decided to renew the mandate of the group so that it could continue its work during the forty-second and forty-third sessions of the Commission on the Status of Women; authorized the group to meet in parallel with the Commission at those sessions; and invited a representative of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women to attend the meetings as a resource person.
The Council decided, on the recommendation of the Commission on the Status of Women, that every effort should be made to ensure that there was no overlap in the work of the functional commissions participating in the three-tiered intergovernmental process in the follow-up to the Programme of Action of the World Conference on Human Rights, the Programme of Action of the World Summit for Social Development, and the Beijing Platform for Action.
The Council took note of the report of the Commission on the Status of Women on its forty-first session and approved the provisional agenda and documentation for the forty-second session of the Commission for Social Development.
The Council then moved on to drafts contained in the report of the Commission for Social Development (document E/1997/26). Through a resolution on the international year of older persons: towards a society for all ages, the Council invited States to develop comprehensive strategies at the national, regional and local levels to meet the increase in demand for care and support for older persons as individuals, within their families and communities and within institutions; emphasized that activities for the year should be initiated primarily at the national level; requested the Secretary-General to officially launch the international year for older persons in 1998 and decided to devote four plenary meetings at its fifty-fourth session to the follow-up to the year.
In a resolution on the equalization of opportunities for persons with disabilities, the Council urged the United Nations, governments and non-governmental organizations concerned to strengthen their efforts to implement at all levels, by appropriate legal, administrative, financial and other measures, the goal of full participation and equality for persons with
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disabilities; encouraged donors to provide assistance to developing countries and countries with economies in transition in their efforts to address the needs of persons with disabilities; decided to renew the mandate of the Special Rapporteur for a further period of three years; urged States to make contributions to the United Nations Voluntary Fund on Disability so as to support initiatives on disability.
Through a resolution on children with disabilities, the Council urged both governments and the Secretary-General to give full attention to the rights, special needs and welfare of children with disabilities; invited governments, concerned United Nations organizations and bodies, to conduct awareness-raising activities; encouraged governments to contribute to the United Nations Voluntary Fund on Disability; requested the Special Rapporteur to pay special attention to the situation of children with disabilities.
In a resolution on the follow-up to the international year of the family, the Council emphasized the need for a more focused and coordinated approach towards family issues within the United Nations system; urged governments to take sustained action at all levels concerning families; requested the Secretary-General to continue to play an active role in facilitating international cooperation within the framework of the follow-up to the international year of the family.
In a decision on report of the Commission for Social Development on its thirty-fifth session and provisional agenda and documentation for the thirty-sixth session of the Commission, the Council took note of the report of the Commission for Social Development on its thirty-fifth session and endorsed the resolutions and decisions adopted by the Commission; approved the provisional agenda and documentation for the thirty-sixth session of the Commission.
In a measure on nomination of members of the Board of the United Nations Research Institute for Social Development, the Council confirmed the following new candidates for membership on the Board of the Institute for a four-year term beginning on 1 July 1997: Heba Alimad Handoussa (Egypt), Eveline Herfkens (Netherlands), Graça Simbine Machel (Mozambique), Marcia Rivera (United States) and Gita Sen (India).
Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice
In one of a number of resolutions recommended by the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice (document E/1997/30), the Council urged States to continue making every effort possible to fully implement the Naples Political Declaration and Global Action Plan against Organized Transnational Crime by taking the most appropriate legislative, regulatory and administration measures. The Council invited developing countries and countries with economies in transition to undertake action against organised
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transnational crime and to promote international cooperation in this field; decided to establish an inter-sessional open-ended intergovernmental group of experts within existing resources or, where possible, funded by extra- budgetary resources if made available, for the purpose of elaborating a preliminary draft of a possible comprehensive international convention against organized transnational crime, with a view to submitting a report to the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice at its seventh session; and requested the Secretary-General to provide the Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Division adequate resources for the preparation and servicing of the meeting of the intergovernmental group of experts.
In a resolution on Preparations for the Tenth United Nations Congress on the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders, the Council decided that the Tenth Congress should be held in the year 2000 and approved a provisional agenda; decided to set up four workshops to be held within the framework of the Tenth Congress, and welcomed the offer by the government of South Africa to host the Congress; requested the Commission, at its seventh session, to finalize the programme for the Tenth Congress and to make its final recommendations through the Economic and Social Council to the General Assembly; and requested the Secretary-General to provide the necessary resources for the preparatory activities for the Congress as well as to allow the participation of the least developed countries in the regional preparatory meetings.
Through a resolution on Crime prevention and criminal justice measures to eliminate violence against women, the Council strongly condemned all forms of violence against women and urged Member States to review and evaluate their legislation and legal principles, procedures, policies and practices relating to criminal matters, to determine if they had a negative impact on women; urged Member States to undertake strategies, develop policies and disseminate materials to promote women's safety in the home and in society at large, and urged them to promote an active and visible policy of integrating a gender perspective into the development and implementation of all policies and programmes in the field of crime prevention and criminal justice; urged Member States to be guided by the Model Strategies and Practical Measures in developing and undertaking strategies and practical measures to eliminate violence against women and in promoting women's equality within the criminal justice system; and called upon the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice to continue to consider the elimination of violence against women within the training and technical assistance efforts of the United Nations Crime Prevention and Crime Justice Programme.
In a resolution on International cooperation against corruption and bribery in international commercial transactions, the Council agreed that all States should take all possible measures to further the implementation of the United nations Declaration against Corruption and Bribery in International Commercial Transactions and of the International Code of Conduct for Public
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Officials. The Council urged Member States that had not yet done so to implement relevant international declarations. The Council urged Member States to criminalize, in an effective and coordinated manner, the bribery of public office holders of other States in international commercial transactions. The Council requested the Secretary-General, subject to the availability of extrabudgetary funds, to intensify technical assistance to combat corruption, providing advisory services to Member States that requested such services, and urged Member States to provide the Secretariat with the necessary extra budgetary funds for such technical assistance.
In a resolution on International cooperation in criminal matters, the Council requested the Secretary-General convene, using extrabudgetary funds already offered for the purpose, a meeting of an intergovernmental expert group to examine practical recommendations for the further development and promotion of mutual assistance in criminal matters. The Council recommended that the expert group should explore ways and means of increasing the efficiency of this type of international cooperation. The Council encouraged Member States, within the framework of national legal systems, to enact effective extradition legislation and called upon the international community to give all possible assistance in achieving that goal. The Council urged Member States to continue to acknowledge that the protection of human rights should not be considered inconsistent with effective international cooperation in criminal matters, while recognizing the need for fully effective mechanisms for extraditing fugitives. The Council requested the Secretary-General, subject to extrabudgetary resources and in cooperation with other relevant intergovernmental organizations, to develop training materials for use in providing to requesting Member States the technical assistance referred to.
In a resolution on Strengthening the United Nations Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Programme with regard to the development of crime statistics and the operations of criminal justice systems, the Council urged Member States to designate offices or bodies responsible for the coordination of data collection at the country level with a view to improving cooperation with the United Nations and to communicate information on the designated coordinating offices or bodies to the Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Division of the Secretariat. The Council requested the Secretary-General to provide assistance upon request to those Member States that might have difficulties replying to the questionnaires of the United Nations surveys of crime trends and operations of criminal justice systems. The Council recommended that the Secretary-General should carry out the Sixth United nations Survey of Crime and the Operations of Criminal Justice Systems for the period 1995-1997 and that subsequent core surveys should be conducted every three or four years.
In a resolution on Firearm regulation for the purpose of crime prevention and public health and safety, the Council encouraged Member States to consider, where they had not yet done so, regulatory approaches to the civilian use of firearms. The Council also encouraged Member States to ensure
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the tracing of illegal firearms and accurate and promote responses to requests from other Member States for firearm-tracing. In a resolution on Measures on the prevention and control of illicit trafficking in motor vehicles, the Council urged Member States, among other things, improve international cooperation in the prevention and control of theft of, trafficking in, and other offences in connection with stolen vehicles, and to improve exchange on information on the issue.
In a resolution on Administration of juvenile justice, the Council encouraged Member States to make use of technical assistance offered by United Nations programmes in order to strengthen national capacities and infrastructures in the field of juvenile justice. The Council called on Member States to contribute financial and other resources to project activities designed to assist in the use of the Guidelines for Action on Children in the Criminal Justice System. The Council invited the Secretary-General to undertake, subject to the availability of regular budget or extrabudgetary funds and in cooperation with interested governments, needs assessment missions on the basis of recommendations made by the Committee on the Rights of the Child, with a view to reforming or improving juvenile justice systems of requesting States .
In a resolution on Victims of crime and abuse of power, the Council urged governments to make effective use of the provisions contained in the Declaration of Basic Principles of Justice for Victims of Crime and Abuse of Power and to provide for effective legislation and other mechanisms for their effective use and application. The Council invited governments to make proposals regarding the elaborating of a plan of action with emphasis on the activities of the United Nations such as technical cooperation to promote the effective use and application of the Declaration. The Council reiterated the importance of technical cooperation in providing assistance to those governments requesting it.
In a resolution on United Nations standards and norms in crime prevention and criminal justice, the Council called upon Member States to consider making available funds for technical cooperation activities that are aimed at promoting the further use and application of United Nations standards and norms in crime prevention and criminal justice. The Council recommended that the cooperation and coordination between the Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Division and the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights/Centre for Human Rights of the Secretariat should be further improved. The Council requested the Secretary-General to convene a meeting of government experts in crime prevention and criminal justice to review the draft minimum rules for the administration of criminal justice.
In a resolution on Elements of responsible crime prevention: standards and norms, the Council requested the Secretary-General to seek comments from
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Member States, relevant intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations, as well as the institutes comprising the United Nations Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Programme network, on the annex to this resolution on elements of responsible crime prevention: standards and norms. The Council requested the Secretary-General to organize, drawing upon extrabudgetary funds, an ad hoc expert group meeting to examine the comments and to elaborate proposals for further action.
In a resolution on Implementation of the United Nations Declaration on Crime and Public Security, the Council requested the Secretary-General, utilizing a questionnaire or other means to ensure standardized responses, to seek from Member States, intergovernmental organizations and United Nations institutes, information related to the implementation of the Declaration on Crime and Public Security.
In a resolution on Technical cooperation and international advisory services in crime prevention and criminal justice, the Council expressed concern at the lack of adequate resources which may impede progress in the further operationalization of the United Nations Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Programme and hamper the implementation of projects so far elaborated in response to urgent requests from countries in need. The Council called upon potential donors and relevant funding agencies to make significant and regular financial and/or other contributions for the formation, coordination and implementation of technical assistance projects elaborated with the programme.
In a resolution on International cooperation for the improvement of prison conditions, the Council requested the Secretary-General to assist, upon request and within existing resources of extrabudgetary resources, countries in the improvement of their prison conditions in the form of advisory services, needs assessment, capacity-building and training. The Council urged Member States, if they had not yet done so, to introduce appropriate alternatives to imprisonment in their criminal justice systems and reduce pre-trial detention.
In a decision on the Report of the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice on its sixth session, provisional agenda and documentation for its seventh session and organization of work and themes for its future sessions, the Council approved the provisional agenda and documentation for the seventh session of the Commission in 1998 on "Organized transnational crime."
Narcotics Drugs
Acting on proposals contained in the report of the Commission on Narcotics Drugs (E/1997/28), the Council, in a decision on dates for the special session of the General Assembly devoted to the fight against the
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illicit production, sale, demand, traffic, and distribution of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances and related activities, recommended to the General Assembly that the special session be held from 8 to 10 June 1998.
In a decision on the report of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs, acting as the preparatory body for the special session of the General Assembly devoted to the fight against the illicit production, sale, demand, traffic, and distribution of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances and related activities, the Council took note of the Commission's report on the topic and approved the provisional agenda for the second session of the Commission as preparatory body for the special session.
In a resolution on review of the United Nations International Drug Control Programme: strengthening the United Nations Machinery for international drug control within the scope of the existing international drug control treaties and in accordance with the basic principles of the Charter of the United Nations, the Council recognized that the extraordinary and unrelentingly high levels of illicit use, cultivation, production an distribution of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances and of illicit drug trafficking necessitated a comprehensive review of the international drug control machinery in place; concluded that the general decline in resources allocated to the Drug Control Programme from both regular and extrabudgetary sources seriously impaired the efforts of the international community; and requested the Secretary-General to convene a small group of experts to undertake a comprehensive review of how efforts against illicit drugs had evolved within the United Nations system with the aim of identifying measures to strengthen future international cooperation; to instruct the expert group to identify any measures necessary to strengthen the core activities of the Programme; to prepare a progress report to be submitted to the General Assembly at its special session on international drug control to be held in June 1998; and to prepare a final report based on the work of the expert group. The Council further decided that the work of the expert group should be financed entirely through voluntary funds, and urged Member States to provide financial and other support.
In a resolution on demand for and supply of opiates for medical and scientific needs, the Council urged all governments to continue contributing to the maintenance of a balance between the licit supply of and demand for opiates for medical and scientific needs, the achievement of which would be facilitated by maintaining support to the traditional supplier countries, and to cooperate in preventing the proliferation of sources of production and manufacture for export; urged governments of all producing countries to adhere strictly to the provisions of the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs of 1961, and to take effective measures to prevent illicit production; and urged consumer countries to assess their needs for opiates realistically, and to communicate those need to the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB).
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In a resolution on the Baku Accord on Regional Cooperation against Illicit Cultivation, Production, Trafficking, Distribution and Consumption of Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances and their Precursors, the Council took note of the Baku Accord; urged Member States, in accordance with its provisions, to take all appropriate measures to continue to combat such illicit activities; urged them to take all necessary measures to implement the Baku Accord in accordance with their national legislation; and invited them to promote public campaigns, including the use of the mass media, to enhance public awareness of drug abuse and drug prevention programmes.
In a resolution on contribution to the strengthening of the Global Programme of Action: anti-drug strategy in the Americas, the Council welcomed the joint efforts of States of the Americas to achieve the approval and adoption of such a strategy; took note with satisfaction of the document on the subject approved by the Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission of the Organization of American States signed in December 1996; and urged the international community to take due account of the anti-drug strategy.
In a resolution on implementation of comprehensive measures to counter the illicit manufacture, trafficking and abuse of amphetamine-type stimulants and their precursors, the Council, among other things, took note with appreciation of the recommendations of the expert meeting on the topic held in China in 1996; urged Governments to implement to the extent possible the recommendations of the meeting; requested the Executive Director of the United Nations International Drug Control Programme, drawing on extrabudgetary resources, to continue work in the field; to develop the recommendations of the meeting into an appropriate format for consideration by the Commission on Narcotic Drugs; urged governments to take measures to comply with international standards on advertisement of drugs and to ensure rational use of medically prescribed amphetamine-type stimulants; invited governments and the Drug Control Programme, drawing on extrabudgetary sources when necessary, to initiate and regularly evaluate public awareness campaigns on the subject; invited the Executive Director and the World Health Organization (WHO) to identify and disseminate information on evidence-based practices applied in intervention in cases involving the abuse of such stimulants and to continue improving the level of scientific understanding in the field; urged governments to cooperate with relevant international organizations to establish regional and subregional initiatives for exchanging information in the field; requested governments to provide evidence and data to the INCB on chemicals frequently used int the illicit manufacture of such stimulants; urged governments to consider applying civil, criminal and administrative sanctions against those who knowingly supplied non-controlled chemicals for the illicit manufacture of such stimulants; urged them to improve licensing and inspection to monitory domestic manufacture and distribution of key precursors and to support research to determine which non-controlled substances were being used in illicit manufacture; urged them to establish the necessary legal basis for prevention of clandestine manufacture and
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trafficking of such stimulants; and urged governments to make every effort to verify the legitimacy of individual transactions involving precursors of such stimulants.
In a decision, the Council approved the provisional agenda and documentation for the forty-first session of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs.
In a measure on organization of work of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs at its forty-first session, the Council decided that the Commission should meet for three days for its regular segment and five days for its special segment, on the understanding that, should the Commission complete its regular segment earlier, it would immediately begin its special segment.
In a measure on the initial programme budget for the biennium 1998-1999 and second and final revision of the programme budget for the biennium 1996-1997 for the Fund of the United Nations International Drug Control Programme, the Council approved the budgets and decided that reconvened sessions for the Programme in future should be held in December of odd years to approve the initial programme budget for the following biennium and the final version of the programme budget for the biennium that was drawing to a close, and to deal with any related administrative or budgetary matters.
The Council took note of the report of the INCB for 1996.
The Council took note of the report of the Commission on Narcotics Drugs on its fortieth session. The Council approved a decision by the Commission on Narcotic Drugs acting as the preparatory body for the special session of the General Assembly devoted to the fight against the illicit production, sale, demand, traffic, and distribution of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances and related activities that the special session be held from 8 to 10 June 1998.
The Council, in a decision, approved the report of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs acting as the preparatory body for the special session of the General Assembly devoted to the fight against the illicit production, sale, demand, traffic, and distribution of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances and related activities and approved the provisional agenda for the preparatory commission's second session.
Statements
ALICIA PEREZ DUARTEY NORONA (Mexico) said drug trafficking was a global problem that affected the sovereignty of States. The international community had to renew its efforts to combat drugs -- to stop trafficking it was not enough to destroy crops. Related issues, like money laundering, needed to be addressed. Mexico had tabled two initiatives to strengthen international instruments to combat activities based on drug trafficking.
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BEATRICE KIRSCH (Luxembourg), speaking on behalf of the European Union, said the position of the Union on the upcoming special session of the General Assembly on combatting drug abuse was that the special session should lead to a reaffirmation of political commitment on behalf of countries to prevention of trafficking in drugs, and to development of efforts to deal with synthetic derivatives and precursors of such drugs; stress also should be laid on combatting drug abuse among young people.
ZHANG YUE (China) said the special session of the General Assembly on drugs would be a very important meeting, and that it was necessary to formulate an effective international strategy to strengthen drug control; empty talk should be avoided. The issue of combatting the illicit manufacturing of amphetamine stimulants through comprehensive measures had become an important activity of the United Nations. The international community and developed countries especially had to provide adequate resources to fund this area of work.
CAROLINE RODRIGUEZ (Guatemala) said the country was in favour of strengthening, as proposed, the programme of action to deal with trafficking in drugs in the Western Hemisphere; a holistic, multidisciplinary approach was needed, focusing on demand, as well as supply.
WALTER B. GYGER (Switzerland) said his delegation, convinced as it was of the importance of social development, had been disappointed at the Earth Summit +5 recently held in New York as a follow up to the 1992 Rio conference. Switzerland had strongly defended the social dimension of sustainable development at the New York meeting. But even if everyone agreed that social development was one of the three main components of sustainable development, it was difficult to achieve progress in that area. Switzerland believed that respect for the fundamental rights of workers was a fundamental part of that development. In its agreed conclusions, submitted to the Council for adoption, the Commission on Social Development stressed that the primary responsibility for improving the quality of work lay with governments. The commitments undertaken at Rio and during the Copenhagen social summit should be implemented by States.
V.E. TARATRIN (Russian Federation) said further international cooperation was needed to combat drug abuse, one of the most serious social problems in the world. Millions of people were threatened, along with the political stability and economic development of many States. Amphetamine abuse and work done to reduce drug demand, both addressed by this year's session of the Commission on Drug Control, were important matters. But Russia did not consider it a good idea to bring the Commission on Drug Control into the Division on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, as proposed. Russia furthermore did not agree that such drugs should be legalized under any circumstances, even therapeutic ones -- such steps could only undermine already difficult international efforts to prevent trafficking in illegal drugs.
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NINA KOVALSKA (Ukraine) said it appreciated the efforts and time given to prepare for the regional conferences on refugees and migration matters in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). Ukraine was, therefore, surprised by the conclusion of the Deputy High Commissioner for Refugees that although support for the process had been reiterated, CIS countries had to give sufficient priority to the issue. In the course of the past year, Ukraine had taken a series of activities, but the problems facing it had not become less serious. While it thanked countries which had helped, Ukraine was deeply disappointed at the level of international financing for some activities; moreover, there was a total absence of assistance at the bilateral level.
MANUEL BENITEZ (Argentina) said drug abuse and illicit trafficking had to be battled on all fronts and with the participation of all States and the relevant international organizations; Argentina had included the hemisphere's anti-drug strategy into its domestic legislation. There were educational programmes and rehabilitation programmes; many other domestic measures had been taken. All told, a broad based interdisciplinary approach was necessary; drug abuse transcended frontiers and so had to be dealt with holistically. Drug traffickers were dealt with in Argentina by aggressive criminal measures.
JAROSLAV STREJCZEK (Poland) said it was hoped that the programme of the Commission on Crime Prevention would be strengthened with more resources and personnel as part of the reform of the United Nations. Poland had always supported the fight against crime and terrorism, and had tabled a proposal for a United Nations framework convention against transnational crime.
ABUEL GASIM ABDELWHID (Sudan) said the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) had cared effectively for refugees in the Sudan in recent years, despite drops in funding; there had been hardship as a result of such cuts at a time of repatriation programmes. Problems in repatriation had been a result of a lack of cooperation from Eritrean authorities; the Sudan hoped for an end to these difficulties and a full repatriation, with UNHCR's help, of Eritrean refugees in the Sudan. An upcoming meeting planned with the participation of the UNHCR for discussion of African refugee matters was an opportunity for cooperation between African States and the Organization of African Unity (OAU).
A. CASSAM, of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), said drug trafficking seriously retarded human development in many countries. Information about the problem should be consolidated with preventive educational messages. The sources of the problem also needed to be addressed.
NINA BRANDSTUP, of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), said the Council should review the FAO statement on the advancement of women, which would be distributed; as the organization had already spoken and the issue had
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been extensively discussed under the item of "mainstreaming of a gender perspective", she would not read the statement here.
T. YOSHIDA, of the World Health Organization (WHO), said it was hoped that the health effects of drug abuse would be addressed by national, regional and international fora during the discussion on combatting drugs. The WHO welcomed the decision to convene a special session of the General Assembly on combatting drugs in June 1998. International drug control treaties provided mechanisms to combat drugs, but it was also necessary to use international efforts to reduce demands for illicit drugs.
CHRISTINE PINTAT, of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, said parliaments were key instruments for State commitments made at international conferences -- it was national parliaments who voted to implement and pay for the plans of action of such conferences. Recent changes in women's advancement -- including increased participation in the formerly almost entirely male bastion of politics -- had caused a sense of shifting territory, conflict and unease in some quarters, but who could imagine a true democratic system today that did not allow effective participation by women? A recent conference had been held in New Delhi entitled "Towards an equal partnership of women and men in politics" and the debates had made a major contribution to the field. The declaration resulting from the conference was useful and would be distributed at this session of the Council. The Union had since set up a group to monitor the participation of women in politics around the world.
SETH WINNICK (United States) said the United States had not broken with consensus, but had several concerns about the resolution on "strengthening the United Nations machinery for international drug control within the scope of existing international drug control treaties". Among other things, it believed that the United Nations Drug Control Programme was already effective and the resolution required the formulation of an ad hoc expert group to meet several times and specifically review the existing machinery. It also felt the programme was charged with preparations for the upcoming Special Session of the General Assembly while it sought to maintain operations around the world, and so had enough to occupy it for the time being. The United States believed that implementation of the resolution should proceed at the most appropriate time.
CARLOS AMAT FORES (Cuba) wished to express support for the world plan of action and for regional and international efforts to combat drugs. However, it wished to state for the record that the anti-drug strategy in the Americas was discriminatory in nature toward Cuba because of political issues.
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