GENERAL ASSEMBLY ASKED FOR ACTIONS ON FAMILY, YOUTH, OLDER PERSONS IN TEXTS APPROVED BY THIRD COMMITTEE

27 October 1997

Press Release
GA/SHC/3425

GENERAL ASSEMBLY ASKED FOR ACTIONS ON FAMILY, YOUTH, OLDER PERSONS IN TEXTS APPROVED BY THIRD COMMITTEE

19971027 Discussion Continues on United Nations Activities In Crime Prevention, Criminal Justice, International Drug Control

The General Assembly would take a series of actions concerning the International Year of Older Persons, follow-up to the International Year of the Family, and policies and programmes involving youth, by the terms of three draft resolutions approved this afternoon in the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural).

The Assembly would ask the Secretary-General to officially launch the International Year for Older Persons in 1998, on the occasion of the International Day of Older Persons, by the terms of the text on that observance. The Assembly would encourage all States, the United Nations system and all other actors to take advantage of the Year to increase awareness of the challenge posed by the demographic ageing of societies, the individual and social needs of older persons, the contribution of older persons to societies, and the need for a change in attitudes towards older persons.

By the draft resolution on follow-up to the International Year of the Family, the Assembly would reaffirm Economic and Social Council resolution 1996/7, in which it decided that the follow-up to the Year should be an integral part of the multi-year work programme of the Commission for Social Development. The Assembly would also emphasize the need for a more focused and coordinated approach towards family issues within the United Nations system.

By another draft resolution, on policies and programmes involving youth, the Assembly would recommend that the results of the World Youth Forum at its second session (held in Vienna in November 1996) be duly taken into account at the World Conference of Ministers Responsible for Youth (to be held in Lisbon in August 1998). It would request the Secretary-General to make the report of the third session of the World Youth Forum and of the World Conference available to all Member States.

Also this afternoon, the Committee continued its consideration of issues related to crime prevention and criminal justice, and international drug control.

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Several speakers stressed the causal relationship between crime and drugs. The representative of the United Republic of Tanzania said the two issues were interrelated within the overarching theme of poverty which bred lawlessness and criminality. The two issues had to be studied in terms of how poverty impacted on society and how it could be eradicated.

The representative of the Sudan said that, in addition to action being taken by the international community to combat drugs, it was also essential to provide economic alternatives to the activities related to drug production, and to shield youth from that serious problem. At the international level, the eradication of poverty and the achievement of sustainable development were the first steps on the road to combating drugs.

The balanced approach to anti-narcotics activities should give high priority to early prevention measures, including education, treatment and rehabilitation, the representative of Indonesia said. There should be a multisectoral and intersectoral approach which was integral to national development planning, emphasizing the need to protect the young from falling victim to drugs.

The representative of Nigeria said international efforts were also required for the successful implementation of crop substitution and other programmes to create opportunities for legal activities to replace illicit production and trafficking of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances. He called on countries with the necessary expertise to continue to share such expertise with other countries, particularly information trends in the production, trade and consumption of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances.

Addressing the issue of transnational organized crime, the representative of Canada said the fight against such crime had to be conducted on a bilateral and multilateral basis. Extradition was a most effective tool to facilitate cooperation in the fight against transnational organized crime.

Statements were also made by the representatives of Ukraine, speaking on behalf of the Republic of Moldova; Swaziland, on behalf of the Southern African Development Community (SADC); Thailand; Jamaica, speaking on behalf of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM); Czech Republic; Argentina; The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia; Israel; and Kyrgyzstan.

The Third Committee will meet again at 10 a.m. tomorrow, Tuesday, 28 October, to continue its consideration of issues related to crime prevention and criminal justice and international drug control.

Committee Work Programme

The Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) met this afternoon to take action on four draft resolutions on social development issues, which the Economic and Social Council has recommended to the Assembly for adoption.

The Committee will also continue its consideration of issues related to crime prevention and criminal justice, and international drug control. (For details, see Press Release GA/SHC/3422 of 23 October.) The Committee had before it the relevant sections of the report of the Economic and Social Council, reports of the Secretary-General, and five draft resolutions.

Draft Resolutions

The Committee will take action on draft resolutions on the following issues: the International Year of Older Persons; follow-up to the International Year of the Family; education for all; and policies and programmes involving youth.

By the draft text on the International Year of Older Persons: Towards a society for all ages (document A/C.3/52/L.2), the Assembly would ask the Secretary-General to officially launch the International Year for Older Persons in 1998, on the occasion of the International Day of Older Persons. The Assembly would decide to devote four plenary meetings at its 1999 session to follow up to the Year. The Assembly would encourage all States, the United Nations system, and all other actors to take advantage of the Year to increase awareness of the challenge posed by the demographic ageing of societies, the individual and social needs of older persons, the contribution of older persons to societies, and the need for a change in attitudes towards older persons.

Member States would be invited to take account of the increasing number and percentage of older persons in need of help. They would also be asked 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 -- bearing in mind the changing socio-economic, technological and cultural environment.

The Assembly would also emphasize that activities for the Year should be initiated primarily at the national level. Among the action to be taken by Member States, the Assembly would: encourage States to establish a national focal point and formulate national programmes for the Year, bearing in mind the conceptual framework referred to in a 1995 Assembly resolution on the year; and invite States to consider convening high-level and other meetings at the regional level to discuss the theme, "A society for all ages".

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By other terms of the text, the Assembly would also call upon States to include a gender dimension in their national programmes for the Year. Non-governmental organizations, including those specialized in the question of older persons, would be invited to develop programmes and projects for the Year, in cooperation with local authorities, community leaders, enterprises, the media and schools. National and international development agencies, bodies and international financial institutions would be invited to explore feasible approaches to improving the access of older persons to "credit training" and appropriate technologies for income generation, and the participation of older persons in family enterprises, community enterprises and microenterprises.

In addition, the draft proposal would encourage the Secretary-General to allocate sufficient resources for promoting and coordinating activities for the Year, bearing in mind the resolution on the Year adopted during the Assembly's forty-seventh session, in which it was decided that observance of the Year would be supported from resources of the regular budget for the biennium 1998-1999 and from voluntary contributions.

By an additional text before the Committee, the Dominican Republic, Germany, and Spain propose amendments to the draft resolution concerning the Year (document A/C.3/52/L.10). By that text, two new operative paragraphs (noting the Secretary-General's report on the Year of Older Persons, and welcoming a related worldwide poster competition) are added to the resolution, and the remaining paragraphs are renumbered accordingly.

By the draft text on follow-up to the International Year of the Family (document A/C.3/52/L.3), the Assembly would reaffirm Economic and Social Council resolution 1996/7, in which it decided that the follow-up to the Year should be an integral part of the multi-year work programme of the Commission for Social Development. The Assembly would also emphasize the need for a more focused and coordinated approach towards family issues within the United Nations system.

Also by the text, the Assembly would urge governments to take sustained action at all levels concerning families, including studies and applied research on families to promote the role of families in development. It would invite governments to develop tangible measures in their national programmes dealing with family issues. Governments would be invited to continue their actions to build family-friendly societies and to promote the rights of individual family members, particularly with respect to gender equality and the rights of the child. The Assembly would urge governments to promote the role of families in development. It would recommend that all relevant actors in civil society, including research and academic institutions, contribute to and participate in actions on families.

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By terms of a 28-Power draft resolution on education for all (document A/C.3/52/L.11), the Assembly would ask the Secretary-General, in co-operation with the Director-General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and in consultation with Member States, to consider launching a decade to eradicate illiteracy as part of the means to achieve education for all objectives. The Secretary-General would be asked to report to the Assembly's session in 1999 on the feasibility of the decade, and the Assembly would include the question of cooperation towards education for all under its item on social development at that session.

By other terms of the draft, the Assembly would recommend that Member States, relevant United Nations organizations and non-governmental organizations provide information on implementing the strategies of education for all, both to the Secretary-General and the Director-General of UNESCO, to enable them to report on progress and shortfalls in attaining that goal. It would reaffirm that basic education for all was an effective means for achieving the aims of eradicating poverty, reducing child mortality, curbing population growth, achieving gender equality, as well as ensuring democracy, peace and sustainable development. The Assembly would appeal to all governments to step up their efforts to eradicate illiteracy and to direct education towards the full development of the human personality and the strengthening of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms.

The draft is sponsored by Algeria, Bangladesh, Belarus, Belgium, Canada, Costa Rica, Côte d'Ivoire, Dominican Republic, Fiji, France, Germany, Greece, Guinea, Indonesia, Ireland, Japan, Jordan, Madagascar, Monaco, Mongolia, Morocco, Myanmar, Netherlands, Philippines, Portugal, Spain, Sudan and Turkey.

By a 37-Power draft resolution on policies and programmes involving youth (document A/C.3/52/L.13), the General Assembly would recommend that the results of the World Youth Forum at its second session (held in Vienna in November 1996) be duly taken into account at the World Conference of Ministers Responsible for Youth (to be held in Lisbon in August 1998). It would request the Secretary-General make the report of the third session of the World Youth Forum and of the World Conference available to all Member States. All Member States would be called on to undertake all efforts to implement the World Programme of Action, and would recommend that results of the World Youth Forum at its second session be taken into account at the World Conference.

The draft is sponsored by Afghanistan, Algeria, Andorra, Austria, Bangladesh, Belgium, Cape Verde, Chile, Costa Rica, Cuba, Czech Republic, Denmark, Ecuador, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Greece, Honduras, Kenya, Luxembourg, Morocco, Netherlands, Nigeria, Norway, Philippines, Portugal, Romania, San Marino, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Sweden, Turkey and Uruguay.

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Action on Draft Resolutions

The Committee Chairman, ALESSANDRO BUSACCA (Italy), said the Committee would first take action on the amendments to the draft resolution on the International Year of Older Persons, as contained in document A/C.3/52/L.10.

The Committee approved the draft amendments without a vote.

The CHAIRMAN then said the Committee would take action on the draft resolution as a whole. He said the draft had no programme budget implication.

The Committee then approved the draft resolution as amended, without a vote.

The CHAIRMAN then said the Committee would take action on the draft resolution on follow-up to the International Year of the Family, which had no programme budget implications.

The Committee approved the draft resolution without a vote.

The CHAIRMAN then said the representative of Mongolia had informed him that the Committee was not ready to take action on the draft text on education for all. Action might be taken on that draft resolution tomorrow.

He then called on the Committee to take action on the draft resolution on programmes and polices involving youth.

KATE NEWELL, Committee Secretary, read the amendments to the draft resolution as made by the representative of the Netherlands on Friday as follows: The words "and third" would be deleted from operative paragraph 7, which currently reads as follows: "Recommends that the results of the World Youth Forum at its second and third sessions be duly taken into account at the World Conference;".

A new paragraph would then be added, as follows: "Notes with interest that the outcome of the third session of the World Youth Forum will be presented at the World Conference;".

In the opening of operative paragraph 8, the word "including" would be replaced by "consider including", to read: "Reiterates the call made in the Programme of Action to Member States to consider including youth representatives in their delegations to the General Assembly and other relevant United Nations meetings ... ".

MARION VAN HOUTE (Netherlands) said the following countries wanted to join as co-sponsors of the draft resolution: Côte d'Ivoire, Iceland, Ireland, Jamaica, Panama, Russian Federation and Ukraine.

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In response to a question from the Chairman, the representatives of the Dominican Republic, Israel, Solomon Islands, Senegal, Chad, Liberia and Mongolia said they wished to be added to the list of co-sponsors.

The Committee then approved the draft resolution, as orally revised, without a vote.

Statements on Crime Prevention, Drug Control

MYKOLA A. MELENEVSKI (Ukraine), speaking also for the Republic of Moldova, said corruption stood high in the classification of modern crimes. Particular attention should be paid to the relationship between corruption and organized crime, especially on ways in which corruption was used by the organized criminal groups to carry out and screen their activities. He said the two delegations shared the concern expressed by others that the rapid development of transnational organized crime posed a threat to global security, as did another persistent challenge to democracy, stability and development, namely, terrorism.

New forms of international cooperation in crime prevention were needed, he continued. It was equally important to fully implement the already existing international legal instruments. Full participation by States in fulfilling provisions of international agreements was vital, but efficiency relied on effective control, and that depended on the relevant United Nations bodies.

MOSES M. DLAMINI (Swaziland), speaking for the Southern African Development Community (SADC), said that group was disturbed by the fact that drug abuse and illicit trafficking had become a major tragedy, along with war and disease, transcending national boundaries and affecting all mankind. Training of community leaders, including school teachers, parents, youth and others such as law enforcement agents, was an urgent necessity.

He said the United Nations International Drug Control Programme (UNDCP) was a centre of specialized knowledge and expertise, a global reference point for international drug control. It was disappointing that the budget for the biennium 1996-1997 reflected a decrease of close to $1 million, and was sufficient only to finance treaty implementation and legal affairs. The trend towards reducing regular budgetary resources was negative and should be reversed. Voluntary contributions to the supporting Fund were important, but the Drug Control Programme commit such resources to helping more countries in their projects. The Fund was not meant to replace the regular budget.

He said the SADC looked forward to the upcoming General Assembly special session on drug control, as well as the report of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs as the preparatory body.

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ASDA JAYANAMA (Thailand), speaking of the problem of drug abuse and illicit traffic, said that, as long as there was demand for drugs, there would be supply. The Thai Government had given national priority to the fight against drugs and adhered to a two-pronged strategy on both supply and demand reduction.

He cited a number of national initiatives in both areas and stressed that, although the eradication of opium and its cultivation was very important, demand reduction was much more vital to the success of international efforts towards drug control.

He said there should not be a double standard when dealing with the two agents of death and disability, namely, weapons and narcotic drugs. In both instances, responsibility should be apportioned to both users and producers. There were transboundary issues that no single country, either producer or user, would be able to solve overnight or by itself.

CHERRYL GORDON (Jamaica), for the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), said countries of the Community were seriously alarmed at the increasing level of violence in their societies, which was fuelled by the nexus between the illicit drug trade and the illicit trade in small arms. She said CARICOM governments had been forced to commit significant portions of scarce human and financial resource to law enforcement, to the detriment of other sectors such as social development.

Located on the maritime routes between major production and consumption centres, Caribbean nations witnessed an increasing use of their territories by sophisticated drug traffickers who took advantage of national, linguistic and historical ties with countries in the major regions of origin and destination, she said. Regional coordination had been difficult because of considerable cultural variation in the region, but the small size of the CARICOM countries and the seriousness of the drug problem had spurred those nations to join forces.

Citing numerous regional initiatives, such as workshops and training seminars, Ms. Gordon said that despite those efforts there was a feeling that the anti-drug efforts of the region required a strong boost in terms of coordination and technique expertise being applied. The CARICOM was pleased to note that States were moving away from blame and towards cooperation. She urged all States to resist the urge of reverting to out-moded practices, and said the prevailing mood among Member States to deal aggressively with the drug trade presented an opportunity to eliminate the scourge.

SHAHIRA H.A. WAHBI (Sudan) said international cooperation to combat crime was important. The Sudan had participated in most of the international conferences on crime and supported their decisions. Its Government was working to increase the country's capability to confront the threats resulting

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from crimes. Crime prevention, drug control and combating international terrorism constituted one of the eight priorities contained in specific by the United Nations medium-term plan for 1998-2001. It was, therefore, necessary for all countries to unite to combat those crimes by implementing those priorities.

She said the convening of the African workshop in November to regulate firearms fell into the framework of regional efforts of crime prevention. It should lead to constructive results that would strengthen regional cooperation between African countries in the field of crime prevention. It was regrettable that the United Nations African Institute for Crime Prevention and the Treatment of Offenders did not have the necessary financial and human resources to fulfil its task as expected by the African States. She called for additional resources to be provided to the Institute for 1998-1999 to cover steering expenses and its programmes. She also called on the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to revive its programme of assistance to the Institute.

She said the Sudan had established a number of mechanisms to address crime prevention, including transnational organized crime. The country supported the drafting of an international agreement to foster international efforts to fight those crimes. South Africa's offer to host the Tenth Congress on the Prevention of Crime Prevention and the Treatment of Offenders in the year 2000 was welcomed.

The Sudan joined the international community to combat drugs in all possible ways, she continued. At the national level, laws should be enacted to deter drug abusers and traders. It was also essential to provide economic alternatives to the activities related to drug production and to shield youth from that serious problem. At the international level, the eradication of poverty and the achievement of sustainable development were the first steps on the road to combating drugs.

While the problem of drugs had not reached a dangerous level in the Sudan, the country's geographical situation led to the use of Sudanese territory as a transit for drugs. The machinery of the State, therefore, continued to be directed towards combating drugs, including the enactment of laws to apply the death penalty in crimes of illicit drug trade and trafficking.

NADEZDA HOLIKOVA (Czech Republic) said the 1998 special session on illicit drugs should reach consensus on possible amendments to the existing international conventions. It would also be an excellent opportunity to review the implementation of existing instruments and to adopt concrete recommendations reflecting new conditions. The UNDCP had played an irreplaceable role in combating drug abuse since its foundation. Therefore, it was disturbing that the Programme was troubled by lack of adequate financing.

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The creation of the Office for Drug Control and Crime Prevention under single leadership was a positive step, she continued. However, it would be useful to preserve a certain level of autonomy in the area of drug control. The proposal to merge the Commission on Narcotic Drugs and the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice should receive urgent attention; any possibility of diminishing the quality of the work in that field should be avoided. The connection between drug abuse and international organized crime had grown in dimension in recent years. Today, no country was immune from the drug threat, nor could any country fight the evil alone; it needed the support of others. The Czech Republic was in the process of discussing its anti-drug policy for the period 1998-2000.

ESTI ANDAYANI (Indonesia) said that, to strengthen the balanced approach to anti-narcotics activities, a high priority should be given to early prevention measures, including education, treatment and rehabilitation. There should be a multisectoral and intersectoral approach which was integral to national development planning, emphasizing the need to protect the young from falling victim to drugs. Commending the positive contribution of the UNDCP to the global effort to combat illicit narcotics and drug abuse, she said it was troubling that the Programme was expected to experience a shortfall of income over expenditure of $10.4 million. The special session should review the international drug control regime with a view to strengthening United Nations machinery. The special session should be an occasion for Member States to make known, firmly and without reservation, the determination of the international community to undertake a coordinated multilateral approach to the problem of illicit drugs, in a spirit of cooperation and genuine partnership.

She said Indonesia did not have a significant problem with illicit drugs. In taking preventive action, the country had emphasized education for young people and the need to create awareness. Internationally, Indonesia had ratified the 1971 and 1988 international conventions on illicit drugs. It was working on bilateral cooperation with the European Union under the draft agreement on precursor and chemical substances. Furthermore, Indonesia had been actively leading the programme by the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) on the enhancement of the community-based drug prevention activities.

CHRISTINE KAPALATA (United Republic of Tanzania) said there was a profound causal relation between crime and drugs, the two issues interrelated within the overarching theme of poverty. Poverty bred lawlessness and criminality, and they had to be studied in terms of how poverty impacted on society and how it could be eradicated.

The programmes of the UNDCP were in the right direction, she said, adding that, in Africa, the United Nations African Institute for the Prevention of Crime and Treatment of Offenders was playing an important role

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in enhancing regional cooperation and coordination. But the Institute needed to be strengthened in terms of effective management and resources.

The common resolve to confront crime and its attendant vices in a more focused and integrated manner meant that an international framework was indispensable, she said. As the "Group of 77" developing countries and China had stated, more clarification was required on the proposal to merge the Centre for International Crime Prevention and the UNDCP. The concern was to assure that the merger would result in consolidation and not in diminishing the importance of one office in relation to the existing functions under the mandate of each Commission. Her country believed the two should maintain their distinctive specific mandates.

ANDRE GIROUX (Canada), speaking also for Australia and New Zealand, said that, in the spirit of United Nations reform, he was addressing the questions of drugs and crime together. While the specifics of the Secretary-General's proposal recognizing the interrelationship between drug and crime programmes were being addressed, the effort to strengthen the United Nations work in the areas of both crime and drugs were supported.

He said the forthcoming special session was an opportunity for all to reaffirm a commitment to addressing the drug problem and reviewing the existing situation. The delegations for whom he spoke supported the drafting of the Declaration on the Guiding Principles of Drug Demand Reduction, but such a Declaration could deal only with the broad principles of demand reduction. After the special session, comprehensive information for identifying the best practices and examples of successful programmes in different contexts had to be compiled. The UNDCP must take the central role.

He said the fight against transnational organized crime had to be conducted on a bilateral and multilateral basis. Extradition was a most effective tool to facilitate cooperation in that fight.

MARIANO SIMON PADROS (Argentina) said bribery and corruption were serious issues in crime. The international community had to come up with tools to fight against corruption, transnational organized crime, and other critical areas such as violence against women or traffic in children. The draft resolutions were important because they gave nations specific ideas for implementation on issues. Supporting a number of crime control measures, such as the convention against transnational organized crime, he cited national initiatives taken by Argentina and endorsed the statement on the issue, delivered by Paraguay on behalf of the Rio Group. Since crime and drugs were interdisciplinary and international, he said the response to it had to be global. Argentina had adopted a doctrine of total prevention, which meant reducing drugs and all the activity in all areas that could serve as a basis for drugs traffic, such as its production or money laundering.

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SAM A. OTUYELU (Nigeria) said the problem of illicit drugs was posing increasing threats to the social and cultural systems, and to the political and economic stability, of many developed and developing countries. While million-dollar drug businesses enriched the drug barons and their minions, governments and States were spending substantial parts of their limited national resources to combat the drug trade and to address problems resulting from drug abuse, including addiction among youth. International cooperation was necessary if youth and the future of societies was to be saved.

The days of labelling as consumer States, trafficking routes and producer nations should be over, he said. That tended to divide rather than unite States. International efforts were also required for the successful implementation of crop substitution and other programmes to create opportunities for legal activities to replace illicit production and trafficking of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances.

Countries with the necessary expertise should continue to share their expertise with other countries, he added, particularly on the sharing of information trends in the production, trade and consumption of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances. The new Office for Drug Control and Crime Prevention had an important role to play as a critical facilitator for enhanced international cooperation.

He said the Nigerian Government had strengthened its national drug law enforcement agency and adopted decrees on money laundering and forfeiture of the assets of drug traffickers. Such action enabled the agency to seize the assets of drug dealers and investigate their finances. The agency's activities had substantially reduced drug trafficking in the country. The agency also worked cooperatively with its counterparts worldwide, particularly in the West African subregion, to monitor and prevent illicit drug activities. He said he welcomed the proposals to expand the donor base for the United Nations drug control programme, and the initiatives to mobilize efforts to consider alternative funding arrangements. All Member States should renew their commitments to supporting the fund of the programme.

He said transnational crime was a global malaise that could be addressed only through international cooperation in the exchange of information, expertise and technical assistance which would enable each State to ensure that criminals did not find safe havens anywhere. There must be a concerted fight against such activities by making it non-profitable for the operators. The financial situation of the African Institute remained "critical and pathetic". He called on Member States to make necessary contributions to give the Institute a new lease of life.

DONKA GLIGOROVA (The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia) said her country was a small landlocked State in the central part of one of the most turbulent regions -- the Balkans -- and was currently undergoing a period of

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transition. In such a situation, the use of illicit drugs was easily spread, particularly among the younger generation. Her country was used as transit territory for the movement of drugs. Priority was being given to the problem. The Government had prepared a national strategy for the prevention of illegal production and trafficking of narcotics and of drug abuse. It focused on legislative activities and the harmonization of the legislation with the international legal standards.

She said that, besides cooperation within the framework of the United Nations and other international organizations, her country had also opted for cooperation on a European and regional level. A good example had been the holding of the first southern Balkan Conference against crime and illegal drug trafficking in her country last year.

In recent years, she went on, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia had faced an increase in the number of criminal acts, with the frequent use of organized action. The authorities had dealt with the issue, giving priority to implementing international legal standards. The Government had also endorsed special programmes for crime prevention, prevention of organized crime, and corruption in the administration and public services, as well as money laundering.

GABI LEVY (Israel) said drug problems had become a threat to his society only in the mid-1980's. In response to the rapidly growing phenomenon, the Government had established a coordinated programme to counteract it. However, it was apparent that only a concerted effort with other governments and non- governmental organizations would be adequate in expanding the national network of intervention.

He said Israel was ready to introduce into its criminal code a law regarding the laundering of money acquired as the proceeds of illegal activities. The legislation would enable Israel to ratify the Convention against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs, just one of the many initiatives being taken to counter crimes.

The link between crime prevention and international drug control was obvious, he said. He supported the recommendation to strengthen the cooperation between the crime prevention and criminal justice branch and the UNDCP.

MARAT OUSSOPOV (Kyrgyzstan) said illicit production and traffic of drugs was related to crimes and international terrorism. Therefore, it was sensible to integrate the United Nations drug control and crime prevention programmes, and make the Vienna Office into the centre for drug control, crime prevention and combating of international terrorism.

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He said there were many aspects to the drug problem, but for his country the greatest concern was illicit trafficking. Before independence, Kyrgyzstan had produced 16 per cent of the annual legal world production of opium from plantations. Cultivation was halted in 1991, and since then the country had turned into one of the largest transit countries due to the flow of illicit drugs from neighbours, such as opium from Tajikistan and heroin from Afghanistan.

Subregional cooperation had been hampered by instability in those countries. An agreement had been made with Tajikistan, but Afghanistan's prospects for peace were still remote. Internal differences had to be put aside in order to get regional cooperation on issues.

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