MULTIDIMENSIONAL NATURE OF ILLICIT DRUG PROBLEM HIGHLIGHTED BY SPEAKERS IN THIRD COMMITTEE DEBATE

9 October 1998

Press Release
GA/SHC/3469

MULTIDIMENSIONAL NATURE OF ILLICIT DRUG PROBLEM HIGHLIGHTED BY SPEAKERS IN THIRD COMMITTEE DEBATE

19981009 Colombia was determined to pursue the commitments it had made at the special session of the General Assembly on the drug problem last June, that country's representative told the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural), this afternoon as it continued its consideration of crime prevention and criminal justice and international drug control.

The drug problem was a chain that involved several aspects of criminal nature, he said, citing the propensity for consumption, deeply rooted in urban lifestyles, especially among the young, and stressing the importance of combating demand. Also, chemical precursors should be destroyed with more efficiency and determination. He called on all countries to cooperate in tightening restrictions that would curtail money laundering, after expressing concern that in the current state of global financial turmoil, unscrupulous institutions would extend facilities to criminals in order to increase their profits.

International response to the illicit drug trade must be integrated, based on the principle of shared responsibility between producing, consuming and transit countries, the representative of Bolivia said. The special session had reaffirmed such an integrated and balanced approach in the fight against drugs, he said, adding that any unilateral drug policy against drugs was condemned to failure. Drug trafficking was a universal problem that called for a universal solution.

The representative of Benin said the fight against drugs could not be waged by one country alone, nor by producers or consumers. The problem was multidimensional, and cooperation in the fight against it could be translated into victory with the application of political will.

The representative of the Sudan fully supported the drafting of an international convention on transnational organized crime, as did the representative of Argentina, who welcomed the steps that had been taken in the formulation of the convention. He added that if work on the convention were given urgent attention, a draft could be finished by the year 2000.

Statements were also made by the representatives of Peru, Israel, Algeria and the Republic of Korea.

The Third Committee will meet again at 10 a.m. on Monday, 12 October, to continue its consideration of crime prevention and criminal justice and international drug control.

Committee Work Programme

The Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) met this afternoon to continue consideration of crime prevention and criminal justice and international drug control. The Committee has before it the relevant sections of the report of the Economic and Social Council, reports of the Secretary-General, and three draft resolutions. (For background on the documents before the Committee, see Press Release GA/SHC/3467 of 8 October.)

Statements

DAUL MATUTE (Peru) said it was important to pause and analyse the gains, contradictions and advances of the battle against the illicit drug trade in order to offer a prognosis of what would be possible and effective in the next century. During the 1960s, there had been a great move towards the criminalization of drugs. While the consumption of drugs was not penalized, the supply was. In the 1970s, the increase in the consumption of drugs had led to the criminalization of both consumers and producers. That had led to two decades during which standards were created to suppress both supply and demand. The elements that were considered as consensus today were then a matter of intense debate.

The narcotization of the economy -- the crime of money laundering, the uncontrolled planting of coca leaf and the damage to the environment and to the society -- had focused the attention of Peru on the drug problem, he said. That had inspired the formulation of the Fujimori doctrine, which recognized the national and international need for increased efforts against the drug trade and the need for the establishment of alternative crops. Today, after coca networks had been broken up in Peru, farmers had begun to plant other crops, and seek other sources of work. However, national efforts must be complemented with international efforts: the resources of a developing country were insufficient to deal alone with the demands of fighting the drug trade. Peru had the greatest possible will to work with the international community in that cause and to implement the commitments made in June during the General Assembly's special session on the drug problem.

ZACHARIE RICHARD AKPLOGAN (Benin) said the phenomenon of drug use and trafficking had reached disturbing proportions. The production and illicit consumption of drugs continued and only ranked behind the arms trade in the world. The danger resided in the social ills, and an awareness of that danger had led Benin to take institutional and legal measures to prevent drug abuse and psychotropic substances. Benin had enacted a law in July to control drugs and their precursors, along with appropriate regulatory texts. It had created a national data bank on drug abuse and trafficking which was made available to competent national and international bodies.

Benin relied on non-governmental contributions to the care and training and reintegration of drug users into society, he said. Benin appreciated the gift this year of remote communication and drug detection equipment from the United States, which would enable police to make a breakthrough in the consumption and illicit traffic of drugs. Now, it was possible to make

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arrests before confirmation. The fight against drugs could not be by one country, nor by producers or consumers; the problem was multidimensional. The recently adopted international instruments against drug abuse and trafficking enabled States to realize that firm legal and police measures could combat the problem. Those cardinal principles could ensure success in international cooperation for control over the manufacture, sale, and consumption of drugs and psychotropic substances and their precursors. Those resolutions augured well and could be translated into victory if States applied their political will.

ORLI GIL (Israel) said in a changing world that prides itself on open borders and peace, drugs had flourished as never before. Multinational organized crime groups had been reaping the benefits of a world without walls, and nowhere was the impact more devastating than among the world's youth. Ten years ago, Israel had established the Anti-Drug Authority of Israel (ADA) to supervise the fight against drug abuse and trafficking. ADA had launched a network of services -- social, medical, educational, research and enforcement -- that had filled a void of nearly two decades, but the spread of drugs had continued and even increased.

Since then Israel had embarked on a new approach, focusing on youngsters and populations at high risk, she said. The approach went behind the scenes and sought to change the very attitudes and lifestyles that encouraged young people to take drugs. Last year, ADA had submitted a Master Plan for Treatment of Children and Youth at High Risk for Drug Abuse, which aimed at changing the very environment in which Israel's young people lived. Training and physical education were offered to steer children from drugs. For those already fallen prey to drugs, ADA had intensified its treatment programmes. A nationwide ambulatory treatment centre, hostels and family shelters had been provided to deal with the problem. ADA assisted law enforcement agencies and had also pushed for legislation to prevent money laundering.

ILHAM AHMED (Sudan) said international drug control was a general and international problem that required concerted efforts on the part of all countries. That work, however, must be carried out with full respect for human rights and the sovereignty and territorial integrity of States. She welcomed the results of the special session on the drug problem. The Sudan was a party to many international conventions on drug control, and fully endorsed national efforts and international cooperation in attacking the problem of drugs, a problem that attacked youth and undermined societies.

Money laundering was another of the criminal activities that promoted the drug trade and threatened international security, she said. In the Sudan, the problem of drugs had not yet reached a crisis level, but it was an important transit country for drug traffickers, and had therefore made efforts to combat the trade nationally and through cooperation with international agreements. She reiterated her country's full support for the drafting of a convention on transnational organized crime.

Turning to the report of the Secretary-General on the African Institute for the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders, she noted that the

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financial resources of the Institute had not improved. Its lack of resources prevented the Institute from properly carrying out its work. Despite the political support of the United Nations, where it had been noted that the Institute should be the proper organ for combating crime on the continent of Africa, it remained underfunded, and she called for increased financing for it.

ABDALLAH BAALI (Algeria) said the drug abuse and trafficking represented a challenge for which the international community should assume collective responsibility. The Assembly's special session had expressed that in firm terms and could only satisfy those who called for a global response to the global threat. It was pertinent to move ahead on cooperation and genuine partnership on the basis of shared responsibility and respect for sovereignty.

Organized crime threatened political stability and social and cultural values of all society, he said. The growing appearance of new forms of crime, trafficking in firearms, drugs, and of human beings, showed that organized crime was capable of changing its shape. That was because trafficking in general had inexhaustible funding to pursue the business of destruction and death.

He suggested that a general convention be adopted on financing, recruitment, and other aspects of terrorism. Algeria welcomed the decision to make Vienna the centre for the fight against "uncivil society". An ad hoc committee of an open-ended kind would be a step in the right direction to present a draft resolution for the prevention of organized transnational crime. Because of the logic of death and destruction -- and their network of complicities - - the global threat needed global concerted and unyielding reaction; but first, States must implement their own national laws.

ALFONSO VALDIVIESO (Colombia) said his country was determined to pursue the commitments it had made at the special session of the Assembly last June. The drug problem was a chain that involved several aspects of criminal nature. The first was the propensity for consumption, that was deeply rooted in urban lifestyles, especially among the young. It was important to combat demand, and that issue had been addressed at the special session. The policies put forward during the session should be incorporated into the drug policies of more countries.

The second factor was the issue of chemical precursors, which should be destroyed with more efficiency and determination, he said. There was a certain reluctance on the part of several producing countries to cooperate fully in the destruction of chemical precursors, and that hindered efforts to combat the drug trade as a whole.

The third factor was the fearless action of drug criminals, who had easy access to financial institutions around the world to launder money, he said. In Colombia, among the many other policies that had been implemented to combat international money laundering, a law covering the extradition of international criminals had been introduced. He was concerned that in the current state of global financial turmoil, unscrupulous institutions would

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extend facilities to criminals in order to increase their profits. He called on all countries to cooperate in tightening restrictions that would curtail money laundering.

ROBERTO JORDAN PANDO (Bolivia) said any unilateral drug policy against drugs was condemned to failure. Drug trafficking was a universal problem that called for a universal solution. Countries must respond in an integrated way, based on the principle of shared responsibility among producing countries, consuming countries and transit countries. The special session had reaffirmed that integrated and balanced approach in the fight against drugs. His country subscribed with hope and seriousness to the commitments of the special session.

The growth of the drug problem was a serious threat, and Bolivia was fully committed to the policies outlined at the special session, he said. Greater cooperation was needed, as was an adequate machinery to deal with the problem. He called for a new "economy of solidarity" and for new ways to study the behaviour of the international economy, in both its formal and informal aspects. He also called on developed countries to back the efforts of developing countries.

YOUNG HAN BAE (Republic of Korea) said 1998 was a landmark year with the successful conclusion of the special session on drugs. In the field of crime prevention remarkable progress had also been made. Although the task had been undertaken with some scepticism, the advancement made in the drafting of a convention against organized transnational crime was all the more gratifying. All the provisions of the convention should be fully and universally implemented.

He praised the work done by the Centre for International Crime Prevention, and called for significant increases in funding, which would be instrumental in developing the Centre into a full-fledged executing agency for technical cooperation. Meanwhile, the limited resources should be reallocated in favour of operational capabilities through savings in administrative and conference services. He welcomed the recent initiatives for the strengthening of strategic management of the Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Programme.

RICARDO LUIS BOCALANDRO (Argentina) said the role played by the United Nations on drug control and crime prevention had been considerably strengthened by the recently concluded special session of the Assembly on the issue. It had provided a new approach to fighting the drug scourge, along with other international efforts. His Government had signed an important agreement with Spain to cooperate in that field. Drugs were intimately linked to international organized crime. He hailed the Naples Political Declaration and Global Action Plan against Organized Crime as a milestone, from which many initiatives had derived.

In Naples in 1994, Argentina had proposed that a convention be drafted on organized transnational crime, he said. Thus, it was gratifying that steps

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had been taken to elaborate on that text. A special committee would begin work in January and, if given urgent attention, a draft would be finished by the year 2000. There were differences of a technical nature which had to be resolved, as complex requirements were posed by the problem of organized crime. He called for the elimination of international traffic in women and children, adding that it was an issue that needed a separate item.

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