NARCOTICS COMMISSION BOOSTS EFFORTS TO MEET DRUG CONTROL TARGETS AT ANNUAL MEETING IN VIENNA
Press Release
SOC/NAR/797
NARCOTICS COMMISSION BOOSTS EFFORTS TO MEET DRUG CONTROL TARGETS AT ANNUAL MEETING IN VIENNA
19990326 (Reissued as received.)VIENNA, 25 March (UN Information Service) -- Agreeing that nations had taken major steps to meet drug control targets set at the General Assembly special session last June, the Commission on Narcotic Drugs renewed pledges made at that milestone event as it ended its 10-day session today in Vienna.
Building on special session momentum, the 53-member Commission agreed on several new measures to boost efforts made by the United Nations International Drug Control Programme (UNDCP) and the international community to significantly reduce both the demand and supply of illicit drugs.
"I should like to express my appreciation for your strong support of the UNDCP", Pino Arlacchi, Executive Director of the UNDCP, said as the meeting concluded. "This is confirmation that the UNDCP is at the cutting edge of the United Nations efforts in drug control. I will strive to maintain this leadership", he said.
A major breakthrough was reached with the adoption of an action plan designed to reduce demand for illicit drugs by the special session target date of 2008. The action plan, which supports a firm resolve of the special session to make decreasing demand as crucial in the fight against drug abuse as eradicating supply, gives the UNDCP clear guidelines in demand reduction for the coming years.
When needed, the UNDCP would assist nations in various aspects of demand reduction, which would include investigating the causes and consequences of drug abuse, setting up national systems to monitor drug abuse problems and assessing the impact of intervention programmes. Nations would develop programmes to reduce demand, ranging from discouraging initial use of illicit drugs to reducing negative health and social consequences. Programmes would also be developed to increase public awareness of the problem and its risks as well as services for intervention and treatment.
"This session will be remembered as the occasion when the action plan to implement the special session declaration on drug demand reduction was negotiated and adopted. This is a very significant achievement", said Commission Chairman Mohammed Amirkhizi.
Tackling the problem of drug supply, the Commission adopted a ground breaking resolution, sponsored by Colombia, to set up a high-technology monitoring network, including ground surveys and remote satellite sensing, to boost efforts in eradicating illicit narcotic crops by the special session target date of 2008.
National monitoring of illicit cultivation would form the backbone of an international network to stamp out drug crops. The UNDCP would set up a central data bank with information supplied by governments on illicit cultivation and report annually to the Commission on progress made in eliminating these crops.
The agreement to monitor these crops supported an action plan drawn up at the Special Session -- the Action Plan on International Cooperation on the Eradication of Illicit Drug Crops and on Alternative Development -- whereby nations should design monitoring systems for illicit drug crops and report their findings to the UNDCP.
The Commission also agreed to set up a working group -- open to all nations -- to draw up guidelines which would assist governments in biennially reporting steps they had taken to meet drug control targets. Supported by the UNDCP, the group would set up a simple and unified system of reporting to encourage more nations to inform the Commission about their drug control efforts.
The drug policy body also adopted a resolution to institute a Vienna Civil Society Award, which would honour individuals, institutions and organizations for their outstanding contribution in combating drug abuse, crime and terrorism. The winner would receive an award medal, certificate and prize money, to be funded from voluntary contributions raised by the co- sponsors of the award -- the City of Vienna, the Austrian government and the Organization for Drug Control and Crime Prevention (ODCCP).
Based on the recommendations of a high-level expert group appointed by Secretary-General Kofi Annan, the Commission agreed that UNDCP financing should be strengthened. The agency should receive an adequate share of the regular UN budget, member countries should substantially increase their contributions and the Executive Director should continue efforts to broaden the donor base as well as explore means of obtaining funds from the private sector.
- 3 - Press Release SOC/NAR/797 26 March 1999
During its current session, the Commission approved a revised UNDCP budget for 1998-1999 of $153.3 million, which reflects a 35 per cent rise in UNDCP income for 1998 from $50 million to $70 million.
Other texts approved by the Commission focused on measures to combat international trade in poppy seeds, the boarding of vessels trafficking in illicit substances, the dangers of norephedrine as a precursor, drug abuse and trafficking during conflicts, measures to prevent the diversion of potassium permanganate and the supply of opiates for medical and scientific needs.
The Commission also reviewed a report outlining UNDCP activities over the past year, which included business plans to assist governments curb the cultivation of illicit crops in the Andean region and programmes to stem the flow of opium and heroin, especially from Afghanistan and Myanmar. The UNDCP has also developed several cross border projects, which aim to boost drug control by training law enforcement, legal and field personnel, promote information exchange between regions and provide needed equipment.
General Assembly Special Session, June 1998
The General Assembly special session on drug control in June 1998 adopted a Political Declaration, a Declaration on the Guiding Principles of Drug Demand Reduction and a resolution on measures to boost international cooperation in countering the world drug problem -- the first ever international agreements aimed solely at examining individual and collective problems arising from drug abuse.
The Political Declaration called on governments to take several drug control actions within target periods. By the year 2003, member countries committed themselves to establishing drug reducing strategies and programmes, setting up or strengthening national legislation and programmes to combat the illicit manufacture, trafficking and abuse of amphetamine-type stimulants as well as their precursors and adopting national money-laundering legislation and programmes.
By 2008, they were to show substantial results in cutting down on the illicit use of amphetamine-type stimulants and their precursors, eradicating illicit drug crops and promoting alternative development. They were also to reduce drug abuse, improve measures against money laundering and boost judicial cooperation.
The Declaration on Guiding Principles contains standards to help governments set up drug demand reduction programmes by the target date. It includes others to guide governments in establishing prevention, treatment and rehabilitation programmes and calls for sufficient funding to support these projects.
- 4 - Press Release SOC/NAR/797 26 March 1999
A United Nations General Assembly five-part resolution states that the international community and relevant United Nations agencies, particularly the UNDCP, should provide drug-producing countries with financial and technical aid for alternative development. International financial institutions and regional development banks should also be encouraged to provide financial assistance for alternative development programmes.
Membership of Commission
The 53 members of the Commission include Algeria, Australia, Bolivia, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Côte d'Ivoire, Cuba, Czech Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, France, Germany, Ghana, Greece, India, Indonesia, Iran, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Lebanon, Malaysia, Mauritius, Mexico, Morocco, Netherlands, Nigeria, Pakistan, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Korea, Romania, Russian Federation, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Spain, Sudan, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States, Uruguay and Venezuela.
* *** *