TRAFFICKING IN DRUGS, ARMS AND PEOPLE THREATENS FIBRE OF INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY, LIBYA TELLS AFTERNOON MEETING OF THIRD COMMITTEE

Press Release
GA/SHC/3531

TRAFFICKING IN DRUGS, ARMS AND PEOPLE THREATENS FIBRE OF INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY, LIBYA TELLS AFTERNOON MEETING OF THIRD COMMITTEE

Capital Punishment Supported by Other Speakers

Only a balanced approach to demand and supply would bring long-term progress in drug control, the representative of Armenia told the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) this afternoon as it met to continue considering issues related to crime prevention, criminal justice and international drug control.

Illicit drug trafficking and related crimes had no historical precedent, she continued. The most important branch of the criminal market was the global drug trade. Fragile countries were particularly vulnerable. For countries in transition, a sharp decline in living conditions had made the motivation for quick income strong. That was exacerbated by the scarcity of jobs, low salaries and the lack of risk-sustaining mechanisms such as a developed labour market and a stable social security fund.

Socioeconomic changes had created a world society where gains were sought by any means, the representative of Libya said. Even body parts were being sold by poor people to the rich. The fibre of international society was threatened by the greatest transnational crime, which was the trafficking in drugs, arms, and people. Developed countries could support the developing countries by training law enforcement officials and by cooperating [on the basis of] not letting financial institutions maintain the banking secrecy that allowed criminals to hide assets.

The representative of Mozambique pointed to a lack of control mechanisms as a concern for developing countries. Institutions for controlling borders were simply too weak to do the job required. Support was needed from the international community for training border controllers and drug law enforcement officers.

A number of representatives spoke of the sovereign right of states to determine appropriate legal systems for their societies when dealing with the problem of illicit drugs. The representative of

Third Committee - 1a - Press Release GA/SHC/3531 17th Meeting (PM) 19 October 1999

Kuwait said the death penalty was imposed for drug traffickers in his country because those crimes destroyed the society as a whole. The representative of Malaysia said capital punishment would be imposed in his country to fight drug trafficking as long as the people wished it to remain.

Also making statements this afternoon were the representatives of Bahrain, Brazil, Argentina and the Republic of Korea.

In addition, this afternoon, the Committee heard the introduction of three draft resolutions. The representative of Mongolia introduced a draft on the role of cooperatives in development. The representative of the Dominican Republic introduced a draft to designate 25 November as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. The representative of Romania introduced a draft concerning the United Nations Development Fund for Women.

The Committee will meet again at 10:00 a.m. tomorrow, 20 October, when it is expected to conclude its consideration of issues related to crime prevention, criminal justice and international drug control.

Committee Work Programme

The Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) met this afternoon to continue considering questions related to crime prevention, criminal justice and international drug control. (For background information, see press release GA/SHC/3527 of 15 October.)

The Committee has before it a number of draft resolutions to be introduced.

By terms of a 13-power draft on cooperatives in social development (document A/C.3/54/L.11), the Assembly would, among other things, adopt the Guidelines aimed at creating a supportive environment for the development of cooperatives, elaborated by the Committee for the Promotion and Advancement of Cooperatives. The Assembly would request the Secretary-General to encourage wider dissemination and use of the Guidelines, and would urge Governments, international organizations and specialized agencies to collaborate with national and international cooperative organizations in giving due consideration to the role and contribution of cooperatives in follow-up to such conferences as the World Summit for Social Development. It would also urge Governments to develop the potential of cooperatives to attain social development goals and facilitate the development of cooperatives by creating a supportive and enabling environment through effective partnership between Governments and the cooperative movement. Finally, the Assembly would invite all actors to observe the International Day of Cooperatives annually on the first Saturday of July.

The draft text is sponsored by Bangladesh, Barbados, Bolivia, Burkina Faso, Costa Rica, Ecuador, India, Madagascar, Mongolia, Morocco, Myanmar, Namibia and Trinidad and Tobago.

By terms of a 59-power draft on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women (document A.C.3/54/L.14), the Assembly would decide to designate 25 November as that International Day.

The draft is sponsored by Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belize, Benin, Bolivia, Botswana, Chile, Colombia, Comoros, Costa Rica, Cote d’Ivoire, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Georgia, Ghana, Guatemala, Guinea, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Liberia, Liechtenstein, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mexico, Micronesia, Monaco, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nicaragua, Palau, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Republic of Korea, Republic of Moldova, Romania, Saint Lucia, Senegal, South Africa, Spain, Suriname, The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Trinidad and Tobago, Ukraine, Uruguay and Venezuela.

A 17-power draft on the improvement of the situation of women in rural areas (document A/C.3/54/L.15) would have the Assembly invite Member States in cooperation with the United Nations system to implement the outcome and ensure integrated follow-up to United Nations conferences and summits, and to attach greater importance to the improvement of the situation of rural women in national and global development strategies. Suggested actions in that regard include the strengthening of efforts to meet the basic needs of rural women by providing them with safe and reliable water, health and nutritional programmes, education and literacy programmes and social support measures. Other actions include the ensuring of access for rural women to productive resources and service, integrating a gender perspective into the design of development policies and programmes, providing micro-credit and other financial services, and pursuing their political and socio-economic empowerment. The Assembly would request the Secretary-General to undertake a comparative study on the impact of globalization and poverty on rural women.

The draft text is sponsored by Bangladesh, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, India, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Mongolia, Morocco, Myanmar, Namibia, Panama, San Marino, Thailand, The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Viet Nam.

By terms of a 34-power draft on the United Nations Development Fund for Women (document A/C/3/54/L.16), the Assembly would emphasize the important work that the Fund undertakes within the framework of the 1994 Beijing Platform for Action. It would encourage the Fund to cooperate with other partners of the United Nations system, governments and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in assessment activities feeding into the five-year review of the Platform for Action, including efforts to improve capacity to collect and disseminate sex disaggregated data and accountability mechanisms at the country level. It would recognize the progress achieved by the Fund in increasing the size and impact of its Trust Fund in Support of Actions to Eliminate Violence against Women. It would encourage the Fund to continue assisting Governments and NGOs in implementing the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. It would request the Fund to strengthen activities related to strengthening the capacities of women in situations of armed conflict, and to continue efforts to mainstream a gender perspective in United Nations operational activities. Finally, it would recognize that the Fund had secured increased contributions for its work, urging Member States, NGOs and the private sector to contribute to the Fund.

The draft is sponsored by Austria, Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Denmark, Ecuador, Ethiopia, Finland, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Mongolia, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Panama, the Philippines, Poland, the Republic of Moldova, Romania, Singapore, South Africa, Sweden, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago, Uganda, the United Republic of Tanzania and United States.

Introduction of Draft Resolutions:

The representative of Mongolia introduced the draft resolution on Cooperatives in social development. Greece, Guinea, Kyrgyzstan, Italy and Thailand were added as sponsors to that draft. The following clarifying oral amendments were introduced: operative paragraph four (dealing with the follow-up vote of cooperatives to United Nations conferences and summits) reads after the word "Summit" on line six, "including their plus-five reviews by inter alia". In operative paragraph 4(b) the words "establishment and" are added after "facilitating". Also, in operative paragraph five (concerning International Day of Cooperatives), the word "local" is added before the word "national".

The representative of the Dominican Republic introduced the draft of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. Additional co- sponsors to that draft were Rwanda, the Sudan, Portugal, Hungary, Croatia, Algeria, Lithuania, Iceland, France, India, Cyprus, Saint Kitts and Nevis and Kuwait.

The representative of Romania introduced the draft resolution entitled "United Nations Development Fund for Women". Additional co-sponsors of that draft were Croatia, Nicaragua and Suriname.

HUSSEIN JASSIM (Bahrain) said drug addiction and the illicit trafficking of drugs constituted a great social problem encountered by developing and developed countries alike. No country could stand by itself against the scourge. The danger was not just to addicts; it extended into the societies in which they lived. Bahrain had taken a great number of actions at the ministerial and judicial levels. It had implemented educational programmes about drugs in schools. Drug traffickers were subject either to capital punishment or life sentences.

With regard to the issue of capital punishment, Bahrain shared the views that were expressed in the Committee by Singapore and Egypt. He reaffirmed the right of States to determine the conduct of their societies and he recalled the principle of noninterference in the affairs of States. Bahrain had organized cooperative activities to curb illicit drugs with sister States. It had acceded to all United Nations conventions related to drugs. International cooperation should be strengthened to curb and eradicate the plague of illicit drugs.

LUIZ TUPY CALDAS DE MOURA (Brazil) said his country had been relentless in fighting crime while respecting and promoting human rights. Legislation had been updated with an emphasis on repressing organized crime, corruption, drug trafficking, moneylaundering and weapons smuggling. Prevention had been emphasized. A number of NGOs had pushed for tougher legislation on registration and possession of firearms and disarmament campaigns had been carried out in cities. As a result of the grass roots mobilization, trade in firearms had been outlawed in some of Brazil’s states. A bill presently before the Brazilian Congress aimed to outlaw the sale of arms to individuals or organizations other than those in the armed forces, public security agencies or legally established private security firms. A National Action Plan on Public Security was being drafted to bring together law enforcement agencies at the Federal and state levels to fight drug trafficking and organized crime.

While violence was not due to illicit drugs alone, he said, it was clear that drugs played a central role in the spread of other crimes. The most violent crimes in urban areas of Brazil were related to illicit drugs. The struggle against the scourge of drugs required a multifaceted strategy that involved repression as well as prevention, treatment and rehabilitation. Given the concensus on the need to fight transnational criminal organizations, the international community was in a good position to undertake this fight.

RICARDO LUIS BOCALANDRO (Argentina)said his Government attached great importance to activities that had to do with preventing, suppressing and punishing organized crime particularly transnational organized crime, trafficking in women and children, in firearms and in the transporting of migrants.

The work of the office for Drug Control and Crime Prevention should be highly regarded because it made possible, progress in diagnosing and evaluating such crimes, he said. His Government had organized community seminars that allowed for the active interaction of authorities, academicians and civil society in dealing with transnational crime and drug related problems. In those seminars, a series of proposals and recommendations had been spelled out; they would be presented at the Tenth Congress on Prevention of Crime and Treatment of Offenders, in Vienna next year.

AYADAH AL SAIDI (Kuwait) said his country’s criminal law provided for sanctions for drug traffickers. Drug addicts could receive all the care they needed in health establishments. A decree to provide for better coordination of community efforts and more public awareness of the drug problem had been issued.

The death penalty was imposed for drug traffickers in his country because those crimes could result in the destruction of society as a whole. Such a penalty was consistent with the seriousness of the crime. The freedom of States wishing to apply the death penalty needed to be respected and ensured. He regretted that the European Union did not respect that freedom. The difference between legal systems gave the death penalty different uses. The European Union needed to accept the pluralism of that penalty's use, so that the international community’s consensus could continue.

BERTA COSSA (Mozambique) said her country was a corridor for drug trafficking because of its geographical position. A legal regime had been established in 1997 to address the problem of illicit drug trafficking and the consumption of psychotropic substances. The Ministry of Internal Affairs had undertaken operations to dismantle groups and locations known to be linked with drug consumption and trafficking.

Since youth were known to be particularly vulnerable to becoming victims of drugs, she said Mozambique concentrated efforts towards anti-drug education through the Ministry of Education. Efforts were also turned toward creating a centre for rehabilitation and social reintegration of toxic-dependants. Of great concern to developing countries was a system of control mechanisms. Institutions for controlling borders were simply too weak to do the job required. The international community should provide more support for training of border controllers and drug law enforcement officers. Regional cooperation was the most effective way to minimize the spread of drugs.

ABDUSSALAM SERGIWA (Libya) said socioeconomic and economic changes had created a world society where gains were sought by any means. That threatened the fibre of international society. The greatest transnational crime was the trafficking in drugs, arms, and people. Even parts of bodies were being sold by poor people to the rich. Such practices were a blemish on the soul of human society. Transnational organized crime destroyed the morals of the human race. No country could by itself fight the effects of those crimes, which threatened all States, rich or poor, large or small. The developed countries should give support to developing countries, for instance, they should help train law enforcement officials. Instead of cooperating, some states allowed financial institutions to maintain the banking secrecy that allowed criminal assets to remain hidden. Given its geographic location, Libya was a corridor for drug trafficking, he said. Yet his country took great efforts to combat crime.

Libya reaffirmed the rights of all States to direct their legislative systems in any way they chose. The resolution planned to be introduced by Finland on behalf of the European Union was an attempt to force those views on other countries. If the co-sponsors were so concerned about the right to life of other persons, why were they forgetting the right to life of victims?

HISHAM ABDUL AZIZ (Malaysia) said his Government had formulated a national drug policy to eliminate demand and supply of illicit drugs. It had also taken serious steps in a strategic plan to create a drug-free generation by the year 2023.

In order to curb the scourge of drug addiction, his Government had made drug trafficking a capital offence. “We are concerned with the efforts of some countries calling on other countries to establish moratorium and to progressively restrict the number of offences for which capital punishment may be imposed”, he said. It was the sovereign right of states to determine the legal systems appropriate for their respective societies. The imposition of capital punishment in his country “shall remain as long as the Malaysian people wish for it to remain.”

Continuing, he said that with the world’s most efficient communication systems, greater coordination, and collaboration at the bilateral, regional and international levels it was possible to combat international crime effectively. The mechanism for the sharing of information and intelligence could be upgraded. The influence of criminals could infiltrate the economic machinery of many countries. Effective international enforcement was the only solution to prevent criminals from doing that.

YOUNG-HAN BAE (Republic of Korea) said his Government placed particular emphasis on fighting corruption. “In these times of economic turmoil, the fight against corruption is more pressing than ever”, he said. Corruption distorted competition among different economies and only a multilateral response could address the magnitude of the problem.

In spite of its limited resources, the UNDCP had played a crucial role in countering the world drug problem, he said. It had done so by serving as a focal point for international drug control, and by staying abreast of rapidly changing developments. Although voluntary contributions to the UNDCP had increased by 35 per cent in 1998, the baseline was still extremely modest. More funds were needed if it was to effectively implement its mandates.

ANNA AGHADJANIAN (Armenia) said all States by now acknowledged they could only fight the new threats of illicit drug trafficking and related crimes by working together. The situation had no historical precedent and its context could not be easily understood in traditional terms. The most important branch of the criminal market was the global drug trade. The global reach of drugs was a new phenomenon, as was the blurred line now between traditional drug consumers and producers.

Control over the regulation of illicit drug production, sale, demand, traffic, import, distribution and utilization had been tightened in Armenia, she said. Nevertheless, 70 per cent of the narcotics confiscated in Armenia originated outside the country. Armenia had become a transit route for illicit drug trafficking and it lacked the technical facilities with which to counter the problem. Only through international cooperation could today’s societies stand a fighting chance against the spread of drugs.

The instability of new and fragile countries made them particularly vulnerable to the drug trade and the organized criminal groups behind it, she said. As was the case with many countries in transition, Armenia had suffered a sharp decline in living conditions. The motivation to earn quick income was strong. It was exacerbated by a scarcity of jobs and low salaries. Armenia’s economic system currently lacked risk-sustaining mechanisms such as insurance, developed labour markets and a stable social security fund. It was clear that drugs would continue to be produced as long as an appetite for them remained. Long-term progress in drug control would come through a balanced approach to the issues of demand and supply.

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