A/48/PV.37 General Assembly

I shall make a statement by way of introduction to item 112, now before the General Assembly. The global spread of drug abuse has emerged as a major international concern in the post-cold-war era. Governments are finding that the foundations for peace and prosperity have been undermined by this insidious threat. The international community’s success in controlling drug abuse will serve as a litmus test of its ability to respond to the complex problems of the post-cold-war era. Can the international community effectively translate word into deed in the global campaign against illicit drugs? The answer to this question will provide an indication of whether we can cross the threshold into a better world where nations can cooperate harmoniously for their common good. These plenary meetings, held in accordance with General Assembly resolution 47/99, coincide with a turning point in the history of international relations. On the one This record is subject to correction. Corrections should be sent under the signature of a member of the delegation concerned within one week of the date of publication to the Chief of the Verbatim Reporting Section, Room C-178, and incorporated in a copy of the record. NEW YORK hand, we see the global convergence of international society with as much hope for peace as risk of conflict. On the other, we see the world-wide spread of drug abuse, evidenced by the proliferation of illicit markets and the increasing prevalence of addiction. It may appear as though these two trends are unrelated, but they may in fact be driven by the same factors. A look at one or two manifestations of this transitional period may reveal the direction in which we must proceed at the multilateral level. Let us consider, for example, the formidable challenge facing some of the new democracies. Economic reforms required a massive injection of capital into many of the burgeoning market-led economies. This need for capital is witnessed at all levels of society. Governments are running budget deficits. Consumers are finding it increasingly difficult to afford the basic necessities. In this context, what is the illicit drug industry if not a source of abundant capital and employment? What are illicit drugs if not a highly lucrative commodity? Severe economic difficulties can at times overshadow the criminal dimensions of drug-related activity. Some newly independent countries have established safe-money havens as a way to attract urgently needed foreign capital - this, despite the detrimental impact of money-laundering on monetary stability. This type of response underlines the direct link between the needs ushered in by the post-cold-war era and the potential worsening of drug-related crimes. Yet another noteworthy aspect of the post-cold-war era is the new role of certain developing countries in the world economy. Today, a growing number have the prospect of stable growth and integration into the world economy. Foreign direct investment is changing the nature of their internal markets. Governments have privatized a major proportion of inefficient State-owned industry. And Distr. GENERAL A/48/PV.37 12 November 1993 ENGLISH These three changes - the increase in foreign direct investment, the wave of privatization, and the growth of developing-country stock-markets - are positive at a time of slow growth in the global economy. But they also represent a watershed opportunity for drug-trafficking syndicates and criminal organizations. Drug syndicates can manipulate the flow of foreign direct investment to "recycle" their illicit revenues in the guise of legal business. Privatization can shorten the regulatory reach of Governments, and thereby allow drug traffickers to operate in the face of fewer constraints. And less official oversight in the pharmaceutical industry can facilitate the diversion of precursors and essential chemicals into illicit channels. Another group of developing nations still find themselves in a desperate situation with little evidence to suggest that their economic plight is over. The members of this latter group far outnumber those of the prospering developing countries. For these nations, the pre-eminent characteristic of this post-cold-war period is the extent to which their economies have been marginalized. Already we see disturbing drug-related consequences. Some of these countries have evolved into main trafficking channels through which illicit drugs are transported from producer to consumer markets. Whereas economic dynamism may be a cause for drug abuse elsewhere, for many of these countries, stagnation and hopelessness are the driving forces behind the spread of drug-related trends. So for those and many other reasons, the threat posed by illicit drugs is greater than ever before as we turn to a new chapter in history. And it will continue to grow unless we act together at the multilateral level. Indeed, I must emphasize that it is not only with regard to the new democracies and developing countries that we must ensure the success of international drug-control efforts. Rather, given the global nature of illicit drugs, and given the rapid advances in trade, telecommunications and travel, all countries together face this spectre. And it is together that they must respond. We must recognize the multidimensional nature of drug abuse and the underlying factors that contribute to its worldwide dimensions. And we must achieve a globally balanced approach in which illicit demand, supply and trafficking are tackled as interconnected parts of a single global phenomenon. Once drugs enter society, the upward spiral of illicit production, consumption and trafficking will follow. In this The foundations for progress have been established. The international drug-control conventions provide the legal basis and the common language with which Member States can respond to the emerging crisis of illicit drugs. The Global Programme of Action, which was adopted by this Assembly in 1990, outlines the necessary strategy which we must endeavour to implement. And the United Nations International Drug Control Programme ably serves as the focal point for drug control efforts at the multilateral level. As in the days ahead we advance our deliberations on how best the international community might continue to address the drug pandemic, let us remember the commitments we have undertaken and proceed to their full implementation. The Secretary-General has asked me to convey his apologies for not being with us this morning. He has communicated a message to the General Assembly, and I shall now call upon the Executive Director of the United Nations International Drug Control Programme, Mr. Giorgio Giacomelli, to read out the Secretary-General’s message to the Assembly.

I shall now read out a message from the Secretary-General. "Drugs are a scourge of our time, whose evil consequences extend deep and far; they cause corruption, destabilization, violence and suffering. Drugs are, sadly, a major cause of insecurity in the world. "We must therefore be under no illusion: drug abuse is now a global threat, on the same scale as damage to the environment, the pandemic of acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), or poverty itself. It is therefore our duty to respond to this threat with international solidarity. "These four plenary meetings are clear proof of our resolve to tackle this question within a clear international framework. In fact, during the past seven years, the international community has gradually become aware of the new dimension of drug-abuse- related problems. "In 1990, the General Assembly, at its seventeenth special session, took another decisive step forward when it adopted the Political Declaration and the Global Programme of Action, and gave the United Nations a central role in the development of international cooperation in the fight against drugs. These political, legal and operational measures should now be completed by the implementation of the United Nations System-wide Action Plan on Drug Abuse Control (SWAP). "With the setting up in 1991 of the United Nations International Drug Control Programme (UNDCP), the international community has at its disposal an effective structure and instrument to carry out its stated goals. "Since its creation, UNDCP has undertaken an in-depth re-examination of international anti-drug strategy, covering both the experience gained to date and the results. That analysis has enabled UNDCP to identify new principles and new strategic directions and priorities, which have subsequently been submitted for consideration to the intergovernmental organs. They and, in particular, the Commission on Narcotic Drugs, have given their support to the new global action programme and strategy. "This strategy, which rests - and I stress this point - on a global approach, treats all aspects of the problem in a fair and balanced way, taking into account the cultural and social needs appropriate for each country and each region. The strategy is to be carried out at three levels: national, subregional on regional and global. "First, the country level: when drawing up and implementing social and economic development programmes, each State should adopt a master plan to combat drugs in line with national priorities. I cannot overstress the importance of legislative and institutional measures and the need to ensure their compatibility both with the letter and with the spirit of international treaties. "Secondly, to ensure that they have the widest possible impact, these measures should be carried out in a regional or subregional framework based on international cooperation agreements, providing for, inter alia, the exchange of information, and also ensuring that drug control measures and the promotion of broader common initiatives, especially in strategic sectors such as frontier zones, are effectively harmonized. "The third and final level, that of action at the global level, should involve the rigorous and universal application of international conventions; they provide the fundamental legal framework and true common denominator within which the national legislation of each State should be integrated. "If we are to make our international efforts truly global, then it goes without saying that all relevant groups within our societies must also be mobilized. I have in mind here non-governmental organizations, professional and business organizations, the university world, schools, the mass media, and sports movements. Together, and with the support of local regional and national authorities, we must set up more and more integrated networks to forge a true partnership, thus ensuring a clear link between all the actions undertaken. I also look towards the organizations of the system for a sustained dialogue under the auspices of the UNDCP. "At the same time, regional and international development bodies and, in particular, the development finance institutions, should also take on an increasingly important role in the fight against drugs; indeed they should make it a permanent factor in their development policies and also coordinate their activities more closely with those of the UNDCP. "Today the international community has an effective arsenal at its disposal - a strategy, a field of action and an effective coordinating instrument. While of course improvements can always be made to that arsenal, we should now shift the emphasis to action.

I should like to propose, if I hear no objection, that the list of speakers in the debate be closed today at 12 noon. I therefore ask those representatives wishing to participate in the debate to inscribe themselves on the list of speakers as soon as possible. In this connection I should like to remind members that the General Assembly at its 30th plenary meeting, held on 14 October 1993, decided that in view of the large number of member States already inscribed on the list of speakers, the length of statements should be limited to 10 minutes. I should like to inform members that a white flashing light will be activated at the rostrum to let the speaker know that the 10-minute limit has elapsed. Your cooperation in this regard is very kindly invited. I am now pleased to call on His Excellency, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Social Affairs of Sweden, Mr. Bengt Westerberg.

There is an evident need for public and political awareness of the health hazards of drug abuse, but there is also a need for awareness of the very negative effects of narcotics on the development of our societies in economic, social and democratic terms. Drugs are not merely substances subject to abuse. They also lead to poverty, lack of faith in the future, violence, corruption and organized crime. Wherever narcotics are available we find drug abuse. And wherever there is intravenous drug abuse we also have the problem of HIV infection. In certain European countries the majority of those suffering from AIDS are drug addicts. In my own country there are some relatively encouraging indications of an improvement in the drug-abuse situation. The proportion of young drug abusers is steadily declining. We believe that our restrictive drug policy has contributed to this. Measures to deal with illicit drugs have been given high priority within the social and health sector and in the law-enforcement area. All the measures employed should give the same message to our young people: we do not accept any use of illicit drugs; we will never approve of a distinction being drawn between soft drugs and hard drugs. Cannabis is not a harmless drug; there is considerable scientific evidence of its detrimental effects on mental health and its links with violence. I should like to emphasize strongly that the main responsibility for reducing drug abuse must rest on traditional consumer countries. It is not acceptable to blame only those countries in which production and trafficking take place. Consequently, there is a need for policies and strategies for the prevention of drug abuse that focus, in particular, on reducing the demand for illicit drugs. At the same time, however, I should like to stress that the intensification of efforts to reduce demand must not mean any relaxation of our vigilance in regard to measures for dealing with international drug crime. It is estimated that the illicit-drug trade has an annual turnover corresponding to 10 per cent of world trade. An increase in illicit narcotics can be noted at all levels - cultivation, processing, trafficking and consumption. Some people are giving up the battle, claiming that the narcotics problem is insurmountable. They refer to the fact that we have been unable to solve the problem within the framework of existing legislation. But the conclusions they draw are quite different from conclusions arrived at by the Secretary-General in his evaluation of the implementation of the Global Plan of Action. The Secretary-General stressed the importance of the reinforcement, by Member States, of their judicial and legal systems in the fight against drugs, while the defeatists consider that we should dismantle controls. The entire United Nations system must be activated in the fight against drugs. Last year, this forum decided to create a new tool for the coordination of United Nations field activities: the United Nations Country Strategy Note. This is to be a concerted strategy for United Nations activities in each individual country, planned jointly with the recipient Government. If United Nations operations to deal with illicit drugs are to be effective, it is important that the UNDCP master plan be integrated into the United Nations Country Strategy Note. The role that we have given the UNDCP, as a result of our decision in the General Assembly in December 1990, is that of a United Nations Centre of Excellence in the drug-control sphere. But the question is whether we, as Member countries, have given the UNDCP realistic opportunities to live up to this role. For several years, voluntary contributions have amounted to approximately $80 million per year - a fraction of the total annual turnover of the international illicit-narcotics market. But the question of resources cannot be discussed merely in volume terms - it is also a matter of bearing a fair share of the burden. Our grand statements referring to the complexity and scope of the issue, coupled with our creation, three years ago, of new institutions to combat illicit drugs, will sound somewhat hollow if expenditure continues to be low and unevenly distributed, even among so-called major donors. In many developed countries, the current economic outlook is either poor or deteriorating, but this must not be allowed to be an excuse for passiveness. The consequences of inaction would be a threat to future generations. Efforts to stem the consumption of illicit drugs must be stepped up. As donor countries, we are responsible for contributing to a discussion of priorities. This means, in my view, that we must jointly draw up the overall guidelines, rather than focus on detailed project control. At a time when we have limited funds at our disposal, it is even more important that they should be employed in a strategic manner. The role of the UNDCP as a catalyst is of vital importance in this As one of the countries which initiated the process that led to the adoption of the Global Programme of Action, we are deeply committed to fulfilling our responsibilities. I therefore consider that Member States have a duty to follow up and implement the Programme at the national and international levels. I am pleased that there is broad consensus within the Assembly on this matter. A step in the right direction will therefore be the adoption, by this Assembly, of the draft resolution initiated by Mexico. The proposal includes several elements that could strengthen the international struggle against narcotic drugs. The deliberations at the coordination segment of the Economic and Social Council in 1994 will provide a unique opportunity for discussion between all the relevant United Nations bodies, with the object of achieving more effective implementation of the Global Programme of Action. The proposal to be made to the high-level segment of the Economic and Social Council in 1995 will result in appropriate adjustments of drug-control activities, where necessary. The inclusion of this issue on the Economic and Social Council’s agenda in 1994 and 1995 ensures that the necessary commitment and momentum will be maintained. But let me also stress the value of an ad hoc expert group, which is mentioned in the last paragraph of the draft resolution (A/48/L.12). A group of this kind is not a new method of working within the United Nations; it was used to implement the decisions taken at the special session, for example. This is an effective way of arranging for a competent and candid outsider to review our efforts. If the result is total support for the present policy, all the better. For a number of years now, we have been making political statements about the devastating effects of the narcotics problem. In 1987 we convened the International Conference in Vienna; in 1990 the special session of the General Assembly and the World Summit in London. At the special session, we also agreed on substantial reforms of the structures for dealing with illicit narcotic substances. We should now ask ourselves if this is enough. Have our decisions brought us any closer to a solution of the problem? Could we do more by adopting another approach? There is a tendency - which we all share - to convene at high-level meetings, declaring our resolution and our commitment to fighting the global problems of illicit narcotic

In February 1992, at its seventeenth special session, the General Assembly adopted the Political Declaration and the Global Programme of Action, which defined the aim and direction of international narcotics-control activities. In the course of past years a number of drug-control measures have been taken, and positive results have been achieved by individual countries and international society to reduce the threat of illicit drugs. We should bear in mind, however, that the global trend of drug production, abuse and illicit trafficking is still moving in the wrong direction. In the consideration and discussion of the international drug problem and in the designing of more effective strategies and policies, full attention should be paid to two factors which are both objective and decisive in the current illicit drug situation. One is the extensive illicit sources of drugs, and the other is the international illicit-drug- consuming markets. It is these two factors that seriously increase the problem of illicit-drug trafficking and make narcotics control an arduous and time-consuming task for the international community as a whole. Therefore, in the implementation of the international drug-control strategy, the questions of how to reduce illicit production, reduce the demand for narcotics and combat illicit drug trafficking effectively should be considered and dealt with as being of equal importance, with a view to the adoption of comprehensive measures. At the same time, the level of a country’s social and economic development must be taken into account when it is preparing to launch its drug- control campaign. Though we are facing a serious drug situation, circumstances conducive to the elimination of the illicit-drug problem are also emerging. I should like to take this opportunity to mention a few points regarding international drug-control cooperation. First, such cooperation must be kept in accordance with the objective reality of the general pattern of the global drug problem with a view to formulating policies of international narcotics-control cooperation and to planning UNDCP activities. Full consideration should be given to the different areas. The subregional drug-control strategy pursued by the UNDCP in the Golden Triangle area is developing in an Secondly, more positive measures should be taken to encourage those countries which have not yet acceded to and ratified the 1988 Convention to do so as soon as possible. The States parties to the 1988 Convention should be urged both to undertake the obligations set out therein and to implement the Convention in all seriousness. Thirdly, the Global Programme of Action is a principal document based on national experiences in narcotics control and adopted by the General Assembly at its seventeenth special session. All States should be encouraged to take effective action to implement it in their own circumstances. While efforts should be taken at the national level, implementation also needs to be accelerated at the international level. Fourthly, international cooperation on narcotics control should be applied on the basis of mutual benefit and respect for each other’s sovereignty. The illicit-drug problem represents a great threat to the health of people everywhere and to the stability of a society. Because of its geographical position and the policy of opening up, China is inevitably influenced by and suffering from the increasing invasion of activities relating to the transit of illicit drugs. Constant efforts have been made by the Chinese Government in past years to strengthen its national narcotics-control measures. In formulating and planning its domestic drug-control policies, the Chinese Government took the Global Programme of Action fully into consideration. The implementation of the Global Programme of Action by the Chinese Government is reflected in the report of the Secretary-General. However, I should like to speak briefly about the important measures taken by the Chinese Government last year and the main successes achieved. Strict measures have been taken to suppress drug- trafficking crimes relating to the transit of drugs. In 1992 the Chinese drug-law-enforcement agencies cracked 14,701 drug cases, with the seizure of 4,489 kilograms of heroin, 2,660 kilograms of opium and 910 kilograms of cannabis. The quantity of heroin seized during the year was 1.4 times Publicity and education activities on narcotics control have been further promoted. To raise social awareness, government at all levels is mobilized to carry out extensive publicity activities on the danger of illicit drugs and on the national drug laws and regulations through the various mass media, such as broadcasting, television programmes and newspapers. Young people, especially middle-school students, are targeted for the main educational programme. Reading materials on narcotics control are published by the National Narcotics Control Commission and distributed nationwide. Various mass campaigns were carried out in the provinces where illicit-drug problems exist, in accordance with the programmes of the United Nations Decade against Drug Abuse and the observance of 26 June as International Day against Drug Abuse. Efforts for drug detoxification and rehabilitation have been promoted further. According to nation-wide statistics, the total number of drug addicts is 250,000 at present; 252 compulsory drug-detoxification centres have been set up by local governments, and 46,000 drug addicts have gone through compulsory drug-detoxification programmes. A community monitoring system has been formed, in an effort to keep the relapse rate at a lower level. The Chinese Government has given high priority to consideration of the prevention and treatment of AIDS deaths related to drug addiction. Great steps have been taken in controlling the chemicals that can be used for illicit drug production. Though it is rather difficult to control some of these chemicals effectively because of their extensive use in industry, the Chinese Government still respects the decision made by the United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs and has enforced an export-licence system, effective since 1 April 1993, to control the 22 chemicals listed in the 1988 Convention. A special regulation has also been enacted and applied to control effectively the production, distribution and transportation of ephedrine, including such measures as distribution strictly according to the national plan, licensed purchasing and the rule of one licence for one shipment. Strict measures have been imposed along the border areas in The Chinese Government has always been in favour of strengthening international cooperation on narcotics control. In order to fight the scourge brought on the international community and China by external drug sources and drug transit, China has supported and taken an active part in the subregional drug-control strategy and cooperation programmes initiated by the UNDCP. The Subregional Drug Control Project signed between China, Myanmar and the UNDCP now in course of implementation. The Chinese drug-law-enforcement agencies are playing an active role and taking a positive attitude in joint drug investigation and information exchange with neighbouring countries and other regions. Good relations have been maintained in this regard. The Chinese Government highly commends the holding, at this forty-eighth session of the General Assembly, of these special plenary meetings on drug abuse and trafficking with the aim of further enhancing international drug-control cooperation. It is our sincere hope that through the special meetings, more Member States will accede to and ratify the 1988 Convention and that multilateral cooperation on narcotics control will subsequently be strengthened.

I now call on His Excellency Mr. Melchior Wathelet, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Justice and Economic Affairs of Belgium.

It is a great honour for me to speak in this prestigious Hall on behalf of the European Community and its Member States. In welcoming the interesting guidelines on our work contained in the Secretary-General’s proposals, I should like first of all to emphasize that the assessment of the state of international cooperation in the fight against drug abuse is even more necessary and urgent than it was at the time of our last meeting, as all the data available to us indicate that the scourge of drugs has continued to grow, thus spawning a serious and continuous threat not only to the health of individuals but also to the very fabric of our societies. It very often jeopardizes the political and economic stability of countries, as well as their security and their democratic structure as a whole. Given the diversification of that threat, which is now severely affecting a growing number of countries, especially in Africa and Eastern Europe but in every other region of the world as well, only an intensification of international cooperation on a global level will enable us to cope with this In this connection it is the view of the European Community and its member States that the special meetings of the General Assembly we are devoting to this subject will enable us to evaluate the effects of the instruments, programmes and institutional structures we have acquired over time and to reaffirm our will to engage in joint cooperation. The elimination of the traffic in illicit drugs entails high political, human, economic and social costs. It demands regional and international solidarity and a genuinely effective and concerted campaign of mobilization. More specifically, a first answer designed to bolster the means of combating illicit drugs in all their forms is the adherence of all Member States of the Organization to international treaties on the subject, in particular the 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, the 1971 Convention on Psychotropic Substances and, especially, the 1988 United Nations Convention against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances. The latter Convention was signed by the European Community and its member States. The Community and a large majority of its member States have already ratified it, thereby reaffirming the relevance of its innovative provisions in such areas as confiscation of property and control of deliveries and trade in precursor and other essential chemical products. We would also recall the great importance of rapid implementation of the legislative and administrative measures necessary to make national judicial systems compatible with the spirit and scope of international treaties. As for countries not yet parties to those Conventions, they should be encouraged to move to the interim application of their provisions. The financial aspect of the illicit trade in narcotic substances and the involvement of banks and financiers in the laundering of often colossal sums of money derived from drug traffickers has become a major concern for States, which must take all the measures necessary to ensure that activities of this type cannot be conducted from their national territory. In the view of the European Community and its member States, the establishment this year of a single market without interior borders must not lead to such reprehensible activities as illicit drug trafficking and the The entry into force since on 1 January of this year of the European directive on money laundering has provided the Governments of the countries involved with a valuable tool in the struggle they are jointly waging to overcome the drug scourge. Similarly, emphasis must also be placed on the need for eligible States to ratify the Council of Europe Convention of 1990 on money laundering and the detection, seizure and confiscation of the byproducts of crime. The opportunity of acquiring enormous illegal profits is an especially tempting lure for the criminal underworld, whose activities adjust to the passions and ills of our society. Thus, the European Community and its member States consider that the optimum means should be found to establish close links between the United Nations International Drug Control Programme and the United Nations Crime Prevention Programme in order to coordinate and amplify efforts in this area. Real progress has also been made since 1990 within the framework of international cooperation in preventing the diversion for illicit purposes of precursor and other essential chemical products. Where the European Community is concerned, this cooperation has led to the adoption of a body of regulations detailing steps to be taken to prevent the diversion of certain substances to the illicit production of narcotic drugs or psychotropic substances and of a directive on the production and commercialization of precursors in the European zone. That progress has enabled us to support the resolution adopted last spring by the Commission on Narcotic Drugs, which was designed to follow up the recommendations of the Action Group on Chemical Products of the Group of industrialized countries and to assign a clear-cut role to the International Narcotics Control Board and the United Nations International Drug Control Programme. Our efforts to cooperate within the Trevi Group, comprising the Ministers of Justice and Interior of the Community’s 12 member States, and within the framework of the Mutual Assistance Group of Customs Authorities have also been stepped up. As an example I would mention here the June 1991 decision to create a European Police Office, known as Europol. I hope that by 1 January 1994 the agreement signed in June of this year by the appropriate Ministers providing for the establishment of a Joint As emphasized in the Political Declaration and the Global Programme of Action adopted by the General Assembly in 1990, the fight against the scourge of drugs requires joint international action. The European Community and its member States, for their part, have concluded with third countries and with regions many agreements containing clauses calling for cooperation in combating drugs. Here, I would defer to the statement to be made by Commissioner Flynn of the Commission of the European Community. The European Community and its member States also reaffirm the importance of international efforts undertaken to eliminate illegal drug crops. These meetings provide us with an opportunity to analyse and assess those efforts and to emphasize the solidarity required between consumer and producer and transit countries. The European Community and its member States have already concluded cooperation agreements with many countries to assist them in identifying, eradicating and replacing the illicit crops used to produce drugs. They are prepared to consider other possibilities. The Community and its member States are also participating fully in the activities of the Dublin Group, which is organizing informal consultations on drug-related problems between the European Community and Australia, Canada, Japan, Norway, the United States of America, Sweden and the United Nations International Drug Control Programme. The Dublin Group has thus been able, inter alia, to hold a meeting at Cartagena to consider the assistance to be given the Colombian judicial system. Meetings devoted to Eastern Europe, Central Europe and the Balkans have also been held in order better to define and organize assistance to the countries of those regions. A multilateral partnership is thus beginning to take shape on the regional level. As the Economic and Social Council again emphasized at its session last July, the reduction of demand is one of the key objectives of the campaign against drugs and drug abuse. It has a central place in the implementation of the European Plan against drugs adopted by the Council of Europe at Rome in 1990 and updated by the Council of Europe at Edinburgh in 1992. We feel that a balanced approach to activities designed to reduce demand should be followed up by giving, within a multidimensional approach, suitable priority to prevention and to the treatment, rehabilitation and social reintegration of drug addicts. As the available statistics indicate, drug Information exchanges at the national, regional and international levels on programmes and policies developed within the framework of reduction of demand would be particularly appropriate. This should be carried out within the framework of existing institutions, in particular the United Nations International Drug Control Programme. The European Community and its member States are taking certain initiatives to this end. As an example I would mention the establishment of a European observation post to obtain objective, reliable and comparable data at the European level on all the factors linked to the phenomenon of drug abuse and its often-tragic consequences. The observation post will focus particular attention on demand and its reduction. The European Community and its member States also wish to recall the important role played by non-governmental organizations, many of which are actively specialized in this sphere, and the contribution they can make in the drawing up and implementation of measures to be undertaken by public authorities to reduce demand and combat drug abuse, particularly in assisting those authorities in mobilizing public opinion and in disseminating messages of prevention, above all to young people. If our joint struggle against the drug scourge can and must be made more effective through determined action by each of us on the national level and by stepped-up regional and international cooperation, it will nevertheless remain futile without coordination at the United Nations level. The adoption of the Political Declaration and the Global Programme of Action by the General Assembly in 1990 contributed greatly to shaping the international will. With the establishment of the United Nations International Drug Control Programme in 1991 the international community created the programmes, means and structures most appropriate to pursuing the path we have laid out for ourselves. The assessment exercise in which we are engaged today affords us an opportunity to reiterate the great importance we attach to seeing that our efforts at international cooperation are based on stable, effective and operational structures. The European Community and its member States are determined to give their full support to the new approaches and methods of action now available to UNDCP for reacting quickly and flexibly to developments and to the diversification of the drug problem throughout the world. In The European Community and its member States also support the strategic guidelines of UNDCP, which are based on a tripartite, integrated approach in which a consistent set of national programmes, regional and subregional approaches and international priorities neatly dovetail. The European Community and its member States fully support the recent efforts of UNDCP to diversify its actions in the fight against drugs, particularly by devoting a greater part of its programmes to reducing demand. They also appreciate the precursor role of UNDCP in certain countries where the drug problem, in terms of production and transit, is extremely acute. In those cases, UNDCP is often the first and the only interlocutor of the authorities involved. We attach great importance to the effective implementation of the Global Programme of Action at the United Nations system level. It is of crucial importance to maximizing the effect of the fight against drugs that the various organs of this body, including its financing agencies, be called upon to take immediately, and in their respective spheres, appropriate drug-abuse measures and to include an anti-drug dimension in their policies, programmes and budgets. It is not, however, sufficient to encourage UNDCP to step up its cooperation with international financial institutions. The Member States of our Organization must for their part continually emphasize in the various directive bodies of these institutions the need to pool their efforts and their work, each one in its respective sector. The role of coordination within the United Nations system to ensure the success of the Global Programme of Action devolves on UNDCP and its Executive Director, Mr. Giacomelli, for whom the European Community and its member States reiterate their full support. The recent granting to the Executive Director of greater autonomy concerning the management of the services of UNDCP and the staffs made available to him is a tangible sign of the hopes and the confidence our Organization is placing in the United Nations International Drug Control Programme. Aware that a consistent and balanced approach to the fight against drug abuse will bear fruit only if UNDCP is The Commission on Narcotic Drugs must remain the primary decision-making organ of the United Nations in the area of drug control. It is that body which approves, on the basis of proposals of the Executive Director, the programme budget of the UNDCP Fund. It plays an extremely important role in the promotion and follow-up of the Global Programme of Action. The European Community and its member States welcome the advocacy by the Commission on Narcotic Drugs of an expansion of coordination on all levels, including that of operational activities in the field. Decision-makers must ensure, through assessment reports, lasting continuity and consistency in the programmes established to fight drug abuse. Measures should be immediately taken to attain this objective. Once these conditions have been met, UNDCP and the Commission on Narcotic Drugs doubtless will be in a better position to carry out their mandate to exercise control over the implementation of the Global Programme of Action. A large-scale meeting in 1997 to evaluate this Programme should be considered. The year 1997 could be chosen because it marks the halfway point of the United Nations Decade against Drug Abuse. That evaluation should, in any case, also deal with the measures undertaken by Governments for the implementation of the Global Programme of Action and of the international Conventions in the area of the fight against drugs. I should like to conclude by saying, on behalf of the European Community and its member States, that we are on the eve of a new stage in the building of Europe. The Maastricht Treaty is about to enter into force. Within this framework, the new structures provide for the better organization of deliberations aimed at guaranteeing greater consistency and stepping up cooperation links. The self- motivated and multidisciplinary approach which the European Community and its member States have always hoped to follow in the fight against drugs will only be reaffirmed by this. The European Community and its member States once again express their conviction that only concerted action

I now call on His Excellency Mr. Enrique Krauss, Minister of the Interior of Chile.

Allow me, first of all, to express the deep satisfaction of the Government of Chile at the decision taken by the General Assembly to devote four plenary meetings to reviewing the current state of international cooperation in combating the production, consumption and illicit trafficking of drugs. This is an important opportunity for us to analyse rigorously, in the highest and most qualified international forum, the various effects of illicit drug consumption in the world. The clear gravity of this issue should prompt us to think about how much we are doing, or failing to do, about eliminating this breach of morality from our lives. My country notes with concern that the drug problem, far from diminishing, is growing in an alarming way in most of our countries. We know that we share this concern with the international community. The priority which the Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission has given to the study of new strategies to cope with this question is evidence of this. The important work of the United Nations International Drug Control Programme is moving in the same direction. Chile is no stranger to this painful reality. In recent years, drug abuse has increased in our society. To make matters worse, the use of free-base cocaine has become particularly prevalent, especially among young people, with dangerous effects on their health, as they easily become addicted. The increase in drug trafficking can also be seen in our country, due not only to internal consumption but also to the use of our territory as a transit country, particularly for cocaine, to Europe and North America. Money-laundering and the smuggling of essential chemicals, although they are not major problems, are not Moreover, our country’s economic development, which has led to a real increase in personal income, has paradoxically turned the country into a consumer market attractive to drug sellers. Our open economic system, which attracts large foreign investment and active foreign trade, also attracts those seeking to hide the source of money from drug trafficking. In Chile, particularly since the installation of the democratic Government of President Aylwin, we have faced squarely the fight against drugs. We have ratified and promulgated as a law of the Republic the 1988 United Nations Convention; we have set up a National Council for the Control of Illicit Drugs, which coordinates the activities of all services related to the prevention of drug abuse and the repression of drug trafficking; we have adopted a national policy of drug abuse prevention and control; we have presented to the national Congress a bill which adapts the regulations currently in force to the 1988 Convention, a bill which will soon be approved by the Senate of the Republic; and we have increased the budgets of the bodies responsible for prevention, control and rehabilitation, which has allowed important programmes to be developed and has increased the efficiency of the state apparatus. At the international level, we have increased the level of our participation in specialized multilateral agencies and we have signed bilateral conventions with countries in and outside of our region, making every effort to see that they become operative. We know that a relationship exists between the abuse and trafficking of drugs and the quality of life of peoples. For this reason, we see economic and social development as the primary means of dealing with this scourge. Growth with equity, the cornerstone of our Government, is for us the most appropriate way to deal with the roots of the abuse and trafficking of drugs: poverty, the lack of educational opportunities and the lack of hope. We have therefore enthusiastically supported the World Summit for Social Development which the United Nations will hold in 1995. Drug abuse is not an isolated problem, and its consideration from an ethical and social point of view shows that criminalizing laws will not suffice to eliminate it. It is In the opinion of the Chilean Government, the efforts of each of our countries will have limited chances for success without true international cooperation going far beyond mere declarations of intent. We cannot view cooperation for development solely as economic assistance - though that is undoubtedly essential for the most unfortunate countries - but also and particularly as the removal of the impediments standing in the way of free trade for the products of less developed countries, which is essential for the growth that will enable us to bring social justice to our communities. Here, we find the most just and appropriate path for cooperation in the development of our nations. In addition, we understand that the responsibility for the fight against drugs, which debase individuals and corrupt nations, lies not only with the producer countries but primarily with those whose consumption is greatest, often developed nations which, unfortunately, tend to feel that their actions should focus only on the supply, beyond their borders, rather than on the demand expressed within their own territories. International cooperation should also be expressed through cooperation in the fight against narcotrafficking, in the form of reciprocal legal cooperation, exchanges of information among the competent authorities of each country, concerted operations among the services responsible for implementing the laws, and periodic meetings allowing for an interchange of experiences and analyses, and other similar activities. In my country’s opinion, cooperation in this field is still insufficient. We see with concern that all too often the will manifested in agreements is not reflected in real cooperation. In the field of drugs, unfortunately, a great deal is written and said but not much is done. We believe that true cooperation is expressed in the free flow of information on drug trafficking activities which involve more than one country, in the speedy delivery of judicial records and evidence which will hinder the impunity of the branches of illegal organizations which act in a different country from the one in which the judicial proceedings are carried out, in concertation between the police and control services for specific operations, in timely In our judgement, the undeniable political will of our countries to cooperate in the control of drug trafficking should be reflected in our daily action. The situation does not call for sporadic and occasional gestures but for persistent and continuous operations. The Chilean State is prepared to do this. As many countries have observed, we are already cooperating with other nations and particularly with our neighbours in the most expeditious and flexible way, both in connection with drug trafficking itself and with the trade and contraband of drug-processing products, as well as with money laundering. With the sponsorship of the United Nations International Drug Control Programme, we hope in the immediate future to crete regional programmes on these matters. In our country’s opinion, no contradiction should exist between international cooperation and national sovereignty. If the rule of law and the legitimate political authorities of each country are respected, cooperation between our States can be increased. But, we insist, it is essential that in these activities the political, administrative and professional sovereignty of our nations be respected. In concluding my statement, I wish to reiterate the firm determination of the Chilean State and Government to participate resolutely in the international community’s concerted efforts to confront the production, abuse and illicit traffic of drugs, under the principle of shared responsibility and in the framework of the United Nations International Drug Control Programme. I would like to emphasize the urgent need to act on this tragic problem. The deaths, the physical and moral destruction, the delinquency resulting from drugs and the social marginalization of addicts - all affect our countries whether they are producers, processors and sellers of drugs, or intermediaries for drugs, including drug-processing products. Mr. Baltasar Garzón, delegate of Spain’s National Drug Plan, who I understand is present at this plenary session, recently asked in a newspaper article, "In the fight against drugs, now what?" He is quite right. "Now what?", we are asked by the sick, the young and the poor of our peoples. Drugs: now what? The answer is up to us.

I have great pleasure in welcoming the Vice-President of the Republic of Bolivia, His Excellency Mr. Victor Hugo Cardenas, and inviting him to address the General Assembly.

I am pleased indeed to address this plenary meeting to consider aspects of international cooperation in the control of narcotic drugs. The presence of distinguished personalities from Member States highlights the importance of this forum; our Organization seems at last to have resolved to deal in depth with the question of international cooperation in the search for solutions to the serious problems posed by the causes and effects of demand, consumption, production, and illicit trafficking of narcotic drugs. This is undoubtedly a difficult topic, especially for countries like mine which suffer the consequences of drug trafficking not by any will of their own but through the influence of those who, in other places, amass fortunes from this reprehensible activity. Accordingly, we are discouraged to see that our efforts often do not prompt the solidarity from the international community, which should be expressed by substantial contributions to combating this evil. Bolivia has a Master Plan for Prevention, Control of Illicit Drug Trafficking and Alternative Development. Prevention, control and development are the three foundations for combating drug trafficking and its consequences, and this threefold approach must be supported in every way if it is to yield results in the fight against drug trafficking. I must acknowledge that, in my country, the policy of prevention is perhaps the weakest, owing to the shortage of human and financial resources to implement the new National Plan for reduction of drug demand in Bolivia, adopted in 1993. However, some goals have been met with the support of public and private Bolivian and foreign organizations addressing educational tasks and rehabilitation in specialized clinics in the country’s major cities. The policy of alternative development, originally aimed at replacing surplus coca plantations with other crops, has been planned with a broader perspective, based on the need to transform a whole economy driven largely by coca and its derivatives into a different kind of economy, one based on new lines of production that serve to generate jobs, incomes and foreign exchange, in a framework of balanced and sustained economic and social growth. In order to replace the coca economy, it has been necessary to supplement the concept of alternative development, gradually moving into other priority areas of the national economy, that is, to expand the concept to one of sustainable development and human development. More effective reduction of coca shrubs cannot be achieved only by means of law enforcement, nor has the promise of granting cash incentives for each hectare destroyed been sufficient - witness the traumatic experience of my country, the second-ranking coca producer in the world. After cutting surplus plantings by half, at a high social cost, we are discouraged to note that the increase in the consumption of narcotics in the developed societies is in the same proportion as the increase in the poverty of my people. For my country, a true solution must derive from a strategy to eradicate the poverty that affects more than two thirds of the population, particularly those living in indigenous and rural areas and in city outskirts. That is the context in which the macroeconomic targets and social goals have been defined by Bolivia’s new administration, whose aim is to modernize the State while bringing about far-reaching reform in institutional machinery. That reform seeks to strengthen and expand democracy, to preserve our hard-won economic stability, and to reduce poverty. Recently, President Gonzalo Sánchez de Lozada proposed a strategy under which surplus coca production could be replaced, not through enforced eradication, but through the alternative means of sustainable economic development associated with productive diversification and greater access to world markets, not only for agricultural Pursuing those broad lines of action over the medium term necessarily requires international cooperation with two objectives: support for physical infrastructure works in coca-producing areas, and vigorous support for agro-industrial development programmes in those areas. We in Bolivia are convinced of the need to promote efficiency in social investment designed to reduce poverty. Taking that approach, we will forge ahead with a policy to foster investments that enhance productive employment and the commitment to bringing the most vulnerable strata of society into the mainstream. The Rio Group, holding its seventh presidential summit in Santiago, Chile, expressed disappointment at the attitude of the great industrial Powers, which is further weakening the multilateral trade system and affecting the delicate equilibrium of the trade balance of the countries concerned. The Presidents reaffirmed their fight against illicit production, trafficking and consumption of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances, as well as their condemnation of terrorism, because both constitute a systematic and deliberate violation of human rights. In that same spirit, they noted the need for increased international cooperation within a framework of responsibility shared between the countries affected by production and those characterized by high drug use. I wish to refer also to other recent directions taken by the major economic Powers. We have noted answers and explanations that seek to justify the new policy of reallocating a part of the funds earmarked for this campaign, diverting them to other purposes in various parts of the world. This reallocation could prompt a dangerous set-back, leading to the elimination of programmes that are under way. In that event, instead of support for projects with indigenous peasant communities, providing technological resources and education in order to achieve greater grass-roots participation, there could occur a negative backlash, as those communities could very well perceive commitments to cooperation as lacking in seriousness. That works to the detriment of Bolivia and of all countries involved in this struggle against the odds. Allow me to say that the damage will be greatest to indigenous peoples, whose International Year is being marked in 1993, for it is they who are the first to suffer the impact of these reductions. In this regard, I must report that In my capacity as representative of Bolivia and of the founding peoples of my country, I consider it a privilege to uphold before the conscience of the international community the right of those peoples to recognition of their historical and cultural integrity as a fundamental and integral part of States. It is my duty to address an appeal to the conscience of the most powerful countries that they not close their eyes to that situation. Bolivia has assumed its share of responsibility, with great effort and sacrifice, despite its shortage of resources. Since 1985 we have contributed significantly to international endeavours to combat drugs, through a model of our own based on protection of domestic peace, community participation, alternative development, and democratic stability. The insufficiency and inadequate execution of many of the programmes carried out on the demand side have meant that the efforts exerted by countries like my own have lost the effectiveness needed to achieve satisfactory overall results. We understand that there are problems in many parts of the world which call for urgent assistance, but we are convinced that priorities should be geared to consolidating and enhancing the efficiency of existing programmes and machinery in the fight against drug trafficking. I cannot fail to mention the negotiations with the Dublin Group of countries. We reiterate our appeal that the valuable help, now hampered by slow and complex approval machinery, be made more dynamic. Their aid is essential for financial and technical support of anti-drug programmes in our countries. My Government is convinced of the need to strengthen multilateral mechanisms. We see the strengthening of these programmes as an outcome of this important event. My Government expresses its gratitude and its support for the important task that is being carried out by Mr. Giorgio Giacomelli, Executive Director of the United Nations International Drug Control Programme. We are faced with a great paradox: although mankind has created unprecedented conditions for scientific and technological development, poverty and the inability to The time has therefore come for a careful review of the orientation of the strategies and policies we have shared in recent years. It is up to us to provide remedies to these evils and to shoulder our responsibility with optimism and resolve for our societies and future generations.

I now call on Mrs. Simone Veil, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Social Affairs, Health and Urban Planning of France.

We are gathered here for a meeting of extraordinary importance. Three years after the special session of the General Assembly in February 1990, we are taking stock of action taken in an attempt to chart, in the light of that review, new ways to make our action more effective if need be. At first glance, the picture seems extremely gloomy. A French weekly recently had a headline on this subject that read "Drugs: the lost war?" Have we really reached that point? I do not believe that it is possible to assert that the war on drugs has already been lost and has therefore become pointless, but I agree that it is indeed a war, which now has the planet for its theatre and poverty as its prop. We used to speak in terms of very limited areas. That is no longer the case. The consuming North was set against the producing South. The situation has changed considerably. Everyone is affected now, and everyone bears a share of responsibility, great or small. There are now countries of the North producing cannabis, while in the South the geography of production is in perpetual flux. The scourge is also striking the transit countries, themselves afflicted by the porosity inherent in these networks of corruption; the trade routes of drug trafficking follow the lines of least political, economic and social resistance. Moreover, the range of narcotic drugs has expanded. Huge pharmaceutical laboratories offer a whole gamut of products, amphetamines or hallucinogens, which are illegally exported to the poor countries. The increase in drug trafficking naturally implies a corresponding increase in demand. The number of illicit consumers of narcotic drugs continues to grow throughout the world. It is expanding rapidly in the countries of the South, adding an additional evil to the social problems of every type that already plague those societies. The tragic problem of the spread of the AIDS pandemic is further aggravated by drug addiction and inadequate prevention in that area. It is no longer a question of a scourge limited to rich countries and populations seeking new thrills in response to society’s shortcomings; today, we are all affected. The result of this exacerbated situation is the dazzling wealth of the drug trade. The turnover, estimated at $500 billion, is over four times the gross national product of the 53 least developed countries. The challenge is therefore global and the stakes are high. We are dealing with the very future of our societies, above all because the main target of the drug trade everywhere is young people - and that target population is becoming ever younger. In France the average age of the cannabis consumer is 22; of the heroin consumer, 26; and of the cocaine consumer, 28. As if that did not make the picture bleak enough, it is further darkened by the ravages of AIDS among drug addicts. Indeed, we cannot underestimate the importance of that factor in the spread of the HIV virus. Considerable energy, therefore, must be dedicated to this struggle. Determination and unflagging effort are the keys to success. They must be absolute. That is why we must be extremely careful not to yield in a fight which some consider already lost nor to give into the temptation to be defeatist. The situation is too serious to throw up our hands in resignation. First, awareness of extent of the challenge has considerably increased. Some debates that were until recently considered controversial now seem to be over - for instance, the difference between the countries of the North, rightly obsessed with the question of supply, and the countries of the South, inclined to consider that the problem was above all one for the rich, and that it was up to them to settle it. Some parts of the debate about sovereignty also seem obsolete. We have had to accept the reality of the world of the drug dealers, who scorn national frontiers and legislation. It seems to me, therefore, that if we have yet to measure up to the challenge, we are better placed to do so, primarily because we have acquired potentially very effective legal tools. At the national level, first, countries have begun to react. In France, for instance, we have adopted an arsenal of regulations and legislation to deal with the problem. In particular, we have acquired the means to fight money laundering. At the administrative level, we have established an interministerial coordination body, the Delegation General for the War on Drugs and Addiction, under my authority as Minister for Social Affairs and Health. Every ministry involved is represented. We have also considerably increased the financial resources devoted to the war on drug abuse. Drugs threaten the very existence of our societies. But it is wrong to imagine that repressive solutions alone will enable us to resolve such a complex problem, which though it very much concerns the public authorities, concerns no less the individual and his personal behaviour, his health and his social and family relationships. This phenomenon, whose consequences are tragic, is so complex that all its dimensions must be grasped if our preventive measures are to be truly effective. We cannot ignore the pressures drug dealers put on potential consumers or the trap that closes on petty dealers, who, having sought to make easy money, end up becoming consumers themselves. But these things do not explain everything. We need to ask ourselves why young people seek in the high or the apathy induced by drugs a way to escape from reality. Is it a crisis of identity inherent in modern societies; a loss of traditional values and taboos; a flight from a future darkened by economic crises and constant social change? On the international level, the 1988 United Nations Convention against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances has entered into force. Eighty States have now ratified it. I appeal for the broadest possible ratification of the Convention. But ratification is not enough. We must be stricter in ensuring that we respect our commitments under the Convention. Through the United Nations International Drug Control Programme (UNDCP), the United Nations is making praiseworthy efforts to promote full and comprehensive implementation of the Convention and to create on the local level a climate favouring respect for those commitments. The Organization is also engaged in improving the environment, including the legal and administrative environment, necessary for such cooperation to succeed. Even that is not enough. We expect UNDCP to be more self-motivated on this essential subject. Each year, the Executive Director of UNDCP should report fully on the Programme’s activities: its successes and its failures alike. For the benefit of countries that have made serious efforts to implement the Convention, especially developing countries, it should also recommend positive measures in terms of access to international credits from major international or regional development or financing agencies. But we need to go further. I suggest that our experts get right to work on ways of strengthening means of monitoring and implementing the 1988 Convention, possibly through a protocol that would establish a forum that could impose penalties or, in the last resort, sanctions. This would, of course, require a considerable but, in our view, necessary broadening of the purview of the International Narcotics Control Board. UNDCP, founded only two years ago, aroused great expectations among Member States and contributing States, and it continues to do so. Under the effective guidance of Mr. Giacomelli, it is beginning to achieve results. But we are still far from the target. First UNDCP needs a substantial increase in the funds made available to it by States. Above all, we must avoid institutional proliferation, which can impair the effectiveness of our struggle. We must cut through the undergrowth of existing bodies, a task to which I hope the Commission on Narcotic Drugs will devote its attention. France will submit a document containing specific proposals on this matter. UNDCP must also be ever ready for new fields of action, three of which I view as deserving special priority. The first relates to investigating the financial networks used by drug traffickers: the fight against money laundering. Several States, including France, already have the legislative means to do this; very effective cooperation has been established within the framework of the Financial Action Task-Force on Money Laundering. Similar structures are being established in every region. Now is the time to ensure overall consistency, a task which could fall to UNDCP. UNDCP should also be responsible for the dissemination of technological expertise for early identification of zones of production and transit points. Surveillance by satellite and finding means of monitoring more effectively the tens of thousands of containers that pass daily through the world’s ports are interesting ideas, and France would consider providing firm support and stepping up its cooperation. The second field of action is the priority area of prevention. Too often, suppression and prevention are viewed as incompatible. But a policy for a war on illicit drugs can be based only on both those two priorities. The French Government understands this complementarity and has decided to set up a commission composed not of experts but of "wise men" open to considering societal problems; this commission is charged with studying the problems - social, economic and medical problems of course, but also broader ethical and even philosophical problems - that the phenomenon of drug addiction raises for our country. The same must be done, in a scaled-up version, on an international level. UNDCP must do more to collect data on the most affected categories, on the motivations of those involved, and on experiments throughout the world to take immediate action to increase awareness among children and youth and to provide adequate treatment. I propose that together, without excluding any possibilities, we think about creating specific machinery to focus action on limited-duration bilateral and multilateral plans to solve the problem. Such exceptional action, of course, could take place only at the request of the country involved. It could include cooperation strengthened by the assignment of specialized police personnel, and should also involve the major international financial institutions and the main organization of the United Nations system. Our struggle will not be won in a year or in five years. We are talking about an entire decade. But it is urgent that we move to respond, and that we put aside our differences, given the dimensions of the challenge before us all. I can affirm that France will always stand by the side of the international community in this struggle. In this mobilization, international and French public opinion will guarantee our victory. For the very foundations of our societies are at stake. In the nineteenth century, the international community managed to respond effectively to piracy. In a very different and perhaps even more difficult context, we need to find a common response commensurate with this new and terrible challenge. I have no doubt that we shall be able to do so.

I call now on His Excellency The Honourable Senator Antonino Murmura, Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of the Interior of Italy.

I am very pleased to address the General Assembly on behalf of the Italian Government and the Minister of Interior of Italy on the occasion of these plenary meetings devoted to the drug problem, one of the most serious evils affecting today’s society. My opinion is still that it is not enough to agree upon cooperation measures, by means of conventions, bilateral agreements, and political accords of a different nature, if such agreements are not coupled with consistent behaviour and a precise fulfilment of the obligations agreed upon. For this reason, Italy has actively participated in the creation of a common international drug legislation and has signed all the relevant United Nations Conventions. Italy has been supporting the United Nations International Drug Control Programme (UNDCP), which it considers to be the natural forum effectively to combat drugs. Lately, the UNDCP has improved its autonomy in the management of financial and human resources with the aim of achieving more successful results. It is therefore necessary for the international community to afford to UNDCP all possible technical and financial resources so that the common goals claimed by the highest authorities are not frustrated at the most crucial moments, that is to say whenever we are to produce specific actions and tangible results. It is now a common conviction that the only way to fight this phenomenon is through increased, consistent cooperation, particularly in two areas: the project against money laundering and the project against drug trafficking by sea. With regard to money laundering, the 40 recommendations of the Financial Action Task Force must be considered and adapted to various national legislations. To this end we need to create a network of shared instruments and of mutual investigative and legal assistance. The suppression of drug-trafficking by sea is particularly important for Italy, and we feel there is a need to establish, especially in these fields, effective cooperation with other countries which share this opinion with us. Along the same lines, Italy is also setting up a computerized system to exchange information on drug trafficking, the so-called Teledrug. Teledrug will operate uninterrupted around the clock and will enhance the capabilities of drug enforcement in participating countries within the framework of the United Nations Conventions. The United Nations Conventions, the 1987 Comprehensive Multidisciplinary Outline, and the 1990 Global Programme of Action are the cornerstones of Italy’s drug law, which takes into equal consideration the need to combat narcotic drug trafficking as well as drug abuse prevention, and treatment and rehabilitation of drug addicts to whom we should be devoting more attention. I should like to make clear that, although the result of the Italian referendum of 18 April has eliminated prison sentences for the possession of drugs for personal use, it has, however, upheld the principle that possession is illegal and punishable by administrative sanctions. Italians have shown their dislike for past legislation on drugs but this absolutely does not imply the liberalization of drug use or drug dealing. The drug phenomenon should not be seen as an isolated phenomenon. We must not ignore the complex ties between drug trafficking and other criminal activities, first and foremost, money laundering and, more generally, organized crime. Moreover we must not ignore the connection between drug trafficking and arms smuggling. The same strategy of international cooperation that must guide the war on drugs should also shape the methods we use to fight money laundering and arms smuggling. We shall fight them equally energetically. Italy’s laws against these phenomena are particularly severe and detailed. We hope other States will base their drug laws upon these principles in order to create a common front of law enforcement to combat the transnational activities of organized crime. That is why I must express my concerns over the growing trend towards legalizing drugs and the fatalistic attitude that the war against drugs is a "lost cause". I believe these attitudes could be very dangerous because they may weaken our commitment against narcotic drugs trafficking and against the other problems I have already mentioned. Therefore this should not be for us the moment for discouragement and disengagement, but rather it should be the moment to renew and enhance our determination in this war which should also be fuelled by the positive results achieved in recent times in drug suppression, thanks to closer international cooperation between police forces and judicial authorities. In Italy, better domestic coordination of law enforcement agencies, increased cooperation with the specialized agencies of other countries, and the adoption of new techniques envisaged by the new drug law, such as controlled deliveries and undercover purchases, have led in the past three years to successful results which were never possible in the past. We intend to continue along these lines, by strengthening legal instruments, increasing the number of drug liaison officers posted abroad, and enhancing controls to combat the diversion of precursor chemicals to illicit production. Italy also wishes to reiterate its confidence in the United Nations and its specialized agencies, first, to UNDCP and its Executive Director, Ambassador Giacomelli, and expresses its utmost dislike of those initiatives designed to limit its autonomy, efficiency and management. From the very outset UNDCP has adopted a well-balanced global strategy with which Italy fully agrees. It is clear that only by working on the one hand to reduce drug demand and supply and on the other hand to suppress drug trafficking can we hope to obtain genuine results. Italy finds particularly interesting the initiative started by UNDCP to involve more actively the non-governmental organizations, the voluntary workers, the media, the private sector, local institutions and the international sports movement in common action. In particular, Italy hopes that international financial institutions will be involved in common efforts for an alternative development such as substituting the cultivation of drug crops because so far they have shown little interest in this social aspect of the drug problem. We said that there is no sure remedy to the drug problem; so we should consider all the difficulties and problems posed by illicit drug abuse to individuals, communities and Governments at all levels. This approach should be based upon our great respect for life and for human beings. Within this framework Italy believes we should work for a common, deep and detailed study of the drug problem, to share experience, to make efforts at both domestic and international levels in a spirit of genuine solidarity and mutual assistance which Italy deems necessary to guarantee to us all, and especially to the generations of the young, a future of dignity and civilized progress as outlined in the Charter that established the United Nations.

I now call on His Excellency, Mr. Baltasar Garzón Real of Spain, delegate of the Government for the National Drug Plan.

I wish to begin by congratulating you, Mr. President, on the way in which you are conducting these high-level plenary meetings on drugs. For me, it is a great honour to have the opportunity to speak at this rostrum. I wish to express my delegation’s support for the statement made by the representative of Belgium on behalf of the States members of the European Community. The United Nations is the most appropriate forum for discussion of an issue that affects so many countries and should be approached from the perspective of its general impact. The drug problem is a world-wide issue involving the countries that produce drugs, those that process them, those that operate as transit points and those in which drugs are consumed. Moreover, the issue is complex in terms of harmful effects: drugs destroy their victims, generate petty crime and felonies, encourage the undermining of society and enable those who profit from them to dominate segments of society and to gain power by buying or corrupting free will. The need for our common determination to lead to coordinated responses should pervade our cool thinking about the current state of the problem. The time has come to pause and meditate on the solutions that should be adopted. I intend to advocate, in my country, the opening of a general debate to evaluate what has been achieved and to think about the future. We should come to this debate without any preconceived ideas or immovable dogmas. We must be open to the exchange of ideas. A similar process of reflection, within and from the United Nations, would be appropriate. This proposal is based on the conviction that the United Nations is the most appropriate forum and the optimum sounding-board for an exchange of ideas and for the adoption of decisions on new lines of action that would help us achieve our objectives. I should like to stress here the role of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs, which is the main policy-making body of the United Nations in the field of drug control. The strategies to combat the production of and trafficking in drugs should complement and be integrated into programmes to reduce demand. Efforts in a single area of activity cannot be effective, as they result in our losing sight of the need for a global approach. Hence, it is absolutely necessary that there be determined support for general prevention programmes that engender an authentic culture of the rejection of drugs in their broadest sense. But it must not be forgotten that prevention has to include avoidance of the dangers of organized crime - a problem that it is essential we combat resolutely and intelligently. On the other hand, with regard to drug consumption, it must be recognized that a drug addict should be regarded not as a criminal but as someone who is ill. Drug consumption should therefore be dealt with by administrative penalty - never by criminal action. Appropriate rehabilitation should be made available to enable the addict to be reintegrated into society. My country applies this policy so that, with the Spain’s National Drug Plan incorporates these different levels, and there is an input from public resources and from flexible and dynamic non-governmental organizations with a view to achieving more positive results in the rehabilitation of drug addicts and of their families and social settings and to provide some solutions for those who are dependent on drugs. In Spain, as in many other countries, the most serious health problems of drug consumers are those that result from HIV infection. Preventive measures to reduce the practice of injecting drugs are essential if the spread of this infection is to be controlled. As drugs are a social scourge, it is essential that society be actively involved in solving the problem. Otherwise, any policy will fail. Implementation of the Global Programme of Action in Member States requires ongoing encouragement at the international level and a firm commitment from every country. To this end, the recommendations contained in the Secretary-General’s report are an invaluable guide. My country has been following actively the process of modifying the United Nations structures in the field of drugs. We welcome the establishment of the United Nations International Drug Control Programme (UNDCP), as well as the consolidation of an appropriate administrative structure. This consolidation should enable UNDCP and its Executive Director, to whom we again express our support and esteem, to discharge fully their function of coordinating international activities in this field, while ensuring flexible and effective management. There remains the challenge of ensuring that the catalyst of the UNDCP will penetrate the United Nations system. In the present decade, the involvement of other agencies and the cooperation of international financial institutions, including provisions in their programmes and activities aimed at preventing the production of, trafficking in and consumption of drugs, are indispensable. The need for new approaches in the fight against drugs must extend to the control of drug trafficking. We must provide ourselves with the most suitable legal instruments and the best human and material resources. The response to However, success in the fight against drug trafficking cannot be bought at the cost of respect for fundamental rights. However complex the problem, Governments must not resort to criminal activity as a justification for violating the rules of democracy or the human rights of individuals. There is no reason of State greater than the democratic reason of its citizens. My country, as a member of the European Community and the Council of Europe, is prepared to cooperate now and in the immediate future because it understands the gravity of the drug phenomenon. It will therefore actively support the Community’s policy and always promote policies devised in broad consensus with other countries. The Maastricht Treaty, which will soon come into force, will require greater European cooperation in the fight against drugs. My country, as a member of the European Communities, is prepared to cooperate actively towards the attainment of that objective. At the same time Spain will pursue its efforts to cooperate with the countries of Latin America and North Africa in facing up to such complex challenges as those presented here, nurturing the right to free and democratic development and the establishment of more just and equitable international economic relations. We must not forget that the countries affected must be offered alternative solutions and resolute support so that they can face the problem. The results achieved at these meetings will have my Government’s attention, and I am sure that the Commission on Narcotic Drugs will take into account the work that lies ahead of us. The Commission on Narcotic Drugs must be the forum in which the initiatives here identified - such as the one most rightly proposed by Mexico - are developed, and in which all countries have the opportunity to express their concerns and receive a suitable response. The magnitude of the drug problem, which is becoming quite clear in the course of this debate, demands the firm and concerted action of all members of the international community.

First of all I should like to endorse fully the statement made earlier today by His Excellency Mr. Melchior Wathelet, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Justice and Economic Affairs of Belgium, on behalf of the European Community and its Member States. Like other delegates I wish also to make a brief national statement. The fight against drug-related crime continues to be a task of high priority for the Danish police. Considerable resources are used to fight drug crime at the national level, and the Danish police play an active role in the comprehensive international cooperation which takes place both within the European Community and outside it. But in Denmark we are very much aware that law enforcement alone will not curb the increase in drug crimes. Decisive weight should be given to a coordinated and balanced effort which comprises law enforcement and initiatives in both the social sector and the health sector. Developments in the drug area over the past few years call for a reconsideration of priorities. In Denmark we have discussed how best to use the considerable resources which are spent in the fight against illicit drugs. Developments over the past few years have shown that even a comprehensive law-enforcement strategy will not by itself solve the problem of illicit drugs. Moreover, police campaigns have been seen to have certain adverse effects. Among these are increased profits for the men behind organized drug crime and further degradation of life conditions among the people who are caught up in drug abuse. Therefore, I believe that we have reached the point where we must realize that there is a need for new approaches to the drug problem. I am not referring to the legalization of the non-medical use of drugs. Regarding this question the Danish Government fully agrees with the views and conclusions against legalization expressed by the International Narcotics Control Board. In situations where border controls are being reduced or abolished, the three United Nations Conventions which attempt to limit the use of drugs strictly to medical and scientific purposes are of special importance. In my view a change in our approach to drug abusers may be carried out in a controlled way so as to benefit both the drug abusers and society. In general, Danish prevention activities rest on the premise that the most important measures are of a general nature: we must ensure that children and young people grow up with good conditions of life and with free scope to develop their abilities. In Denmark the information aspect is traditionally considered to be very important. The basic principles for information about drugs are to provide objective knowledge rather than to create fear and to increase awareness rather than to moralize. It is important to initiate debate in the social groups where young people meet, as well as in society in general. A substantial part of prevention and education activities concerning substance abuse is carried out at the local level. The activities are run by public organizations, such as regional youth centres and schools, and by drug-abuse counsellors. Coordination groups have been set up which consist of representatives from the local schools, the social sector and the police. These efforts are supported at the national level by coordination measures, professional advice and information material. In Denmark the organization and implementation of social relief measures in relation to drug addicts are decentralized. Responsibility lies with the counties and the municipal authorities. It is the task of the municipal authorities to alleviate the general social problems of individuals and families. The task of the counties is to contribute in the case of individuals, such as drug addicts, requiring special treatment. Public services aimed at drug addicts are complemented by work undertaken by private or voluntary charity organizations. The Danish Government provides funding for those organizations. Treatment measures focus on the actual addiction problem as well as on the underlying reasons for addiction, and a variety of social remedies are made use of. Initiatives involve resocialization, rehabilitation and care. The overall The question of groups with severe social problems, including drug addicts, is given high priority by the Danish Government. The Minister for Social Affairs closely follows efforts in this field in order to ensure that adequate treatment and social-relief measures are available in counties and municipalities. Finally, I should like to confirm Danish support for coordinated international action in the fight against illicit drugs. In this respect the role of the United Nations, and especially the United Nations International Drug Control Programme, is crucial. Denmark expects that the Programme will play a major role in future international efforts against drug abuse.

I now call upon Mr. James B. Moultrie, Permanent Representative of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas.

I have the honour to speak on behalf of the 12 States of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) that are States Members of the United Nations. CARICOM States are deeply disturbed by the severity of the illicit drug problem, the devastating consequences of which are substantiated by the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) and other competent bodies. The problem continues unabated nearly a century after the international community began cooperative efforts for drug- abuse control at Shanghai in 1909. It persists notwithstanding the rigorous and decisive action taken in recent years to improve the institutions, rules and programmes of the international régime for controlling the illicit production and abuse of, and trafficking in, narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances. This is not to say that drug-abuse control efforts have not yielded tangible, substantive and measurable results. They have. Those results have, however, fallen far short of what is required for the control - and certainly for the elimination - of the illicit-drug problem. Consequently, the General Assembly has challenged us to examine urgently the status of international cooperation in drug-abuse control and to strengthen and enhance that cooperation with a view to pursuing and achieving key drug-control objectives at the national, regional and international levels. The CARICOM States are encouraged that this initiative focuses on the international drug-control system, which for nearly 50 years has been centred in the United Nations. An examination of The CARICOM States hold that the effectiveness of the drug-abuse control system is dependent on the political will and commitment of States to take decisive action to make it work. It is States that must ratify the international drug- control treaties, which contribute significantly to the global fight against drug abuse and illicit trafficking. CARICOM States realize, however, that the full impact of the treaties will not be felt until all States ratify them and implement their provisions. The Secretary-General reports that an increasing number of States are in fact ratifying the treaties. CARICOM States are among those that have ratified all the treaties, and one CARICOM State, the Bahamas, was the very first to ratify the 1988 Convention. We can therefore join in launching an organized effort to encourage universal ratification of the treaties and to give priority to the implementation of or adherence to their provisions. CARICOM States are also among those that have administrative measures for the control of both the illicit and licit trade in narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances and that are endeavouring to bring national legislation into line with the provisions of the treaties. While we believe that preference should not be given to any one of the drug-control treaties, CARICOM States support efforts to implement the provisions of the 1988 Convention that introduce new elements in the fight against drug abuse and illicit trafficking. These include article 5, on confiscation, article 7, on mutual legal assistance, and article 12, concerning precursors and essential chemicals. There has already been some experience within our subregion of materially cooperating with other States for the confiscation of the proceeds of drug trafficking. Those proceeds have been shared between the cooperating Governments. It is experiences such as these that must serve as examples of enhancing international cooperation in drug-abuse control. Article 10 of the 1988 Convention, on international cooperation and assistance to transit States, also suggests a new strategy for counteracting the drug problem, a strategy that is of particular importance to CARICOM States. We are all affected in varying degrees of severity by the illicit transit traffic in narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances from source and supply centres in South America to illicit markets in North America and Europe. Whether directly or indirectly, this illicit transit traffic has had an impact on the people of all of our countries, subjecting or exposing them to the scourge of drug abuse. It has torn at the fibres of society in our small island developing States and has obliged Through our own efforts, subregional efforts and joint efforts with other countries, including the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and France, we have achieved some success in bringing this illicit transit traffic under control, but it has been at a price that CARICOM Governments can ill afford to continue to pay. We therefore urge major donors, the Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) and the United Nations International Drug Control Programme (UNDCP) to give special attention to article 10 in international efforts to implement the 1988 Convention. CARICOM States are directly in the maritime routes from South to North America. Virtually all smuggling networks into and through our subregion, including the frequently used drug-drop method, involve some activity at sea. We therefore support and will participate to the extent possible in current CND and UNDCP efforts to implement article 17 of the 1988 Convention on illicit traffic by sea. We agree that initiatives in this area must take fully into account international law and practice, particularly the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. Primary responsibility for drug-abuse control rests with Governments, which must accord it high priority. This is the approach to which we agreed in the Global Programme of Action. CARICOM States believe that progress in achieving the objectives of the Global Programme of Action depends on how we perceive it. We see the Programme as much more than a consensus product of the General Assembly. It is a landmark agreement, a blueprint setting out comprehensive courses of action for all aspects of drug- abuse control and an essential element in the global strategy for drug-abuse control. The master plan approach which the UNDCP promotes provides a strategy for maximizing efforts to implement the Programme. CARICOM States regard master plans not as project documents, but as the articulation by Governments of their priorities and objectives in all areas of drug control and the steps which they intend to take to implement them. Master plans are nevertheless aids to international cooperation, providing a ready reference to the UNDCP, the United Nations system and the donor community of the areas developing country Governments have identified for priority action. CARICOM States can also support the impetus to establish of national coordinating machinery for drug-abuse control, since these make for more comprehensive and coherent strategies at the national level. CARICOM States support balanced drug-control strategies, which give appropriate priority to both primary prevention and treatment and rehabilitation. The development of drug-abuse assessment systems to monitor the nature, extent and patterns of drug abuse, the intensification of education and public information programmes and the establishment of partnerships with non-governmental organizations are all strategies we support. We are also prepared to consider creative approaches to demand reduction, including the creation of international obligations in this area. There is an urgent need to think and act creatively to support strategies that stimulate socio-economic growth and reinforce alternative rural development in developing countries where narcotic drugs are produced. CARICOM States believe that the evident links between poverty and deprivation and illicit drug production and trafficking in developing countries must be fully explored. Priority must also be given to restructuring international economic relations to ensure that the international economic system responds effectively to the efforts of developing countries to move their people away from illicit narcotics production to alternative crops. The interest demonstrated by the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank in these areas is promising. Debt-for-drugs swaps are currently being considered. CARICOM States hope to see positive results in this area, results which take into account and include indebted transit States. The UNDCP, created by the General Assembly to lead and coordinate international drug-abuse-control efforts within the United Nations system and internationally, is to serve as the crucible for forging new ideas and approaches. The UNDCP has shown great promise in its three short years of operation. We are anxious to see it attain its full potential. We wish to emphasize here that while it is essential to give a degree of flexibility to the UNDCP, it is, in the final analysis, an instrument in the hands of Governments. It will make a distinct and valuable contribution only if Governments give it clear directives and the authority and prestige to carry them out. Diverse and equitable participation in the work of the UNDCP will provide the depth of experience essential for formulating viable drug- control strategies and policies to meet objectives in all regions of the world. UNDCP must be assisted by the United Nations system in its effort to lead and coordinate an international response commensurate with the global dimensions of the illicit-drug crisis. We therefore support the System-Wide Action Plan Drug Abuse Control as an instrument for effective, system- wide cooperation. We urge the entities and agencies of the system to make determined efforts to formulate agency- specific implementation plans which incorporate the Action Plan, and urge that Member States in oversight bodies keep their action for drug-abuse control fully under review. We also support close cooperation between the UNDCP and the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice on transnational drug-related crime. The Commission on Narcotic Drugs is the principal policy-making body for drug-abuse control within the United Nations system. It must determine the principles and procedures for strengthening international cooperation, accelerating the pace of drug-control countermeasures and improving its own functioning. This high-level session is set to pass on to the Commission a number of important tasks which will require penetrating analysis of leading socio-economic, legal, political and security questions arising from the illicit-drug phenomenon. To carry out these tasks effectively, the Commission must function according to its mandate as a body of experts in the drug-related fields. CARICOM States believe it would be appropriate for the Commission to turn to a core group of experts from among its Member States to assist it in implementing the mandates of the high-level session, a task in which it should also be assisted by the Heads of National Drug Law Enforcement Agencies and the Subcommission. CARICOM States will also support the request to the Economic and Social Council to give priority to the consideration of drug-control issues. We intend to participate fully when the Council examines the coordination aspects of drug-abuse control, as well as in its high-level review of the drug problem. No State can rely solely on its own efforts to control the illicit production, trafficking and demand for narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances. Each has an essential role to play in enforcing global standards and norms to control this transnational problem. The Declaration of the International Conference on Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking said that drug-abuse control was the collective responsibility of all States, a principle reiterated by the seventeenth special session of the General Assembly and in numerous resolutions and decisions throughout the United Nations system. Although boundaries should not constitute insuperable obstacles to our collective efforts, CARICOM States are unequivocal in their view that shared responsibility for drug control must fully respect international law and practice, including the provisions of the United Nations Charter. This approach is essential if we are to prevent tensions from arising between countries which must be partners in the war against drugs. This high-level session must be a catalyst for dynamic and effective cooperation in international drug control, grounded in the progress we have made. Regional organizations and arrangements, including the Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission and CARICOM are playing an essential role in making the drug- control system truly global. The International Narcotics Control Board continues to maintain the high standards of its critical work of monitoring implementation of the international drug-control treaties and ensuring that States do not suffer from inertia in meeting their obligations under the international drug-control treaties. In its 1992 report, for example, the Board effectively dispelled the notion that legislation was an option for effective implementation of the drug-control treaties, a position which CARICOM States fully support.

I now call on Mr. Louis Galea, Minister for Home Affairs and Social Development of Malta.

We are gathered here today, this great family of nations, to consider once again at a global level the situation regarding drug abuse and illicit trafficking, to review the measures being adopted and the unstinting efforts required to deal with the problem effectively and to renew our commitment to take all necessary action on this matter, as a duty and service to mankind. In its report for 1993 the International Narcotics Control Board describes the drug abuse and illicit trafficking situation as grim. Undoubtedly, our primary duty is to follow the Board’s exhortation to ensure our efforts are continuous and balanced, and are carried out in an internationally concerted manner - and, may I add, in a nationally concerted manner - so that further positive results may be achieved. We owe this to our children, our youth and future generations. It is to be recalled that the Political Declaration adopted at the seventeenth special session of the General Assembly specifically affirms that the fundamental responsibility to take the necessary actions to combat the drug problem rests with each State. Moreover, the Global Programme of Action appeals to States to take the necessary follow-up measures to promote and implement the Programme and to translate it into practical action to the widest possible extent. At the same time, the struggle against drugs is recognized as a shared responsibility requiring action on a global scale through regional and international coordination and initiatives. The setting up of the United Nations International Drug Control Programme (UNDCP) in 1990, with the exclusive responsibility to coordinate all United Nations drug control activities, promote the implementation of international conventions on the subject and provide effective leadership in international drug control, is a vivid example of putting one’s beliefs into practice. The benefits of this measure are already being reaped; UNDCP is working in close Malta, a small, developing nation at the crossroads of the Mediterranean, an intercultural meeting place where North meets South and East meets West, has not been spared the ravages of drugs. With its limited financial and human resources, it is trying to control the problem at the national level, and to contribute at a regional and international level in an integrated and comprehensive manner. In August 1988 two structures were set up - an Inter-Ministerial Committee to ensure the implementation of appropriate measures and a National Commission including experts from the governmental and non-governmental sectors - with the specific mandates of formulating recommendations, maintaining international contacts and coordinating and developing all necessary services. The master-plan approach was adopted, with an analysis of the existing drug problems in the country, an assessment of existing drug control efforts and the identification of those activities needed for more effective control. Much has been achieved. But much more still needs to be done. While there is a demand for drugs, there will always be a supply. Demand reduction is therefore one of the priorities, in order to eliminate the illicit demand for narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances. Prevention and education, in whatever form, play a major role in this. Life skills and personal and social education programmes have been introduced in school curricula. Specific training courses have been offered to life skills teachers and guidance and counselling teachers, with the assistance of foreign experts. Other teachers have been awarded scholarships for the purpose of receiving the appropriate training abroad. The Chemical Abuse Awareness Unit within the Education Department and the Health Education Unit within the Health Department undertake programmes aimed at achieving proper behavioral roles. National anti-drug campaigns through the mass media are conducted by the National Commission which also publishes drug awareness and information literature directed at various strata of society. On the treatment side, we have two detoxification units, one in Malta and one on the sister island of Gozo. Round-the-clock services are available at the units and in community clinics. Drug abusers thus have access to the treatment they may require. A residential drug dependence unit for long-term detoxification has been established, with a separate hostel for female drug abusers who are undergoing the detoxification programme within the unit. Drug abusers seeking treatment are tested for hepatitis and HIV. Social workers and medical staff have received training abroad, and in-service training courses are provided for those working with drug abusers. A Working Committee set up at the beginning of this year to evaluate the treatment services in the fields of drug and alcohol abuse has completed its work, and its recommendations are being actively considered for implementation according to priority. The Government firmly believes that non-governmental organizations can play a pivotal role in demand reduction activities and non-medical treatment or rehabilitation of drug abusers. Caritas (Malta) has for many years been at the forefront, carrying out its prevention work through seminars, lectures and training courses for parents, teachers and the community at large, and through its various publications. It also runs its own structures which provide non-medical rehabilitation programmes for drug abusers. More recently, the Independent Organization for Assistance and Solidarity (OASI), a non-governmental foundation, was set up to undertake prevention activities within the community of Gozo and to undertake rehabilitation programmes for drug abusers and alcoholics. The Government concretely supports such organizations. The issue of law enforcement is a crucial aspect that also has to be given priority. Malta is not a producing country, but its strategic position, with a relatively long shoreline, with its yachting facilities, increasing air traffic, ever-expanding tourist industry and transshipment facilities can make it an ideal location for transit traffic. But Malta refuses to be a transit zone. Coordinated action between its law enforcement forces has already achieved modest successes. Specialized courses have been run by foreign experts for armed forces, customs and police personnel. The setting up of a Customs Anti-Drug Squad was followed by the formation of a sniffer dog section within the Squad. In-service courses on drug awareness, search and identification are being run by the Customs Department for all customs personnel. Police recruits at the Police Academy The creation of the National Drugs Intelligence Unit, presently in its infancy, for the purpose of intelligence gathering and dissemination, is intended to enhance the control of illicit traffic through cooperation and coordination between all three forces and with other national and international or regional units. Recognition must be given to UNDCP for a technical and financial agreement which has made possible the implementation of a number of the measures I have outlined. Malta is committed to international cooperation. It is a member of INTERPOL, the Customs Cooperation Council and the Pompidou Group. It participates in the sessions of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs as well as in several international conferences and meetings. It has entered into bilateral agreements with other States with a view to consolidating reciprocal efforts in controlling drug abuse and trafficking. It will also be participating in the so-called Teledrug Operation, and the relevant treaty with the Government of Italy has been signed in this respect. Malta is a party to the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs of 1961, as amended by the 1972 Protocol, and to the Convention on Psychotropic Substances of 1971. Although not yet a party to the Convention against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances of 1988, it is our declared intention to become a party to it as soon as the appropriate legislation is in place, and we are already abiding by the reporting requirements under this Convention. At present a bill to amend our Dangerous Drugs Ordinance is before our Parliament, seeking to introduce in its provision on, inter alia, money-laundering offenses, pre-trial financial investigations and controlled delivery. We intend to present other proposed legislation for consideration. Unscrupulously, drug traffickers take advantage of areas with political, social and economic problems. The corruption and violence associated with drug trafficking can destabilize a whole country or a whole region. It can be a threat to the security of any nation and of any region. For instance, events in Central and Eastern Europe and the flexibility with which drug traffickers can alter their routes should make us look upon drug trafficking as being a threat to the security of the Mediterranean region in the same way as it is a threat to other areas of the globe. This means that joint efforts should continue to be undertaken to strengthen the operational efficacy of national and international law Malta renews its pledge to support fully the concerted efforts being made by the United Nations to control the world drug problem. We commit ourselves to the Political Declaration adopted by this Assembly at its seventeenth special session. We endorse the recommendations presented before us today and associate ourselves with the principles enunciated in the Tehran Declaration as we too firmly believe in the "importance of human dignity and of human aspirations to a decent life based on moral, humanitarian and spiritual values in a healthy and safe environment". (E/CN.7/1993/2, p. 9)

I now call on Mr. Alecos Shambos, the Permanent Representative of Cyprus.

Over the past two decades, the spread of illicit drugs has assumed unprecedented proportions. It has already reached every part of the globe. No nation has remained immune to the devastating effects of drug abuse. The magnitude of the problem was duly highlighted by the General Assembly at the special session in 1990. The relevant United Nations International Drug Control Programme has done much to enhance the overall structure and framework for drug-abuse control. The narcotic plague is, however, still with us, without any sign of subsiding. We have gathered here today, specialists and policy makers together, to think of new ways of facing more resolutely the catastrophic manifestations of the evil of drugs in human society. Thus far, in the light of the universal commitment to eliminate the curse of drug abuse, the determined approach of the United Nations to control drug production and trafficking has drawn considerable support and cooperation all over the world. The declared war on drugs is indeed one of the ultimate priorities of the world community, and that war cannot be won without concerted international cooperation and action. To further this end, the present deliberations of the Assembly will hopefully add new determined efforts generating a greater impetus in the fight against drug abuse and new resoluteness in facing the challenges lying ahead. Cyprus remains fully committed to the cause of combating the scourge of drugs through coordinated regional and international mechanisms which could yield effective action and results - the more so since my country is geographically situated in a region considered to be one of Believing, as we do, that the problem can be effectively tackled only by drastic action and decisive international cooperation, we participate in various United Nations bodies combating the spread of narcotic drugs. Moreover, we cooperate effectively with European organizations, such as the Council of Europe, especially the Pompidou Group. This participation is strengthened by our ratification of the international Conventions against drugs of 1961, 1971 and 1988, and by bilateral agreements on drug control that we have concluded with interested countries. Cyprus has also acceded to the Council of Europe Convention on Laundering, Search, Seizure and Confiscation of the Proceeds from Crime. On a national level, legislation has recently been promulgated, providing heavier penalties such as life imprisonment and confiscation of proceeds from the trafficking of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances. Cyprus serves as host to full-time drug liaison officers and cooperates with INTERPOL and other agencies on international drug-trafficking cases. It is worth mentioning that 14 liaison officers from various countries are posted in Cyprus on a permanent basis. Through coordinated action, we have steadily been successful in effecting significant arrests and seizures both in Cyprus and in other countries. A serious impediment, however, to the combating of crime by the police and enforcement agencies of the Republic of Cyprus is the fact that 37 per cent of our territory has been under occupation since 1974. This unacceptable situation creates ideal conditions for drug trafficking, as the illegally used ports and airports in the occupied areas are not under the supervision and control of the Government. Prevention, treatment and rehabilitation constitute a very significant component of our strategy in the fight against drugs. In this connection, although we are not yet experiencing a serious drug-abuse problem within our Meanwhile, the Government is following a policy of introducing preventive programmes based on education and the dissemination of information. The main purpose of this policy is the training of such persons as teachers, parents and administrators on a nation-wide basis to sever as the focal points in increasing awareness on all levels and, above all, the utilization of the strong structure of the Cypriot family against the use of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances. The National Information Committee is the body responsible for offering advice and drug counselling. A special programme is now under review to reinforce the existing related services. Similarly, in the field of treating drug abusers, our target is to establish a special detoxification centre. Rehabilitation is the other leg of our policy. In our effort to reintegrate drug abusers into society and to provide a social infrastructure, we offer professional training to former drug addicts and encourage acceptance of them by the public. Finally, I stress that resources are a very important element in our fight against drugs. Cyprus, like other small countries, has inadequate resources to combat effectively the trafficking in and distribution of drugs. We hope that, through an internationally regulated assistance project aimed at securing improved education, training and equipment, the fight against drugs will eventually emerge as a considerably more effective fight throughout the globe, for the benefit of the present and future generations of mankind.