NGLS Roundup, July 1998 COUNTERING THE WORLD DRUG PROBLEM TOGETHER The 20th Special Session of the UN General Assembly, entitled Countering the World Drug Problem Together, took place at UN headquarters in New York from 8-11 June 1998. It brought together heads of state and government, ministers, ambassadors, heads of agencies and other high-level officials, and representatives of NGOs to assess the international drug problem and develop a forward-looking strategy for the 21st century, centred on the principle of a balanced approach between supply and demand reduction. Main themes under consideration at the special session were the eradication of illicit crops and alternative development; amphetamine-type stimulants; precursor chemicals; reduction of demand; money-laundering; and judicial cooperation. The special session consisted of a plenary session where heads of delegations presented country positions, an Ad Hoc Committee where UN and other international and regional agencies as well as NGOs made statements, and where governments concluded any remaining business for final adoption in the plenary. A variety of panels, seminars and briefings organized by the UN International Drug Control Programme (UNDCP), UN agencies, governments and NGOs were also convened. The special session was somewhat unusual in that its preparatory process succeeded in reaching agreement at the March 1998 session of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs (see Go Between 68) on the declarations, action programmes and measures that were submitted for adoption at the special session, which left little to be negotiated at the session itself. A total of 158 speakers addressed the plenary, including 23 heads of state, eight prime ministers and one vice-president. Government delegations included representatives from a wide range of ministries including foreign affairs, interior/internal affairs, public health and family services, trade and economic cooperation and law enforcement. NGOs attending the session also came from a range of backgrounds and approached the drug problem from a variety of angles. Development NGOs and religious organizations focussed on the nexus between illicit drug production and trade and poverty. They pointed out that, in addition to the environmental damage caused by drug crop cultivation (use of marginal and fragile lands, and unregulated use and disposal of toxic chemicals), the war on drugs has added aerial spraying of herbicides and other crop destruction methods. One NGO noted that highly controversial chemical and biological agents used to destroy drug crops would be barred from these countries in any context other than a drug eradication programme. Human rights organizations pointed out instances in which they said current anti-drug policies and practices had resulted in serious human rights violations in countries around the world. They also addressed the way in which increased militarization of law enforcement and the attendant technologies of surveillance were being redirected from anti-drug efforts to counter-insurgency in certain countries and regions. Some NGOs called for decriminalization and legalization of some illegal drugs, and social welfare organizations discussed their experiences in working with individuals and communities devastated by drug use. BACKGROUND The Commission on Narcotic Drugs acted as a preparatory body for the special session, where open-ended deliberations allowed for the full participation of all member states of the UN and of specialized agencies and observers. The first session of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs, acting as the special session's preparatory committee (PrepCom), took place in Vienna on 26-27 March 1997. During the PrepCom it was decided to hold three informal intersessional meetings to make progress in consideration of themes of the special session. At the second PrepCom, held from 16-20 March 1998 in Vienna, action plans and declarations were agreed upon. DRUGS: A MULTIFACETED CHALLENGE The sheer scale of the illicit drug industry was emphasized by many speakers at the session. "We certainly have our work cut out for us," noted UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan. "At an estimated US$400 billion annually, the drug trade is larger than the oil and gas trade, larger than the chemicals and pharmaceuticals business and twice as big as the motor vehicles industry." According to UNDCP Spokesperson Sandro Tucci, there are about 150-170 million people in the world who use illicit drugs. Of that number, about eight million are heroin addicts, 14 million are cocaine addicts, and about 130-140 million are regular or occasional users of cannabis. UNDCP estimates users of amphetamine-type stimulants (ATS) to be around 30 million people. Determining how many people consume illegal drugs is inherently difficult to measure and is complicated by the fact that many users abuse more than one type of drug. However it is clear that illegal drugs are used in every region of the world. "New disturbing realities have emerged during this decade," explained General Hugo Banzer Suarez, President of Bolivia. "Countries which were only in the sphere of drug production are today also consumers," he said. Production is also rising dramatically in many countries, particularly developed ones that were previously categorized as consumers. The few "great arteries" of the drug trade have split and multiplied into a wide web of "drug-flow capillaries" in response to eradication campaigns, facilitated by economic globalization and liberalization. Some "transit" countries (such as Iran and many Caribbean islands) are experiencing a heavy flow of drugs through their borders by virtue of their geographic location. "The debate between drug supplying and drug consuming nations about whose responsibility the drug problem is has gone on too long," said US President Bill Clinton. "It does not dismantle a single cartel, help a single addict, prevent a single child from trying and perhaps dying from heroin. Besides, the lines between countries that are supply countries, demand countries, and transit countries are increasingly blurred." According to UNDCP Executive Director Pino Arlacchi, this blurring of distinctions has broken down polarized positions that in the past blocked the international decision-making process around questions of burden sharing and responsibility between supply and demand. Abuse of illegal drugs brings with it a multitude of problems, both for the individual and for society. It directly affects the health of users and destroys family relations and communities. Jocelyn Dow, an NGO panellist said, "Caribbean society, that once prided itself as literate and civilised,' is now fragmenting and re-organizing in ways that are frightening and that seem to internally mirror the attitude of international disregard and irrelevance that is now visited on small economies everyone is at risk, no values are permanent and people are expendable. The more one is treated as expendable in the legal, globalized economy, the more we turn for survival to the other economy, which is the economy of drug production and trade." Intravenous drug use in particular has been implicated in the spread of HIV/AIDS. Economic costs of drug abuse include medical costs, increased crime, reduced productivity of users and multiple indirect costs. A report by UNDCP describes how drug traffickers have worked their way into key positions in some countries. "Political power," it warns, "limits the risk of apprehension and has the potential to legitimize drug traffickers, to transform them into honourable citizens or investors." Illegal drugs contribute substantially to crime. At the international level, a dangerous nexus has developed between organized crime, drugs and the arms trade, with drug money playing a prominent role in helping to finance a number of civil wars and conflicts. At the local level crime rates are increasing as addicts, many unable to find or hold down a job, turn to crime to support their habit, and local dealers defend their market share and their product. *************************************************************************** NGO Village An NGO Village, sponsored by the Vienna and New York NGO Committees on Narcotic Drugs of the Conference of NGOs in Consultative Relationship with the United Nations (CONGO), provided NGOs attending the special session with a programme of activities and meeting space. Topics of discussion and presentations included a range of drug-related issues such as drug control policy and research; drug abuse prevention, treatment and rehabilitation; HIV/AIDS prevention and education; decriminalization; mental health; harm reduction; reduction of drug demand; the role of the media; and issues affecting women, youth, war veterans and minorities. Events included a presentation by Uganda Youth Development Link (UYDEL), which addressed the problem of drug abuse among street children in Uganda and underscored root causes as well as related issues stemming from such abuse. Factors that UYDEL said force children to the streets, where nine out of ten become drug users, include poverty; the HIV/AIDS epidemic, which has orphaned virtually an entire generation of children; rural-to-urban migration patterns relating to employment opportunities; and the collapse of the traditional extended family. To address these problems, UYDEL is working to empower and involve entire communities through outreach and peer education. Contact: UYDEL, Victoria House, Plot 25, Namirembe Road, Bakuli Junction, PO Box 12659, Kampala, Uganda, telephone +256 41 258 525, fax +256 41 258 535, e-mail . *************************************************************************** DRUG WAR OR HEALTH CRISIS? The session was not without controversy. NGOs, the press, and to a lesser extent some governments vigorously criticized past policies and practices in the war on drugs. "We believe that the global war on drugs is now causing more harm than drug abuse itself," said a letter published in the New York Times by the Soros-financed Lindesmith Center and signed by hundreds of prominent individuals from around the world, including former UN Secretary-General Xavier Perez de Cuellar, former US Secretary of State George P. Schultz, and South African human rights activist Helen Suzman. They said that misguided "drug-war" policies have "empowered organized criminals, corrupted governments at all levels, eroded internal security, stimulated violence, and distorted both economic markets and moral values." Instead, they advocated "a truly open and honest dialogue regarding the future of global drug control policies one in which fear, prejudice and punitive prohibitions yield to common sense, science, public health and human rights." Some governments, particularly those of countries in which production predominates, said a focus on eradicating the supply of drugs while ignoring demand was an unbalanced approach. "The human, social and institutional costs in meeting such demand [for drugs] is paid by producing and transit countries," said Mexican President Ernesto Zedillo. "It is our men and women who die first in combatting drug trafficking. It is our governments which are the first to divert resources needed to fight poverty to serve as the first trench in this war." The effectiveness of the supply-side approach was also questioned. "It is no use stopping opium cultivation in one place just to see more grown elsewhere," said UK Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott on behalf of the European Union (EU). "We gain nothing by closing one trafficking route to see another opened. We need to be committed to stifle the availability of drugs on the streets and the damage they cause. And we need to reduce the demand for illegal drugs." Some NGOs expressed skepticism about the achievements of the session, pointing out that what was "new," aside from the very welcome declaration on reduction of demand, was largely rhetorical while the more detailed programmes remained focused on crop eradication, albeit tempered by efforts to establish alternative development programmes. OUTCOMES The session adopted by consensus a Political Declaration, a Declaration on the Guiding Principles of Drug Demand Reduction, and a five-part text on measures to enhance international cooperation to counter the world drug problem. Governments and UN officials hailed the new package of measures as a bold initiative. Central to the new approach are principles of demand reduction and alternative development. Mr. Arlacchi pointed out that while demand reduction might seem an obvious priority, the international community's laws and treaties make almost no mention of it. Political Declaration In the Political Declaration governments committed themselves to overcoming the world drug problem through domestic and international strategies to reduce both supply and demand. Governments also pledged to provide resources for treatment and rehabilitation, work with youth in order to reduce demand for drugs, and to pay special attention to emerging trends in the illicit manufacture, trafficking and consumption of synthetic drugs. The Political Declaration contains a number of measures to be implemented by target dates. "By putting forward a bold objective a drastic reduction of both supply and demand for drugs by the year 2008, the Political Declaration signifies a global consensus on the shared responsibility of all countries for the successful outcome of the fight against drug abuse and illicit trafficking," said GA President and chair of the special session Hennadiy Udovenko (Ukraine). Member states committed themselves, by the year 2003, to: -- establish new or enhanced drug reduction strategies and programmes; -- establish or strengthen national legislation and programmes to combat the illicit manufacture, trafficking and abuse of amphetamine-type stimulants and their precursors; -- adopt national legislation and programmes to counter money laundering; and -- strengthen multilateral, regional and bilateral cooperation among judicial and law enforcement authorities to deal with criminal organizations involved in drug-related crimes. Members states committed themselves, by the year 2008, to: -- eliminate or significantly reduce the manufacture, marketing and trafficking of psychotropic substances and the diversion of precursors; -- achieve significant and measurable results in demand reduction; and -- achieve significant and measurable results in the reduction of illicit cultivation of the coca bush, cannabis plant and the opium poppy. Declaration on Demand Reduction "The most effective approach towards the drug problem," notes the Declaration on the Guiding Principles of Drug Demand Reduction, "consists of a comprehensive, balanced and coordinated approach, encompassing supply control and demand reduction reinforcing each other, together with the appropriate application of the principle of shared responsibility." (The principle of shared responsibility, frequently cited in the texts adopted by the special session, implies that countries in which the demand for illicit drugs predominates share responsibility with countries that are major producers.) The declaration sets out standards to assist governments to establish drug demand reduction programmes by the target date of 2003 as identified in the Political Declaration. Governments pledge a "sustained political, social, health and educational commitment to investing in demand reduction programmes." The declaration stipulates that the programmes should cover all areas of prevention, from discouraging initial use to reducing the negative health and social consequences of drug abuse. These should include, among other things, information, education, public awareness, early intervention, counselling, treatment, rehabilitation, relapse prevention, aftercare and social reintegration. The declaration also contains standards to guide governments to set up effective treatment and rehabilitation programmes including within the criminal justice system and calls for the provision of adequate resources for such programmes. It notes that collaboration among governments, NGOs, parents, teachers, health professionals, youth and community organizations, employers' and workers' organizations, and the private sector is crucial to an accurate assessment of the problem, identification of viable solutions, and formulation and implementation of appropriate policies and programmes. Measures for International Cooperation The text on measures for international cooperation contains sections on an Action Plan against Illicit Manufacture, Trafficking and Abuse of Amphetamine-type Stimulants and Their Precursors, such as ecstasy and methamphetamine; Control of Precursors, which contains measures to improve international control of chemicals used in the manufacture of illegal drugs; Measures to Promote International Judicial Cooperation, such as extradition, mutual legal assistance, and transfer of proceedings; Countering Money Laundering, a document that reaffirms international commitment to the 1988 convention provisions on the proceeds of crime, and establishes principles upon which further anti-money laundering measures should be based; and an Action Plan on International Cooperation on Eradication of Illicit Drug Crops and on Alternative Development. Action Plan Against Amphetamine-type Stimulants According to UNDCP some 30 million people consume amphetamine-type stimulants illegally more than those using cocaine and heroin combined with recipes for their clandestine manufacture widely available. The Action Plan against Illicit Manufacture, Trafficking and Abuse of Amphetamine-type Stimulants and Their Precursors, adopted by consensus at the special session, is to be implemented by 2003 in order to reduce supply and demand for these increasingly popular synthetic drugs, including "ecstasy" and methamphetamine, by the year 2008. The ATS action plan calls upon states and international bodies such as UNDCP and the World Health Organization (WHO) to work toward demand reduction through research and information gathering; study of the social, economic and cultural driving forces of demand for ATS; identification of effective prevention and treatment measures; public education; and coordination with NGOs working in these areas. It calls on states to ensure that their laws regarding illegal drugs apply to information on the Internet as well as other forms of information, and it calls on them to disseminate widely the adverse health and social and economic consequences of ATS abuse. On the supply-side, the ATS action plan points says that "for amphetamine-type stimulants, the principal supply control strategies are to target trafficking, stop illicit manufacture, and prevent diversion of laboratory equipment and the chemical starting materials (the precursors)." The latter is particularly important, notes the ATS action plan, "because it is the precursors rather than the end-products of amphetamine-type stimulants that are trafficked interregionally." In targeting clandestine manufacture, authorities are advised to monitor manufacture methods, develop drug signature analysis and profiling; monitor sales of laboratory equipment; and train enforcement and control personnel. Control of Precursors Governments adopted measures for the control of chemicals used in manufacture or processing of illegal drugs, calling for legislation and national control systems including a system of control and licensing of the enterprises and persons manufacturing such substances. They called for regular exchange of information between exporting, importing and transit states on exports of precursors before they take place, on suspicious transactions and on seizures of precursors. Measures for improved data collection were also adopted. So far precursor control has been pursued mainly by a relatively small number of countries; the text adopted at the special session sets out measures toward more universal international cooperation in precursor control, including promoting awareness and responding more effectively to efforts of drug producers and processors to obtain substitute chemicals. Judicial Cooperation According to UNDCP, drug criminals take advantage of today's open borders and open markets, and they thrive where laws and institutions are weak. Without increased cooperation among judicial and law enforcement authorities, virtually none of the international treaty provisions against drug trafficking can be implemented. The special session adopted measures to promote judicial cooperation among states including in the areas of extradition; mutual legal assistance; transfer of proceedings in criminal matters; other forms of cooperation and training; controlled delivery of drugs; illicit traffic by sea; and complementary measures such as protection of judges and other persons, new investigative techniques, harmonization of procedures, development or strengthening of legal institutions, and improvement of professionalism of criminal justice personnel. Countering Money Laundering The laundering of earnings from the trade and sale of illicit drugs has expanded to such an extent that it has become "a global threat to the integrity, reliability and stability of financial and trade systems and even government structures," says the text on money laundering adopted by the special session. It urges states to establish legislative frameworks to criminalize the laundering of money and calls for an effective financial and regulatory regime through means such as consumer identification and verification requirements; financial record-keeping; reporting of suspicious activity; removal of bank secrecy impediments; and other relevant measures including in law enforcement. Crop Eradication and Alternative Development The Action Plan on International Cooperation on the Eradication of Illicit Drug Crops and on Alternative Development outlines objectives that will inform government strategies, programmes and international cooperation in fulfilment of their commitment to eliminate or significantly reduce illicit cultivation of the opium poppy, the coca bush and the cannabis plant in ten years. The action plan encourages a move away from a purely supply-oriented, crop eradication strategy, recognizing that "the problem of the illicit production of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances is often related to development problems." Alternative development, the centrepiece of the new approach, is "intended to promote lawful and sustainable socio-economic options for those communities and population groups that have resorted to illicit cultivation as their only means of obtaining a livelihood." The action plan makes a reference to the principle of shared responsibility and reaffirms that the fight against drugs must be pursued "with full respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of States, the principle of non-intervention in internal affairs of States, and all human rights and fundamental freedoms." A section on international cooperation for alternative development calls for support from the international community for efforts by states. International financial institutions are encouraged to provide assistance for alternative development. The action plan calls on governments to integrate alternative development into their plans to eradicate crops. It defines alternative development as "a process to prevent and eliminate the illicit cultivation of plants containing narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances through specifically designed rural development measures in the context of sustained economic growth and sustainable development efforts..." UNDCP notes that over the last decade, alternative development programmes complemented by law enforcement measures have successfully reduced drug crops in several countries including Pakistan, Peru and Thailand. While farmers might earn a lower income, said Mr. Arlacchi, since it is difficult to compete with prices for illegal crops, they could enjoy an improved quality of life with hospitals, roads and basic infrastructure. NGOs argued, however, that alternative development strategies would have limited impact given the larger forces of trade liberalization in a globalized economy. The action plan says law enforcement should complement and complete alternative development efforts. It points out that "in cases of low-income production structures among peasants, alternative development is more sustainable and socially and economically more appropriate than forced eradication." Regarding law enforcement, the action plan distinguishes situations where there is organized criminal involvement in cultivation and production, in which it advocates "measures such as eradication, destruction of illicit drug crops and arrests." In areas where alternative sources of income are judged to exist, the action plan advocates "enforcement measures...against persistent illicit cultivation of narcotic crops." In areas where alternative development programmes have not yet created viable alternative income opportunities, the action plan notes that "the application of forced eradication might endanger the success of alternative development programmes." The action plan does not specify how to deal with situations that demonstrate a mixture of the conditions described above. INSTITUTIONAL ISSUES The Administrative Committee on Coordination (ACC), made up of the executive heads of agencies and programmes of the United Nations system, issued a joint statement that was acknowledged by the special session. The statement, which describes ACC efforts to address drug-related questions throughout the UN system says, "We have undertaken measures to develop, not only coordination, but real collaboration...especially at the field level." The statement stresses the importance of including drug-related issues in the planning of assistance programmes in the UN's country strategy notes and the UN Development Assistance Framework, as well as in the context of peace-building in conflict and post-conflict situations. Governments also took note of, but stopped short of endorsing, actions contained in the report of a 13-member expert group convened to review the UN International Drug Control Programme and to strengthen the UN machinery for international drug control. The expert group, convened by the Secretary-General, is holding two further sessions--in June 1998 in Vienna and in November 1998 in New York--before submitting its final report to the Commission on Narcotic Drugs at its 42nd session in 1999. The expert group's brief progress report to the special session assesses the contemporary drug situation, describes the international institutional framework for addressing the problem of drugs, and makes observations on current financing arrangements for UNDCP. RELATED EVENTS UNDCP, together with a number of other UN bodies, organized a series of six discussion panels during the special session. One panel on Children, Young People and Drug Abuse, organized by the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), UN Population Fund (UNFPA) and UNDCP, featured presentations by young people involved in drug prevention work. It also highlighted the outcomes of two recent conferences in which young people from around the world met to discuss the drug problem. The conferences were entitled Vision from Banff, held in Canada, and Youth Charter for a 21st Century Free of Drugs, held in Paris (France). A panel on Drugs and Productivity, organized by the International Labour Organization (ILO), examined the links between substance abuse and productivity, with particular reference to economic and social costs involved. The panel considered ways in which information on the nature and extent of the problem could be more effectively collected and disseminated, and it considered future action that could be taken to encourage a greater number of employers to recognize the problem and launch effective counter measures. A panel on Drugs and Development, organized by the UN Development Programme (UNDP), examined links between the international drug problem and critical dimensions of development including poverty, employment creation, the environmental consequences of illicit drug cultivation and production, gender, and governance. The panel also considered the role that governments, NGOs, civil society and the UN system could play in tackling the drug problem through development policies and programmes. A panel on Drug Abuse and HIV/AIDS, organized by Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) and WHO, considered what needs to be done toward prevention of HIV, the treatment and care of those affected, and reduction of the demand for drugs as key goals of public health policy. The panel also examined links between drug injection and HIV/AIDS, and the relationship between drug abuse and sexual activity. Brazil's experience in dealing with HIV/AIDS was highlighted as well as ways in which donor countries and donor agencies can work more effectively with those countries where HIV/AIDS has become a catastrophic problem. A panel on Attacking the Profits of Crime: Drugs, Money and Laundering, organized by UNDCP, considered how international cooperation could lead to successful action against money laundering. The panel examined the extent to which offshore banking and bank secrecy act as impediments to the successful investigation and detection of money laundering, and actions that could counter this. A panel on Cutting the Supply Lines, organized by Interpol and the World Customs Organization, examined the most pressing issues facing enforcement services around the world. These included which strategies and techniques are best geared to tackling drug trafficking organizations and targeting their key figures; the points of weakness in these organizations, which law enforcement services might identify and exploit; how law enforcement should respond to developments such as the globalization of trade and relaxation of controls at points of entry and exit; and how law enforcement intelligence systems and techniques can keep pace with the sophistication and mobility of drug traffickers. The panel examined in particular problems faced by small island states in tackling drug trafficking. In addition to these events Germany convened a presentation on Alternative Development, the United Kingdom held a presentation on its drug strategy, Iran convened an exhibition and workshop on its efforts to halt the transit of drugs across its eastern borders, and an all-day workshop on Telling and Selling the Drug Story in the New Multi-Media Environment was held by UNDCP, the UN Department of Public Information (UN/DPI), Radio Televisione Italiana (RAI) and Italy. The workshop brought together experts, senior UN officials, the media and others to discuss how messages about drugs are reported and conveyed in the media. Contacts Sandro Tucci Spokesperson UN International Drug Control Programme Room E-1448 Vienna International Centre PO Box 500 A-1400 Vienna, Austria telephone +43-1/21345 5629 fax +43-1/21345 5931 web site (http://www.undcp.org) Bill Hass Development and Human Rights Section United Nations Department of Public Information Room S-1040 United Nations 1 UN Plaza New York NY 10017, United States telephone +1-212/963 0353 or 963 3771 fax +1-212/963 1186 This edition of NGLS Roundup was prepared by the United Nations Non-Governmental Liaison Service (NGLS). The NGLS Roundup is produced for NGOs and others interested in the institutions, policies and activities of the UN system and is not an official record. For more information or additional copies write to: NGLS, Palais des Nations, CH-1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland, fax +41-22/917 0049, e-mail or NGLS, Room FF-346, United Nations, New York NY 10017, United States, fax +1-212/963 8712, e-mail .