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UN: Plan of Action on Illicit Drugs

A high-level review of the 57th Session of the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs began in Vienna today March 13 2014. Over 1,500 representatives of member states and civil society organisations gathered at the political kitchen which is the UN, to plan a concerted action on the world drugs problem. Among the attendants is Her Majesty Queen Silvia of Sweden, UN Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson, the Executive Director of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Yury Fedotov, and many others.

Tomorrow, March 14, the cooked meal of world politics will be served to the attendants of the member states at the UNOV, ready and tasty. An outcome document will be issued by the gathering as a political declaration and plan of action on the world’s drugs problem. Hopefully, this two-day gathering of representatives of member states in Vienna will bear positive fruits that the Member States of the UN will be able to release during their next gathering, the 58th Session of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs, that will take place about this date in 2015, and hopefully, the attendants will find some new way to decrease the Narcotic Drugs problem of the world.

His Excellency Khaled Shamaa, Ambassador of Egypt before Austria and Permanent Representative before the international organizations in Vienna, was the President and chairperson of this year’s session. He opened the meeting by thanking the Member States of the UNODC for their trust and for choosing him to head the session. He welcomed Her Majesty the Queen in Sweden, the UN deputy Secretary-General, and he thanked the (UNODC) director and the attendants.

Queen Silvia was the first speaker at the opening of this year’s UNODC meeting. Her speech was followed by both speeches delivered by UN Deputy Secretary-General, Mr. Eliasson, and (UNODC) director Fedotov. The Queen stated that since the last time she had participated in this key event in 2009, a lot had changed – unfortunately not everything to the better.

UN Deputy Secretary-General Eliasson said in his speech : “The three Conventions are the legal basis for our work. But let us remember that Member States also can take action on the basis of these Conventions to promote public health, prevention, treatment and economic and social progress.”

He added: “Our efforts to prevent and resolve conflicts must aim at increasing the protection of fundamental human rights through strong rule of law institutions.” He said: “Where gross violations of human rights are being committed, States must fulfil their responsibility to protect people’s rights.”

The executive director of (UNODC) Fedotov said: “I t was his hope that the debate would help Member States “find common ground and come up with a powerful message that will enable us to strengthen our cooperation, to address the world drug problem in a balanced, humane and effective way, based on the international conventions.”

Mr. Fedotov acknowledged: “There was no simple answer” to the question of whether the international community had succeeded or failed in the implementation of the Political Declaration and Plan of Action agreed in 2009. He also noted that the global cocaine market had shrunk between 2007 and 2011, and there were successes in treatment delivery, as well as alternative development practices.”

“We face an alarming increase in new psychoactive substances, and cyber technologies are being more broadly used in drug trafficking and related money-laundering activities.” He added: “We are strongly concerned about the vulnerability of some regions, notably West Africa and East Africa, to illicit drug trafficking, and as a spillover effect, increased drug use, as well as to other serious crimes.”