Assembly adopts three texts on issues to combat drug abuse and illicit trafficking.

The General Assembly has asked Member States to give the highest priority to the holding of the ministerial-level International Conference on Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, scheduled to be held in Vienna from 17 to 26 June, 1987, and to participate actively in it to stimulate comprehensive world-wide co-operative action to combat the drug problem in all its forms at the national, regional and international levels.

States were asked to do so in reaffirmation of their commitment and as a demonstration of their political will "to combat the threat posed by drug abuse and illicit trafficking".

The Commission on Narcotic Drugs, acting as preparatory body for the world conference, was asked to complete its work by February 1987, particularly the drafting of a comprehensive multidisciplinary outline of future activities against drug abuse and illegal trafficking, to be adopted by the conference.

Resolution 41/122 was one of three texts on anti-drug abuse topics adopted without a vote on 4 December after consideration by the Third Committee.

By resolution 41/123, the Assembly asked the Narcotic Drugs Commission to continue its work on preparation of a draft convention against illicit traffic in narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances "so that it may be effective, widely acceptable, and enter into force at the earliest possible time". The Secretary-General was requested to report to the Vienna drug conference on preparation of the new instrument.

|Unequivocal condemnation': The Assembly in resolution 41/124 unequivocally condemned drug trafficking in all its illicit forms - production, processing, marketing and consumption - as a criminal activity and asked States to pledge their political will in a concerted and universal struggle to achieve its complete and final elimination. States were called upon to adopt appropriate preventive and/or punitive measures of a political, legal, economic and cultural nature to bring about social awareness of the pernicious effects of illicit drug use, and individual and collective rejection of all kinds of practices that facilitated such illegal use.

States were also to use all possible means to discourage practices and domestic and foreign interests which promoted the increased illicit production and consumption of drugs. Governments of countries facing problems of drug abuse, particularly those most seriously affected, were urged to give priority to financing programmes which aimed to create in society a deep respect for its own health, fitness and well-being, and to provide appropriate information and advice for all sectors of their communities with regard to drug abuse, its harmful effects and the ways in which appropriate community action could be promoted.

Concerted efforts, the Assembly said, should be made to promote cooperation and co-ordination among States, particularly in the areas of communications and training, to alleviate the problems associated with illicit transit traffic in narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances. It was also recommended that the Economic and Social Council ask the Commission on Narcotic Drugs to consider convening a sessional working group to facilitate exchange of information on experience gained by States in combating the illicit transit drug traffic.

Member States and relevant United Nations bodies - subject to observance of the principles of national sovereignty and jurisdiction - were encouraged to provide economic assistance and technical co-operation to developing countries most affected by illicit production of, traffic in and use of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances.

Pending their becoming parties to the 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, the 1972 Protocol amending that Single Convention and the 1971 Convention on Psychotropic Substances, States were asked to endeavour to comply with the provisions of those instruments. Member States were called upon to contribute and/or increase their contributions to the United Nations Fund for Drug Abuse Control.

States were urged to acknowledge that they shared responsibility for the illicit drug traffic problem and therefore to encourage mutual collaboration in the struggle against drug trafficking, in accordance with relevant international and national norms.

Increasing use

worldwide

William B. Buffum, Under-Secretary-General for Political and General Assembly Affairs, who is responsible for overall co-ordination of United Nations anti-drug activities, told the Third Committee on 31 October that countries in all regions of the world had reported continuing increases in illicit drug traffic and an expansion in problems related to drug abuse, with a marked increase in the use of so-called "designer drugs" and lethal forms of cocaine paste known as "crack", "bazuco", or "rock".

There had also been evidence, he said, of "accelerated nefarious activities" of international drug trafficking networks which had enormous resources at their disposal. Estimates and actual seizures reported by national and international authorities might be quoted in terms of billions of dollars and tons of illicit substances.

However, those problems for societies everywhere had been accompanied by heightened public awareness of other consequences of growing drug-related hazards as well as increased expectations for more effective governmental, intergovernmental and nongovernmental responses. The depth and intensity of global concern was now most compelling.

The implementation of drug control initiatives had continued admirably. Furthermore, there had been a marked intensification of efforts to strengthen comprehensive responses within the United Nations system in the area of prevention, demand reduction and control of drug abuse and illicit trafficking. The role of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), he said, was also crucial because of the non-political manner in which they could encourage valuable programmes in the private sector.

He said the International Narcotics Control Board continued to closely monitor the situation in regard to supply and demand of opiates for legitimate needs, and assisted Governments in preventing diversion of psychotropic substances through a voluntary system of assessments. Training programmes for drug control administrators from developing countries were under way, he reported.

The United Nations Fund for Drug Abuse Control had extended its technical assistance programmes to help developing nations combat drug-related problems. Multi-sectoral drug control plans were currently being implemented in Asia and Latin America.

The Fund had agreed to support a $600,000 telecommunication system in the Caribbean and Central America for narcotics control and related law enforcement activities to be executed by INTERPOL, an international law enforcement body, Mr. Buffum reported.

Illegal drug abuse and trafficking added an additional element of danger and insecurity in international relations, he concluded. Their pernicious effects undermined the fundamental economic, political, and social fabric of communities and destroyed the lives of countless individuals.

Tamar M. Oppenheimer, Secretary-General of the June 1987 Vienna International Conference, said the Conference would provide an excellent opportunity to re-assess the efficacy of national, regional and international programmes. It should not be considered as an end in itself, but a vital step towards mobilizing societies in counter-offensives against drug abuse.

Conference preparations

The Secretary-General reported (A/41/665 and Add. 1) on preparatory meetings for the Conference that had taken place and would be taking place. The results of the September 1986 Stockholm Interregional Conference on the Involvement of NGOs in Prevention and Reduction of the Demand for Drugs would be brought to the attention of the Preparatory Body at its second session in February 1987.

Thirty-three States so far had established national focal points to coordinate substantive preparations at the national level for the Conference, it was reported. Focal points had also been designated in each United Nations regional commission for cooperation with the Conference secretariat during the preparatory period.

A trust fund had been established to receive money from the commercial use of the Conference emblem and contributions from Governments, NGOs and other interested parties, which would be used to further public information and awareness, of the global drug problem. Six postage stamps illustrating various Conference objectives would be issued by the United Nations.

The draft outline of future activities relevant to drug problems being prepared in handbook form for approval by the International Conference, would be a working tool to mobilize all segments of society to act at national, regional and international levels. Targets for objectives attainable to the year 2000 were identified. Practical activities were suggested for use by Government agencies, nongovernmental organizations, professional associations, and other relevant groups and individuals.

The structure for the outline reflected the view of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs, the preparatory body, - that no single aspect of the drug problem should be considered in isolation. That body had indicated that prevention of demand, supply reduction and control, suppression of illicit demand and the treatment and rehabilitation of drug-dependent persons should be analysed to identify areas in which action needed to be taken and to suggest specific action to be initiated by various elements in society.

The Secretary-General also reported (A/41/558) that the Commission on Narcotic Drugs had this year identified 14 elements for inclusion in the new drug convention. These included: identification, tracing, freezing and forfeiture of proceeds of drug trafficking; strengthening of obligations concerning extradition for offences relating to drug trafficking; measures to ensure that commercial carriers were not used to transport illicit narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances; strengthening co-operation among countries to provide mutual legal and judicial assistance in cases relating to drug trafficking, and promotion of mutual assistance in investigative and prosecutorial matters; and prevention of the use of the mails for the illegal transport of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances.

The Secretary-General also reported (A/41/559) on the first Interregional Meeting of Heads of National Drug Law Enforcement Agencies (Vienna, 28 July-1 August) which recommended that Governments take measures providing for: the "tracing, freezing, seizing, forfeiture and confiscation" of assets derived from illicit drug trafficking; improving extradition proceedings; and developing and using active investigative techniques directed at organized crime (See UN Chronicle 1986, No. 5).

Other documents: The Puerto Vallarta Declaration (A/C.3/41/5) was circulated in connection with the Third Committee debate on anti-drug abuse activities. In it, the Ministers of Justice and Attorneys-General from Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, Jamaica, Mexico, Panama, Peru, the United States and Venezuela, after meeting in Mexico from 8 to 10 October 1986, reaffirmed their nations' united and determined participation in a common front against drug trafficking and drug dependency. The desirability of improving both technical training and equipment in national campaigns against drug trafficking and drug dependency was stressed, as was their willingness to provide each other assistance. The need to ascertain the factors that gave rise to drug trafficking and drug dependency in an objective and thorough manner was also emphasised.

The Rodrigo Lara Bonilla Agremeent on co-operation for prevention of abuse of, and suppression of illicit traffic in, narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances (A/41/528), signed in Lima, Peru, on 30 April 1986 by Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela, was also circulated in the Assembly. It called for harmonization of those nations' policies and co-ordinated programmes and actions to prevent drug abuse and illicit trafficking.

Bolivia on 18 July 1986 reported (A/41/473) that it "qualifies drug trafficking as the action of a transnational mafia which must be attacked throughout the world by all mankind", and had launched a police operation with the co-operation of the United States against "the cocaine production centres and the hide-outs in the impenetrable jungle of eastern Bolivia, from where the unscrupulous bosses of the international drug trafficking mafia operate with impunity". The United States had provided technical and logistical support and specialized personnel to strengthen the operations carried out by the Bolivian police, it said.