Statement of the G-77 and China during the 42nd session
of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs 16-25 March 1999 delivered by H.E.
Ambassador Yogesh M. Tiwari, Permanent Representative of India
While we are considering tile Action Plan for the implementation of
the Declaration on the Guiding Principles of Drug Demand Reduction, I
would like to draw your attention as Chairman of the Group of 77 and
China to the global programme on assessing the magnitude of drug abuse
prepared by the Policy Development and Analysis Branch of UNDCP.
This morning, we had the pleasure of discussing this programme with
tile Executive Director, Mr. Pino Arlacchi. Mr. Arlacchi elaborated his
ideas on tile need to have more reliable arid accurate data on drug
abuse which could provide a reliable basis for the development of
national demand reduction policies and strategies. Such epediomological
research would also provide an indicator to measure further achievements
of national programmes as agreed in file Political Declaration of
UNGASS. The Executive Director also shared his concern about the need to
balance demand reduction programmes and alternative development
strategies.
Mr. Chairman, all of us are aware that we need to study the extent of
poverty to address the question of removing it effectively though
poverty is not a disease that is contagious nor addictive. The
strategies evolved for eradication of epidemic diseases like malaria was
based on studies on the extent of the spread of the disease. The time
has come now to treat drug addiction as an epidemic which needs to be
addressed with equal seriousness. Drug abuse is not a problem that
merely affects developed countries; it is on the rise in many developing
countries especially among the children and youth. In many cases,
developing countries do not have sufficient information about the drug
abuse situation nor do they have capacity to systematically collect and
analyze data regarding the drag abuse situation. As a result,
insufficient resources are allotted to combat drug menace. In the
process, the measures prove ineffective and flit already meager
resources are wasted without achieving commensurable results. In 1997,
48 countries, majority of them developing and least developed countries,
have asked for assistance from UNDCP to build up their data collection
capacity. Since 1997, many Latin American countries have, under the
framework of Memorandum of Understanding, been helped by UNDCP to
establish sub-regional drug abuse information systems and similar
assistance is being considered for countries in the Caribbean and
Southeast Asia. However, these technical assistance programmes are just
the beginning. Similar assistance for capacity building will have to be
provided to a large number of developing countries lacking basic
infrastructure to study and monitor the drug abuse.
We have been informed that UNDCP has sought US$25 million (from Major
Donors) to give technical assistance and initiate epdiomological studies
in various countries. Out of these, only 40% is slowed to be spent on
die Headquarters white 85% will be spent on country level activity and
5% on World Epidemiological Forum. We see this programme as a timely and
necessary measure. I take this opportunity to appeal to all Member
States and Major Donors in particular, to give due importance to this
programme which could become the basis for the future strategies on drug
demand reduction. The UN General Assembly Special Session had agreed to
have new demand reduction strategies and programmes in place by tile
year 2003 and achieve significant and measurable results in the field of
drag demand reduction by the year 2008.
Thus, There is little time to lose. We would like to draw upon the
experience of developed countries in dealing with the drug abuse programme
as many of them seem to have contained the drug abuse. We may have to find
our own national responses but the assistance of industrialized and
developed countries will go a long way to tackle the global menace of drag
abuse. In UNDCP, we have the right instrument to help developing countries
create systems at regional, sub-regional and national levels for
systematic collection and assimilation of data. This data will give us the
much-needed knowledge for development of effective measures for prevention
of drag abuse and treatment and rehabilitation of the addicts.
Mr Chairman, as Chairman of G-77 and China, I request you to appreciate
our views on this subject and include them in suitable form in the Summary
of Proceedings.
