Vienna Chapter
Mr. Chairman
I have the honour to speak on behalf of the Group of 77 and China. I
am pleased to convey to you our pleasure in seeing you presiding over the
48th session of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND). The Group is
confident of your ability to successfully conduct the activities of this
session and I wish to assure you of the Group's support in the task ahead.
I also take this opportunity to thank the Secretariat for the preparation
of our meetings and for making the documents available.
Mr. Chairman,
Before I present some observations and comments of the Group 77 and
China on some of the issues on the agenda of this session, I would like to
take this opportunity to make a quick reference to the Report of the "High
Level Panel on Threats, Challenges and Change" and to raise an issue
of utmost concern related to this important report. While the report
acknowledges that drug trafficking and other organized crimes are among
the new and emerging threats to international peace and security, the
report failed to make any specific recommendation on providing the UNODC
with the wherewithal to assist Member States in meeting the Challenges
posed by these emerging threats. The Group believes that this shortcoming
should be highlighted in the report of the Secretary General.
Mr. Chairman,
This session, for our thematic debate, we have two important issues
i.e. "Community capacity-building" and "prevention of
HIV/AIDS and other blood-borne diseases". Drug users living with
HIV/AIDS require special care and attention in dealing with their
condition. Many societies require expertise and other support to
strengthen their capacity to address the problems of drug users living
with HIV/AIDS. We call upon UNODC to design programmes for supporting drug
users living with HIV/AIDS including projects related to community
capacity building. The Group believes that HIV transmission is not only
related to injecting drug use but also to risk taking behaviour due to the
influence of drugs and related substances.
In this context, the Group expresses the hope that the UNODC gives
priority attention to addressing risk-taking behavior resulting from drug
abuse within the context of the Guiding Principles of Drug Demand
Reduction (GA resolution S-20/3 annex) and in particular, the Declaration
of Commitment on HIV/AIDS (GA resolution S-26/2 annex), which calls for
the provision of a wide range of prevention programmes aimed at reducing
risk-taking behavior.
Mr. Chairman,
The Group considers that international cooperation should be
strengthened to tackle the problems transit countries are facing as they
constitute the main link between producers and consumers countries. We
note with deep concern the dramatic increase in the abuse of various types
of drugs that has developed along transit trafficking routes, thereby
creating lucrative markets in transit countries. This development has led
to the increase of transnational organized crime and terrorism in transit
countries and along the trafficking routes.
The Group re-affirms its conviction that the fight against supply of
and demand for drugs requires an integrative approach in preventive and
enforcement measures. It is in this connection that the Group strives for
further synergy to counter jointly the global drug problem through
partnership and shared responsibility at the international, regional,
sub-regional and bilateral levels. In the same vein, it calls upon
international organizations and donor countries, to provide adequate
resources, technical assistance and support for drug producing countries
and transit countries in the fight against narcotic drugs. In this
context, we note with concern the attempt to reduce the proposed amount
allocated in the budget outline for the biannual 2006-2007.
The Group notes the decline of opium poppy cultivation in some
countries. However, the Group is concerned about the growth in the illicit
cultivation, production and trafficking of opiates in Afghanistan.
Adequate support should be provided to that country as well as the
neighbouring and transit states in their fight against drug production and
trafficking originating from Afghanistan.
Mr. Chairman,
The G77 and China welcomes the INCB Report for 2004 and would like to
commend the outcome of this report regarding the linkage between the
illicit drug supply and demand. The mutual interdependence of the two
elements necessitates a balanced and integrated approach aiming at
reducing both supply and demand.
We appreciate the successes achieved under Operation Purple,
Operation Topaz and Project Prism. We encourage the role of the Board in
ensuring the continuing success of those operations and call for
additional resources, in particular, increase in regular budget to INCB.
The Group also calls upon Member States to strengthen their mechanisms for
control of precursor chemicals, in particular, mechanism for prior
notification of exports and to share relevant information in order to
prevent their diversion into illicit market.
The G-77 and China is concerned about the drug liberalization
policies of some Member States contrary to the three Narcotic Conventions,
which could promote drug abuse and fuel supply and trafficking of illicit
drugs. We note with concern the report of INCB about public incitement to
drug abuse in some member states. The Group, therefore, calls on all
States to adhere strictly to the provisions of the three conventions. We
believe that the judgment of the INCB as an independent monitoring and
evaluation mechanism should be respected.
Mr. Chairman,
The G-77 and China wishes to recall the new commitments in the Joint
Ministerial Statement issued at the 46th session of the CND. We have
earlier requested the Secretariat to take note of these new commitments
and to follow-up on them appropriately, particularly in drafting the
biannual Questionnaire Report. However, we do not find the information on
such follow up in the biannual assessment report. We would, therefore,
once again urge the UNODC to include the follow up in its future
assessment.
The G-77 and China also wishes to recall that the Joint Ministerial
Segment of the 46th session urged Member States to prevent proliferation
of sources of licit opium. If this appeal is not heeded, this has the
potential to disturb the delicate balance between supply and demand for
licit opium, which had been achieved over the years through the efforts of
member states and INCB. ECOSOC adopted resolution 2004/43 on this subject,
which specifically underscored the need to maintain this balance. The
Group urges all States to exercise utmost caution and, to adhere to the
established system in order to prevent proliferation of sources of licit
opium.
Mr. Chairman,
The Group 77 and China notes with concern that the abuse of ATS is
rapidly spreading, regardless of nationality, age, gender or income with
the attendant health problems and hazards. The Group calls on Member
States to urgently develop their supply reduction programmes for ATS, to
complement and ensure the effectiveness of demand reduction initiatives.
Mr. Chairman,
The Group would like to make some observations and remarks regarding
the consolidated Budget outline for 2006-2007 presented by the United
Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.
The Group is pleased that the consolidated budget outline has been
elaborated in a more transparent way and the priorities established by the
CND and the concerns of Member States are duly taken into account. The
Group supports the efforts made by the ODC in all the geographical regions
in the fight against narcotic drugs. Nevertheless, the Group notes some
decreases in the proposed budget allocated to some regions which belong to
the G-77, specially the Latin America and Caribbean Region and in the
fields of prevention, treatment and rehabilitation, as well as Alternative
Development and Preventive Alternative Development programmes. The
importance of equitable distribution of resources for the fight against
drugs and crime in all regions cannot be overemphasized. Lack of resources
in some regions could result in criminal networks using these regions as a
platform for their activities. Therefore, the Group encourages UNODC and
the major donor countries to allocate and implement a more balanced
program based on equal geographical distribution. In addition, the Group
calls on the Secretariat to allocate more resources to INCB and to ensure
that the priorities set by the CND are given higher share of its regular
budget.
In this regard we would also like to point out that the priorities
led down by CND sometimes differ from the priorities of major donor
countries and therefore we would like to encourage more dialogue among the
UNODC, and all stakeholders especially those countries where projects are
implemented to ensure that UNODC has sufficient funds to carry out
projects in all the regions in accordance with priorities set by the CND.
In conclusion, Mr. Chairman, I would like to assure you that the
Group will continue to provide its active support towards achieving the
goals of the Commission and will work with all members and the Secretariat
to that end. Our will and commitment is reflected in the measures taken by
member states and in promoting cooperation at the international community
in our common goal of combating illicit manufacture, trafficking and abuse
of narcotic drugs.
Thank you very much for your attention.
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