UNITED NATIONS GENERAL ASSEMBLY 56th SESSION
Third Committee
Item 111: International Drug Control
Statement by Mr Guy O'Brien, Second Secretary on behalf of the Australian Delegation
16 October 2001
Mr Chairman
I have the honour to speak today on behalf of the member states of the CANZ group, namely, Canada, New Zealand and Australia.
Regrettably, despite our best efforts, drug abuse continues to inflict massive suffering around the world. While national domestic policies will always be important in dealing with the impact of drug abuse, the drug threat is global and on such a scale that governments lack the necessary resources on their own to control it. Effective action to control the drug trade must be underpinned by concerted international cooperation and collaboration.
International efforts to implement the objectives of the 20th Special Session on "Countering the World Drug Problem Together" have achieved significant success in some areas, most notably crop eradication and substitution. However, the emergence of new technologies has given impetus to the development of new substances, the exploitation of new markets and new methods of operation by transnational criminal groups.
In many countries the use of amphetamine-type substances (ATS), particularly by young people, presents a number of complex challenges for the health, social and law enforcement sectors. Moreover, the massive scale of ATS abuse is unprecedented. It is creating severe problems in terms of the sheer numbers of patients to be treated.
The example of ATS serves to remind us that the threat posed by drugs is dynamic and we should never allow ourselves to become complacent in our efforts. We must always be prepared to question the relevance and effectiveness of our programs and be flexible and determined in developing innovative responses to new threats.
The global narcotics trade exploits social, economic and political vulnerabilities. To be fully effective international responses must encompass equally diverse objectives. These should include the development of more robust state institutions, the promotion of economic development, the provision of education and training, and effective health and rehabilitation programs.
Pro-active, collaborative partnerships that maximise the respective strengths and expertise of each partner are essential at each level of international cooperation against drugs. We must ensure that our efforts at the global, regional and bilateral levels emphasise the achievement of creative synergies and effective coordination. We must ensure that drug control programs are fully complementary, and that waste and duplication of scarce resources is minimised.
To be fully effective, the global fight against drugs must take into account the complexity of the issues underlying drug abuse and the flexibility of transnational crime groups which frequently combine their drug operations with other forms of organised crime, such as money laundering and people smuggling.
The overriding objective of transnational organised crime groups is the generation of profits. It is particularly important, therefore, to improve the level of cooperation intended to deny transnational criminals access to the proceeds of crime. We urge member states to support and cooperate with international institutions such as the Financial Action Task Force and the appropriate FATF-style regional anti-money laundering body as an integral component of our joint efforts against drugs. We also note the valuable contribution provided by the UNDCP Global Programme on Money Laundering.
Mr Chairman
In December 2000 124 member states of the United Nations signed the Convention Against Transnational Organized Crime, one of the most far-reaching initiatives in the fight against transnational crime. It commits States party to criminalise offences committed by organised crime groups, and to address matters such as extradition, mutual legal assistance, transfer of proceedings and joint investigations. We believe widespread adherence to the Convention will lead to a significant harmonisation of the international legal framework applying to organised crime. This should in turn facilitate more effective international cooperation in the prosecution of members of transnational organised crime groups.
We are currently working towards implementation of the Convention and urge all UN member states to address this as a matter of priority.
As the only agency with a global mandate to combat the drug trade, the United Nations International Drug Control Programme is central to our collective efforts to confront the scourge of drugs. Australia, Canada and New Zealand welcome the significant efforts and achievements of the organisation and remain committed to work with it. It is vital that all nations support the work of UNDCP.
At the 44th Session of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs in March this year CND member states were concerned to ensure UNDCP's continuing effectiveness. They adopted, by consensus, a resolution (44/16) calling on UNDCP to continue efforts to improve both its management and the coordination of multilateral drug control initiatives. Australia, Canada and New Zealand, in cooperation with other concerned CND member states, will continue to monitor UNDCP's response and note that the Executive Director of the UNDCP is to report on implementation of resolution 44/16 at the reconvened meeting of the CND in December. We believe full implementation of the recommendations made in the report on the organisation by the United Nations Office of Internal Oversight is essential to ensuring that the UNDCP is managed in an open, transparent and effective manner.
In view of the relentless and global nature of the drug threat, it is imperative that our efforts to confront drugs not only maintain, but increase, their momentum. Australia, Canada and New Zealand remain committed to confront the international drug threat and we urge all member states to strengthen their partnerships with the United Nations International Drug Control Programme, other relevant multilateral agencies and each other in this important task..
Thank you, Mr Chairman