From: [S--Y--A] at [SUVM.SYR.EDU] (Sergio Rivera) Newsgroups: talk.politics.drugs Subject: Commission on Narcotic Drugs begins Session in Wien Date: Thu, 16 Mar 95 17:46:03 LCL Copyright UN Information Service March 14, 1995 Headline: Commission on Narcotic Drugs begins Session in Vienna SOC/NAR/695 14 March 1995 COMMISSON ON NARCOTIC DRUGS BEGINS SESSION IN VIENNA Executive Director Warns Drug Control Programme Is Running Out of Money VIENNA, 14 March (UN Information Service) -- As the Commission on Narcotic Drugs began its thirty-eighth session this morning at Vienna, the Executive Director of the United Nations International Drug Control Programme (UNDCP) warned that the Programme was running out of money. The Executive Director, Giorgio Giacomelli, told the Commission that the Programme was being forced to say "no" to good projects because funding could not be guaranteed. He also said that the tendency of donors to earmark their contributions could cause the UNDCP to become "a box filled with projects without the necessary infrastructure" and stressed the need for the Drug Control Programme to receive at least 30 per cent of its income as general purpose funds. Also this morning, the Commission elected the following officers by acclamation: Ireneusz Matela (Poland), Chairman; Balkan Kizeldeli (Turkey), Alberto Scavarelli (Uruguay) and Essam el Tersawy (Egypt), Vice-Chairmen; and Sayed Ali Mohammad Mousavi (Iran), Rapporteur. Statements in general debate, with particular reference to the economic and social consequences of drug abuse and illicit trafficking, were made by the representatives of France (on behalf of the European Union) and the United Kingdom. The representative of France gave an overview of the European Union's five-year drug control plan, stressing the need for improved coordination to reduce expenditure and avoid duplication of effort. The representative of the United Kingdom described his country's three-year action plan, with particular emphasis on activities at the local level. He said that limited funding was bound to cause a reduction in UNDCP programmes, but there must not be too severe a decline in project-based work. Statement by UNDCP Executive Director GIORGIO GIACOMELLI, Executive Director of the United Nations International Drug Control Programme (UNDCP), said the Programme had been nurturing a relationship for intensified cooperation that encompassed the international financial institutions, intergovernmental bodies and non-governmental organizations. He stressed the importance UNDCP attached to demand reduction, particularly with the involvement of private and non-governmental groups. In that context, he cited the World NGO Forum on Demand Reduction, which had taken place in Bangkok last December, and the "Sports against Drugs" Conference which had been organized jointly by the UNDCP and the International Olympic Committee last month in Rome, as well as regional expert forums held in Brazil, Bahamas, Cameroon and India. He said the UNDCP was continuing to build up its capacity for research and analysis, operating at three levels: basic research, production of technical information papers and standardization of world-wide data, and production of formal policy papers, such as the recent report on economic and social consequences of drug abuse. Also during the past year, the Programme had intensified its anti-money-laundering activities, focusing on the development of legislation, raising of awareness and training of administrative staff. It had launched an innovative project on precursors in south-east Asia, which would serve as a prototype for similar projects in south-west Asia and Latin America. He noted that the Administrative Committee on Coordination (ACC), which had met in Vienna two weeks ago, had concentrated on international drug control as its main substantive agenda item, reaffirming the UNDCP's lead role in coordinating drug control activities in the United Nations system. The ACC had agreed to strengthen the System-Wide Action Plan on drug abuse control and to undertake joint initiatives to develop concrete sectoral and sub-sectoral plans of action. "An important corner has been turned with regard to a significant change in attitude towards coordination as well as the strategy to be followed", he said. Progress with regard to coordination would have to be from the bottom up. The role of the United Nations resident coordinators could not be over-emphasized; they required the full support of their host governments. Turning to the biennial budget, he said that "no matter how we add up the figures, we are simply running out of money". Precisely because the UNDCP's programmes had been well received by recipient countries, there was an ever greater call for its assistance. The current financial situation forced the Programme to say "no" to good programmes and projects because funding could not be guaranteed. Donors' support was actually growing, he explained, but the trend was towards earmarking: it affected the UNDCP's operational and technical flexibility, and could result in the Programme "becoming a box filled with projects without the necessary infrastructure for the management and backstopping of our technical and operational activities and for performing our advocacy and pro-active functions". He stressed the need for the UNDCP to receive at least 30 per cent of its income as general purpose funds. Concluding, he highlighted four issues that the Commission should address at this session: Whether the international drug-control conventions were adequate to today's problems, and if not, how they could be improved; the planning of an international conference for 1997 to identify new strategies for combating drug abuse and illicit trafficking; whether the Commission should initiate the drafting of a declaration that would set forth guiding principles to strengthen the fight against illicit demand; and how the operation of the 1988 Convention should be reviewed. General Debate JEAN-MICHEL DASQUE (France), speaking on behalf of the European Union (EU), said that in the light of global increases in drug trafficking, the EU had developed a five-year plan. To reduce demand, EU members were coordinating efforts in education, training and reintegration of former drug abusers. Similarly, in the area of illicit trafficking, coordinated efforts and continued action were required in law enforcement, anti-money-laundering activities and control of precursors. During 1994 and the first half of 1995, the Union had given priority to the establishment of Europol, in an effort to improve the effectiveness of existing activities in the field of law enforcement cooperation. Additionally, border controls had been strengthened. The Union attached great importance to cooperative action with Central and Eastern European States, where an alarming increase in trafficking had occurred, and with States in other areas such as the Maghreb and the Middle East. Because of the likelihood of diminishing availability of resources to the UNDCP in coming years, the Union sought greater synergy among United Nations organizations and financial institutions to reduce expenditure and avoid duplication of activities. NIGEL VARNEY (United Kingdom) said consumption was no longer a problem just for "traditional" consumer countries; all countries needed to tackle drug problems on all fronts. His Government had published a new strategy last October, incorporating a comprehensive three-year action plan that emphasized education and prevention as well as vigorous law enforcement. Its chief aims were to increase the safety of communities from drug-related crime; reduce the acceptability and availability of drugs to young people; and reduce health risks and other damage caused by drug abuse. He drew particular attention to work being done at the local level, including media campaigns and neighbourhood strategies involving schools, youth workers, parents, churches and the police. He praised the work of the UNDCP, welcoming in particular its focus on regional and subregional projects. He called for full and effective implementation of the three United Nations conventions against drugs, and stressed the importance of institution-building and training. He said that bilateral and multilateral assistance must be matched by recipient Governments, and that coordination of effort was needed to ensure that maximum value was obtained from available resources. He praised the UNDCP's evaluation policy and procedures. Donor countries found documentation, such as country profiles, needs assessment reports and evaluations extremely useful when considering funding and other priorities. It was therefore extremely important for donors to be provided with regular project reports and updates. On finance issues, he said the UNDCP could not rely solely on existing donors for support; all possible sources of funding must be explored. There was bound to be some reduction in programme activity, but there must not be too severe a decline in project-based work. The UNDCP must strengthen its catalytic role in assisting international financial institutions and United Nations agencies to identify ways to use their resources in the fight against drugs.