UNITED | E |
Economic and Social Council | |
Distr. 1176th Meeting | |
| CND Res.42/3. | Monitoring and verification of illicit cultivation |
The Commission on Narcotic Drugs, Reaffirming the full validity of the principles of the Charter of the United Nations, in particular full respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity and non-intervention in the internal affairs of States and respect for all human rights and fundamental freedoms, Recalling that Member States, in paragraph 19 of the Political Declaration adopted by the General Assembly at its twentieth special session,1/ on 10 June 1998, welcomed the global approach by the United Nations International Drug Control Programme to the elimination of illicit crops, committed themselves to working closely with the Programme to develop strategies with a view to eliminating or reducing significantly the illicit cultivation of the coca bush, the cannabis plant and the opium poppy by 2008, and affirmed their determination to mobilize international support for their efforts to achieve those goals, Recalling also that Member States, in section IV of the Action Plan on International Cooperation on the Eradication of Illicit Drug Crops and on Alternative Development, adopted by the General Assembly at its twentieth special session,2/ on 10 June 1998, invited Governments in the producing areas to design efficient and accurate monitoring and verification mechanisms and to share information on illicit drug crop assessment with the United Nations International Drug Control Programme and reciprocally with other Governments in order to increase cooperation to eliminate such cultivation, Bearing in mind that the General Assembly, in its resolution 53/207 of 28 December 1998, approved the proposed revisions to programme 13, international drug control, of the medium-term plan for the period 1998-2001,3/ in which the United Nations International Drug Control Programme was called upon to establish and maintain a repository of data and information on cultivation of illicit crops, including those located on enclosed sites, and to conduct assessments and analyses to provide Governments with an independent, neutral and objective source for measuring the extent, causes and effects of illicit production, as well as the impact of alternative development interventions, Welcoming the preparatory work undertaken by the United Nations International Drug Control Programme since the twentieth special session of the General Assembly to provide assistance to Governments that request it, and, in particular, noting the agreement signed by the Programme and the European Space Agency for placing civilian satellite imagery technology at the disposal of Governments so requesting for the purpose of monitoring illicit crops and preventing the transfer of illicit cultivation to neighbouring areas, 1. Urges Governments in all areas producing coca bush, the cannabis plant and the opium poppy to design, formulate and implement effective national mechanisms for the high- precision monitoring and verification of illicit crops used in the production of drugs, including appropriate methodologies combining ground and aerial surveys, satellite monitoring and remote sensing, with a view to implementing the Action Plan on International Cooperation on the Eradication of Illicit Drug Crops and on Alternative Development; 2. Recommends that the United Nations International Drug Control Programme collaborate with Governments that so request, through an agreement setting out guidelines for the collection and dissemination of information, and with relevant governmental, intergovernmental, regional and technical organizations in establishing an international network for monitoring the cultivation of illicit crops; 3. Requests that the United Nations International Drug Control Programme, within the limits of available resources, establish a central data bank and information system on the basis of information furnished by Governments on the cultivation of illicit crops, including those located on enclosed sites, and that it report annually to the Commission on Narcotic Drugs on the current world situation regarding illicit crops and on the impact of strategies developed by Governments for their elimination and substitution; 4. Also requests the United Nations International Drug Control Programme, within available resources, to provide requesting Governments with the technical assistance that they require and to take steps to mobilize international logistical and financial support, as necessary, with a view to establishing national mechanisms for monitoring and verification of the cultivation of illicit crops used in the production of drugs and developing an international network for the control of illicit cultivation for the purpose of implementing the Action Plan on International Cooperation on the Eradication of Illicit Drug Crops and on Alternative Development; 5. Suggests that any reporting requirement be consistent with the conclusions on follow-up reporting adopted by the General Assembly at its twentieth special session. 1176th meeting 1/ General Assembly resolution S-20-2, annex. 2/ General Assembly resolution S-20/4 E.
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