Opening Remarks
of the Executive Director
to the
Informal Meeting with Governments
Vienna
5 July 2001
Good morning and welcome,
As pointed out by the Chairman, this informal meeting has been convened in line with Resolution 16, adopted by the Commission on Narcotic Drugs last March. The purpose of these meetings this is the first of what will be an open-ended series is to give to interested Governments an opportunity to look more closely at our operational activities at the planning and formulation stage.
We welcome these meetings. It is our hope that they will lead to better programmes
The core issue is ownership. The Member States of the UN are the principal stakeholders in UNDCP, and the Commission on Narcotic Drugs is the governing body of the Fund. This implies both a right and a responsibility to follow closely and to shape activities financed by the Fund.
In this connection, I was pleased when Ambassador Vacek, the Chairman of the Commission, offered to chair these informal meetings. In so doing, he has ensured the needed linkage between the meetings and the Commission.
I would like to stress that these are informal meetings, as requested by the Commission. We see this as an opportunity to enter into frank dialogue and discuss problems in an open manner.
At the same time, we recognize the need to maintain some of the formal arrangements, even though UN practice does not always require this in informal meetings. I am thinking specifically of interpretation and translation. We will do everything within our power to ensure language services.
Before proceeding with the items on todays agenda, I would like to announce the publication of our annual "Global Illicit Drug Trends 2001". This is the basic almanac of data on production, trafficking and consumption, along with some analysis of trends observable in the data. Member States receive a copy automatically, and distribution is at present underway. This years version is being made available in three languages English, French and Spanish. The document can also be downloaded from the ODCCP website, where it has already been posted in two of the languages, with the third to follow.
For todays meeting we have prepared an update of information on all our projects, grouped by thematic area and by region.
Todays agenda includes three programmes. The written material provides introductions and supporting documents for each. Colleagues will also make presentations for each of the three. So my own introductory comments will be very brief.
The first item concerns Africa, a region that has benefited from relatively little UNDCP assistance in recent years. There is now a consensus to change this. The Commission made this clear at its last two sessions. Those of you who were at the Commission session in March had the opportunity to attend a special briefing on Africa.
I am pleased to report that nearly five million dollars in new funding have been obtained for Africa since March. Included is the first ever cost-sharing project in Africa, fully funded by the Government of Libya.
Our objective in Africa is to help Governments reach the targets set by the 1998 Special Session. All activities are geared to this. We have prepared for this meeting a brief paper outlining the elements of a possible strategy for Africa, and we would welcome your comments on it.
As you know, the Special Session called for concrete action to reduce illicit cultivation of cannabis. Up to now, there has been no systematic approach to this by UNDCP, even in the countries where cultivation is widespread. We have now developed, in consultation with the Moroccan authorities, a partnership-based approach that could be a realistic way to address cannabis cultivation and drug-related crime.
The second item on the agenda concerns demand reduction. Here again Governments set concrete targets at the Special Session, and UNDCP is committed to supporting the efforts to meet them.
Today we will concentrate on two major components of our operational work in demand reduction.
The first of these is the Global Assessment Programme on Drug Abuse. We launched this initiative at the time of the Special Session. While there has been less funding than we had hoped, it has been possible to make a good beginning in two regions. The work so far is pragmatic. It is based on agreed standards and techniques and ways in which to promote their implementation.
The second demand reduction programme to be presented concerns our work in treatment and rehabilitation. The appropriate role of UNDCP in this field has over the years been somewhat difficult to define. A structured approach is now taking shape, and we want to share with you today the main elements of what we envisage.
Again, the approach is a pragmatic one. The sharing of knowledge about best practices is an important element. There is heavy emphasis on practical guidelines and workbooks, often prepared in partnership with other institutions.
The third item on todays agenda is Afghanistan. We will bring you up to date on recent developments and put forward some ideas on a possible course of action.
You received a copy of the report prepared by a donor mission that went to Afghanistan in April and May. The mission confirmed the effectiveness of the ban on cultivation and found no evidence of significant displacement of cultivation. It also observed the hardship caused to farmers and labourers as a result of the ban.
The mission also made a number of recommendations. The urgency of the situation requires us to give particular attention to the short-term recommendations for assistance. I might add that the Afghanistan Support Group has also stressed the need for quick assistance to ensure that the ban can be sustained.
We have taken these observations, along with our own knowledge of the situation in the country, to put forward some ideas on how this assistance can be delivered to those most directly affected. We welcome your reactions to these proposals.
There is much interest in determining the impact of the ban on opium and heroin supply in the region and further afield. We have circulated today an analysis on the basis of the limited information available.
The exact volume and location of most of the opium stocks is not known. In the absence of this vital information, it is still too early to put forward any precise projections of impact. While there have been significant fluctuations in opiate prices and seizures in Central and South West Asia, preliminary data for Western Europe do not yet reflect the ban.
We will continue to undertake this analysis and share the findings with you.
There continue for now to be major seizures in the countries surrounding Afghanistan. This is likely to continue as long as there are stocks available. To this is added the risk that the ban might not ultimately prove sustainable. All these factors argue in favour of continuing our programme of assistance to the most seriously affected countries, in particular Iran, Pakistan and Tajikistan, where the Governments are obtaining encouraging results.
I will stop here, Mr. Chairman, in anticipation of the various presentations on the agenda items.
Thank you.