Statement delivered in Russian by Mr. Antonio Maria Costa,
UN Under-Secretary-General,
Executive Director
of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime,
at the Session of the Council of Heads of State
of the CIS countries
in Yalta on 19 September 2003
Esteemed President Kouchma,
Esteemed Heads of State,
Distinguished Chairman of the CIS Executive Committee,
The CIS countries are priority areas in the work of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and particularly now, due to the large-scale production of narcotics in nearby Afghanistan.
The trafficking of drugs from Afghanistan to the territories of the CIS countries impedes their socio-economic development and threatens their domestic stability and national security.
I have just returned from Afghanistan where I met with President Karzai and his ministers. I also visited some remote regions of the country where opium poppy is being grown, and talked to the peasants, village elders and war-lords. The situation there remains difficult. On a preliminary note, I wish to inform you that, according to the data collected by my Office, the total area under opium poppy cultivation in Afghanistan this year will probably be somewhat larger than last year.
We need to pay attention not only to the drug abuse problem in the CIS countries, but also to the profits that are being made from the drug trade inside Afghanistan. These amounted to US$2.5 billion last year. I also wish to inform you, in a preliminary manner, that the profits from the drug trade in Afghanistan will be a bit lower this year, in view of the currently lower prices of opium there. Why is this important? Because part of these profits are being used to finance terrorism both in Afghanistan and in neighbouring countries.
The UN Office on Drugs and Crime is developing joint activities with the CIS countries in an endeavour to support their efforts. The volume of our cooperation programmes with CIS countries has already reached US$50 million.
We were pleased to learn of the adoption by the Council of Heads of State of the CIS countries on 7 October 2002 of the Concept for Cooperation of States-Members of the CIS in Countering Narcotics.
We are in a position to contribute to the implementation of this very important decision, and we are ready to review, together with the CIS Executive Committee, all possible ways and means. A good mechanism for regional cooperation could be provided through activities carried out jointly by my Office and the CIS Executive Committee.
Joint action with UNODC could also be helpful for the implementation of the Programme of States-Members of the CIS in Countering the HIV/AIDS Epidemic, since the link between HIV/AIDS and drugs is well known to everyone.
In conclusion, I would also like to note that the scale of the problems associated with drug abuse and HIV/AIDS in the CIS countries has not yet reached the level of the West. This is good! However, what is bad is that the rate of increase in both drug abuse and the spread of HIV/AIDS in the CIS countries is very high, whereas it is going down in the West.
I believe that stronger preventive measures are needed to counter drug abuse. According to the UN experience, one Grivna or one Rouble invested in preventive measures today will save about 5 or even more Grivnas or Roubles which will otherwise have to be spent on countering drug crime in the future.
Thank you for your attention.