Director General/Executive Director
5 November 2014
Excellencies,
Ladies and gentlemen,
Firstly, I would like to thank the Ambassador and the Government of Austria for organizing this side event at the 2nd UN Conference on Landlocked Developing Countries.
This event is highly relevant and timely, as illicit drugs pose a serious threat to sustainable development goals by undermining the rule of law and endangering communities and the health of people everywhere, including landlocked developing countries.
The UNGA special session on the world drug problem in 2016, as well as the preparations leading up to that session, represent a critical opportunity to advance global action in this area.
What is needed is a broad and open debate on how the challenges posed by drug use, trafficking and production can best be addressed, with the voices and views of all stakeholders.
I am very glad that our meeting today can contribute to this dialogue.
As you know, the Third Committee of the General Assembly recently approved a resolution tasking the Commission on Narcotic Drugs with leading an inclusive preparatory process for the 2016 UNGASS.
This process is indeed already underway, following the high-level review of the world drug problem that took place in Vienna in March.
During this review, which brought together 129 States and adopted a Joint Ministerial Statement, we heard from scientists, youth leaders and civil society.
The intersessional meetings of the CND that have taken place since have also benefitted from the active participation of Member States and a broad spectrum of NGOs.
They have been further enriched by substantive presentations from UNODC experts, UN system partners and the Secretariat of the International Narcotics Control Board.
These meetings have been webstreamed, and a dedicated website for UNGASS preparations, ungass2016.org, provides a space for all stakeholders to contribute.
I commend the Chair of the CND, Ambassador Khaled Shamaa of Egypt, as well as all Member States, for actively facilitating open and informed discussions.
The extensive expertise that has been brought to bear during the 2016 UNGASS process has been impressive, and a credit to all involved.
Ladies and gentlemen,
The Joint Ministerial Statement of the high-level review reaffirmed the three UN drug conventions as the cornerstone of an international drug control system that seeks to promote and protect the health and welfare of humankind.
There have been successes and setbacks in trying to achieve this.
In particular, coca cultivation continues to decline, a trend supported by alternative development initiatives as well as eradication measures.
We have also seen some welcome improvements in treatment delivery in some parts of the world.
Nevertheless, as the 2014 World Drug Report showed, there remain serious gaps in service provision, with only one in six problem drug users accessing drug dependence treatment services every year.
Prevention strategies rooted in scientific evidence that involve families, schools and communities, as outlined in UNODC's International Standards on Drug Use Prevention, have proven to be highly effective, as well as cost effective. However, such interventions are not employed as widely as we would hope.
Moreover, there are 12.7 million people who inject drugs, and of these, some 1.7 million are living with HIV. Some 52 per cent of people injecting drugs have Hepatitis C.
Opium cultivation and production in Afghanistan are at record highs. The 2014 survey, which will be released shortly, shows that this unfortunate trend continues.
We have not yet meaningful solutions to the problems of synthetic drugs and NPS.
Criminal violence in many parts of the world, including Central America, has had a devastating impact.
Lives continue to be lost, and societies torn apart, as a result of drugs.
These tragedies demand that we have the courage to take a hard look at the situation, to address the setbacks as well as build on the progress that has been achieved, to commit resources and pursue collective strategies that work.
The UN advocates a re-balancing of international drug policy, to increase the focus on public health, prevention, treatment and care, within the framework of the conventions, and in full compliance with human rights standards.
This means coordinated, balanced and comprehensive global action to address all aspects of supply and demand, including:
As the lead entity of the UN Secretariat in assisting countries to address the global challenges of drugs and crime, UNODC and its network of field offices help to put this balanced approach into practice on the ground.
It is my hope that the 2016 UNGASS will enable us to strengthen our responses, and make them more effective.
As I said at the start, what we need now is an inclusive and informed dialogue on the way forward, and UNODC, as ever, remains committed to supporting you in these efforts.
I look forward to hearing your views today.
Thank you.