Director-General/Executive Director
(delivered on her behalf)
Distinguished Chair,
Excellencies,
Ladies and gentlemen,
I am pleased to address this intersessional of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs.
These thematic discissions are an important step on the road to next year’s mid-term review of international drug policy commitments.
The mid-term review was planned as a key milestone, and today it remains hugely relevant.
We are living through a difficult and heart-breaking moment in human history.
I wish to take this opportunity to offer my condolences for every innocent victim of conflict and violence, to every family that is grieving.
As the world reels from the carnage, we have a duty not to forget or neglect the world drug problem and the millions of victims it affects.
It is important now because chaos and uncertainty divert attention and hamper capacities, leaving the vulnerable at greater risk than ever.
Because the Sustainable Development Goals are slipping out of reach, and drug-related challenges form a crucial part of the picture.
And because the global drug landscape is rife with emerging threats.
Excellencies,
Today, the illicit production and trafficking of drugs is shifting rapidly, and in many ways expanding.
Synthetic drugs are an urgent, complex, and growing problem, with seizures reaching record highs.
The latest World Drug Report shows that in 2021, seizures of pharmaceutical opioids rose by more than 150 percent, while amphetamine seizures increased by 50 percent. Seizures of new synthetic psychoactive substances rose by 40 percent.
Synthetic drugs are often terrifyingly potent and, in many cases, lethal. They can be chemically synthesized at a low cost, in hidden, mobile labs, from an ever-growing list of precursors.
Traffickers need smaller quantities to turn a profit, and seized drugs are more easily replaced.
The business model of drug trafficking is becoming less centralized and more agile, a development that we are seeing with both synthetic and plant-based drugs.
UNODC’s first-ever global cocaine report, published earlier this year, found that smaller criminal groups are playing an increasing role in cocaine trafficking, forming looser networks that control parts of a fragmented supply chain.
It also revealed that the supply of cocaine was at record levels, with 2,300 tons of pure cocaine produced in 2021, confirming that illicit markets for plant-based drugs also continue to expand.
The growth of non-traditional cocaine markets in Africa and Asia is a worrying development given the lower availability of treatment, and thus the greater potential for harm.
Online, illicit drug sales continue to grow on the dark web and cryptocurrencies enable anonymous transactions.
Empowered by new tools, criminal groups continue to reap the proceeds of drug trafficking through money-laundering, too often with impunity.
The dangerous intersection of drug trafficking and other forms of organized crime and terrorism must also be better studied and prioritized, especially in this volatile global context.
Drug trafficking can fuel and prolong cycles of conflict, while the continuous illicit flow of drugs is costing lives and harming health.
It also contributes to environmental degradation, and the World Drug Report explored how illicit drug economies are accelerating other illicit markets that harm the environment in the Amazon.
Distinguished participants,
To face the illicit drug markets of today, we need global solidarity, cooperation and consensus-building.
The CND is a place to come together to build consensus and overcome divides, under the umbrella of the UN and based on shared obligations and commitments.
The security of one Member State from drug challenges depends greatly on their neighbouring countries, on their region, and often on countries on the other side of the globe.
And shared human rights obligations are not at odds with the fight against illicit markets. They are a necessary cornerstone of that fight, for sustainable results focused on the health, dignity, and wellbeing of people.
I am encouraged to see many diverse partners joining us at these thematic discussions from across the globe, to share good practices and identify opportunities for effective action.
The UN Office on Drugs and Crime continues to be your partner in developing the responses needed to meet today’s challenges.
We stand with Member States in their efforts to implement the three drug control conventions and all international drug policy commitments, by supporting this Commission’s work and by providing tailored technical assistance.
Drug markets are likely to remain dynamic and complex, and we are training criminal justice practitioners to improve interdiction and border management, and to counter drug trafficking online and off.
To match the increasing sophistication of synthetic drug production and trafficking, UNODC’s Synthetic Drug Strategy provides a framework for proactive responses, focusing on early warning and international collaboration.
To reduce illicit cultivation, it is crucial to help local communities end dependence on the illicit economy, and UNODC’s sustainable livelihoods programme is active in Afghanistan, Bolivia, Colombia, Lao and Myanmar, working to boost market access, true local ownership and inclusiveness.
This week we mark the 10th Anniversary of the Guiding Principles on Alternative Development, which inform our sustainable livelihoods work.
And we strive to provide a strong evidence base for drug responses, through our World Drug Report, other thematic publications, and important surveys of drug cultivation.
Later this month, we will be releasing the latest Afghanistan opium survey, which will provide a crucial look at cultivation in light of the opium ban in that country.
UNODC will continue to support you in fully implementing all international drug policy commitments, based on science and evidence, and in line with human rights obligations.
Ladies and gentlemen,
The illicit drug market is evolving, and responses need to keep up.
By joining forces and focusing on the urgent challenges at hand, I am optimistic that you can move the global response forward and pave the way for a successful mid-term review next year.
Thank you, and I wish you fruitful discussions.