Director-General/Executive Director
Señora presidenta del GRULAC,
Excelencias,
Señoras y señores,
Me complace sumamente tener la oportunidad de dirigirme al Grupo de Estados de América Latina y el Caribe.
Esta región es de gran prioridad para UNODC, y ustedes, Embajadores y colegas, están entre nuestros aliados más esenciales.
Sus países son reconocidos por tomar el futuro en sus propias manos y por liderar el camino en el abordaje de problemáticas de su interés.
El liderazgo del GRULAC en los organismos multilaterales de Viena ha sido muy importante en las últimas sesiones.
Excellencies,
GRULAC leadership in Vienna’s multilateral bodies has been key in recent sessions.
In March, Ambassador Blanco of Colombia chaired the CND with wisdom, compassion and impartiality, in the midst of very complex discussions.
Just last week at the CCPCJ, Ambassador De Jorgensen of the Dominican Republic was here in the VIC well into the night, guiding the Committee of the Whole to consensus on its final remaining resolutions, in a politically charged atmosphere.
Your determination as a Group to shape solutions is a great asset to your region, and to your partnership with UNODC.
It is a partnership that continues to grow.
As you are all aware, last year we launched our Strategic Vision for Latin America and the Caribbean 2022-2025.
We have since stepped up implementation.
In 2022, UNODC supported 30 countries in the region, implementing projects worth 69.1 million dollars.
This represents a 50 per cent increase compared to 2021, and our delivery for 2023 is projected to climb even further, to reach 83 million dollars.
We have also expanded our footprint in the field.
We established a Regional Office for the Andean Region and the Southern Cone, ROCOL, in Colombia, expanded our presence in Argentina, and established a presence in Uruguay.
Our Office is also now present in Haiti, to provide assistance as rising violence and illicit flows threaten to destabilize the region.
We have even moved some of our Global Programmes to the region, to maximize efficiency.
The Global Cybercrime Programme is based in El Salvador, the AIRCOP Global Coordination Unit has been transferred to Panama, and the global coordination of the CRIMJUST programme will be moved to Brazil later this year.
Today, we are present in 18 countries Latin America and the Caribbean, comprising over 770 personnel.
Soon we will be disseminating a detailed progress report on SV-LAC implementation.
For now, I would like to take this opportunity to informally brief you on some of our achievements, as well as some of the challenges we face, in addressing your priorities.
Firstly, on countering the world drug problem.
The illicit cultivation, production, and trafficking of drugs persists, and the global cocaine supply - which originates in this region - has reached record highs, while synthetic drug trafficking is a rapidly growing problem.
UNODC is supporting balanced and comprehensive approaches to drug challenges in the LAC region, from data to law enforcement to health to prevention, while adapting to new priorities.
In Guatemala, Ecuador and Honduras for example, we provide technical assistance on the safe disposal of chemicals and precursors.
In Bolivia, Colombia and Mexico, our Illicit Crop Monitoring System projects foster evidence-based decision making.
And we are investing heavily in alternative development, including in Colombia, where we have provided technical assistance to 300,000 families and 1000 local organizations, and in Bolivia, where we have helped 600 families access European coffee markets.
Other countries in the region have expressed strong interest in receiving similar support.
Secondly, I would like to touch upon the issue of organized crime.
The ratio of homicides attributed to organized crime in Latin America is significantly higher than the global average, while instability and violence are driving displacement and irregular migration.
UNODC is fostering regional and inter-regional cooperation against cross-border threats, including improved police partnerships and information exchange.
Our border management programmes are expanding their work in the region.
The largest seizure of chemical precursors by a container control unit since the inception of the programme was reported in this region, with 690 tons of chemical substances seized in the port of Arica in 2022, after good cooperation between Bolivia and Chile.
The Container Control Programme also recently launched operations in Mexico, while AIRCOP began operations in Cuba.
And we are standing with you to address national and regional priorities and emerging threats.
In Argentina, Ecuador, Paraguay, and Uruguay, for example, we are building capacities against cryptocurrency-facilitated crimes, and in El Salvador and Guatemala, we are training school staff on the prevention of cybercrime, to protect children from exploitation in digital spaces.
Crimes that affect the environment are also a growing concern in a region rich with natural wealth.
Your Amazon rainforest constitutes the lungs of our planet, a crucial carbon sink, and home to stunning biodiversity, but it is threatened by illicit activities.
The World Drug Report 2023 will include a chapter on the nexus between drugs, crimes that affect the environment and convergent crime in the Amazon Basin.
We are also providing operational support on crimes that affect the environment.
In 2022, we supported Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru in preventing, investigating, and prosecuting such crimes.
We will continue to partner with you to keep the criminal exploitation of the environment high on the agenda, as we approach the COP28 climate conference.
Third, I would like to mention some of our work on anti-corruption, which has consistently been high on the GRULAC’s list of priorities.
UNODC has established an Anti-Corruption Hub in Mexico, and a similar Hub will be established in Colombia, to work closely with national and regional anti-corruption experts.
Our Office has also helped develop national anti-corruption strategies in Honduras and Ecuador, legislation against corruption in the private sector in Uruguay, and a national risk assessment for money laundering and terrorism financing in Bolivia.
In addition, we have launched a regional platform to accelerate the implementation of the UN Convention against Corruption in Central America, alongside the existing platform for South America.
Fourth and finally, I want to mention some of our work on crime prevention and criminal justice.
We are committed to assist your national institutions to deliver justice for all, particularly the vulnerable and marginalized.
In Colombia, UNODC designed and implemented a case management and evaluation tool to improve decision-making in the Juvenile Justice System.
In Ecuador, jointly with OHCHR, we provided training and legislative assistance on the use of force by law enforcement.
In Panama, Our Office supported the construction of the Public Defense building in the province of Chiriquí, to ensure access to judicial services for the population.
The UNODC-INEGI Center of Excellence on crime statistics, based in Mexico, continues to foster evidence-based policy making in the region.
And of course, we continue to prioritize the fight against gender-based violence.
We have been engaging with countries in the region to promote the use of UNODC’s handbook for the judiciary on effective criminal justice responses to violence against women and girls, as well as the statistical framework for measuring femicide.
Distinguished Ambassadors,
We are taking important steps together, but challenges remain, and I would like to flag some of them, frankly and openly.
First and foremost is the challenge of fundraising.
As you know, UNODC relies primarily on extra-budgetary contributions, usually tightly earmarked.
Donor priorities have recently shifted to other issues and regions, while in some cases it is also limited by political factors.
We have been working hard, and in 2022 we secured 21.3 million dollars in funding in the context of the SV-LAC. But we need your support.
We need you to help us expand the pool of donors and advocate for flexible funding.
We need you to identify private sector partners and engage with international financial institutions.
And we need you to provide funding for your countries and region as much as possible, something that many GRULAC countries are already doing.
The other challenge I want to touch upon is one that you have consistently highlighted: representation of the Group within UNODC’s staff composition.
This is an inherited problem, and one that we face across the UN system. Nonetheless, we have made progress. Around 9.8 per cent of our “P plus” staff are currently from GRULAC, up from 6.9 per cent in 2021.
We will continue to move in the right direction, but we need your patience, and your support in reaching the right candidates.
Colleagues,
As we approach the SDG Summit later this year, and the Summit of the Future next year, UNODC is committed to providing every measure of support we can to your pursuit of the SDGs.
Our Office has been present in the region for decades, delivering for the people of Latin America and the Caribbean, through shifts in governments, global crises, and evolving regional dynamics.
We are also striving to partner with the most potent force in your region: youth. There are around 160 million young people in Latin America and the Caribbean, and we must make use of their energy and optimism.
Señoras y señores,
UNODC continuará trabajando mano a mano con ustedes para alcanzar las aspiraciones comunes de paz, seguridad, desarrollo, y derechos humanos en la región.
Les agradezco su amable atención, y quedo ante ustedes para escuchar sus comentarios.
Muchas gracias.