UNITED | A |
General Assembly | |
Distr. A/RES/53/115 | |
| 53/115. | International cooperation against the world drug problem |
The General Assembly, Recalling its resolution 52/92 of 12 December 1997, Welcoming the outcome of the twentieth special session of the General Assembly devoted to countering the world drug problem together, held in New York from 8 to 10 June 1998, and the determination of Governments at the highest political level to overcome the world drug problem by a full and balanced application of national, regional and international strategies to reduce the illicit demand for, production of and trafficking in drugs, as reflected in the Political Declaration,1/ the Declaration on the Guiding Principles of Drug Demand Reduction,2/ and the measures to enhance international cooperation to counter the world drug problem,3/ Gravely concerned that, despite continued increased efforts by States, relevant international organizations, civil society and non- governmental organizations, there is a global expansion of the drug problem, which constitutes a serious threat to the health, safety and well-being of all mankind, in particular young people, in all countries, undermines development, socio-economic and political stability and democratic institutions, entails an increasing economic cost for Governments, also threatens the national security and sovereignty of States, as well as the dignity and hope of millions of people and their families, and causes irreparable loss of human lives, Deeply alarmed by the growing and spreading violence and economic power of criminal organizations and terrorist groups engaged in drug- trafficking activities and other criminal activities, such as money- laundering and illicit traffic in arms, precursors and essential chemicals, and by the increasing transnational links between them, and recognizing the need for international cooperation and implementation of effective strategies on the basis of the outcome of the twentieth special session of the General Assembly, which are essential to achieving results against all forms of transnational criminal activities, Deeply convinced that the special session made a significant contribution to a new comprehensive framework for international cooperation, based on an integrated and balanced approach with strategies, measures, methods, practical activities, goals and specific targets to be met, that all States, the United Nations system and other international organizations must implement them with concrete actions and that the international financial institutions, such as the World Bank, and the regional development banks should be invited to include action against the world drug problem in their programmes, taking into account the priorities of States, Convinced that civil society, including non-governmental organizations, can make an effective contribution to and should play an active role in addressing the world drug problem, Emphasizing the importance of the Declaration on the Guiding Principles of Drug Demand Reduction that introduces a global approach, recognizing a new balance between illicit supply and demand reduction, under the principle of shared responsibility, aims at preventing the use of drugs and at reducing the adverse consequences of drug abuse, special attention being paid to youth, and is one of the pillars of the new global strategy and an important initiative of the United Nations Decade against Drug Abuse, 1991-2000, and reaffirming the need for demand reduction programmes, Emphasizing equally the importance of supply reduction as an integral part of a balanced drug control strategy under the principles enshrined in the Action Plan on International Cooperation on the Eradication of Illicit Drug Crops and on Alternative Development,4/ and reaffirming the need for alternative development programmes, Underlining the role of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs as the principal United Nations policy-making body on drug control issues, the leadership role and commendable work of the United Nations International Drug Control Programme as the main focus for concerted multilateral action and the important role of the International Narcotics Control Board as an independent monitoring authority, as set out in the international drug control treaties, Recognizing the efforts of countries that produce narcotic drugs for scientific and medical purposes to prevent the diversion of such substances to illicit markets and to maintain production at a level consistent with licit demand in line with the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs of 1961,5/ Acknowledging that there are links, under certain circumstances, between poverty and the increase in the illicit production of and trafficking in narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances and that the promotion of the economic development of countries affected by the illicit drug trade requires appropriate measures, including strengthened international cooperation in support of alternative and sustainable development activities in the affected areas of those countries, which have as their objectives the reduction and elimination of illicit drug production, Stressing that respect for all human rights is and must be an essential component of measures taken to address the drug problem, Ensuring that women and men benefit equally, and without any discrimination, from strategies directed against the world drug problem, through their involvement in all stages of programmes and policy-making, Recognizing that the use of the Internet poses new opportunities and challenges to international cooperation in combating drug abuse and illicit production and trafficking, I RESPECT FOR THE PRINCIPLES ENSHRINED IN THE CHARTER OF THE UNITED NATIONS AND INTERNATIONAL LAW IN THE FIGHT AGAINST THE WORLD DRUG PROBLEM 1. Reaffirms that the fight against the world drug problem is a common and shared responsibility which must be addressed in a multilateral setting, requiring an integrated and balanced approach, and must be carried out in full conformity with the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations and international law, and particularly with full respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of States, the principle of non-intervention in internal affairs of States and all human rights and fundamental freedoms; 2. Calls upon all States to take further actions to promote effective cooperation at the international and regional levels in the efforts to combat the world drug problem so as to contribute to a climate conducive to achieving that end, on the basis of the principles of equal rights and mutual respect; 3. Urges all States to ratify or accede to and implement all the provisions of the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs of 1961 as amended by the 1972 Protocol,6/ the Convention on Psychotropic Substances of 19717/ and the United Nations Convention against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances of 1988;8/ II INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION TO COUNTER THE WORLD DRUG PROBLEM 1. Urges competent authorities, at the international, regional and national levels, to implement the outcome of the twentieth special session, within the agreed time-frames, in particular the high- priority practical measures at the international, regional or national level, as indicated in the Political Declaration,1/ the Declaration on the Guiding Principles of Drug Demand Reduction2/ and the measures to enhance international cooperation to counter the world drug problem,3/ including the Action Plan against Illicit Manufacture, Trafficking and Abuse of Amphetamine-type Stimulants and Their Precursors,9/ the measures to prevent the illicit manufacture, import, export, trafficking, distribution and diversion of precursors used in the illicit manufacture of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances,10/ the measures to promote judicial cooperation,11/ the measures to counter money-laundering12/ and the Action Plan on International Cooperation on the Eradication of Illicit Drug Crops and on Alternative Development;4/ 2. Renews its commitment to further strengthening international cooperation and substantially increasing efforts to counter the world drug problem, in accordance with the obligations of States under the United Nations drug control conventions, on the basis of the general framework given by the Global Programme of Action,13/ and the outcome of the special session, and taking into account experience gained; 3. Calls upon all States to adopt effective measures, including national laws and regulations, to implement the mandates and recommendations of the Global Programme of Action, to strengthen national judicial systems and to carry out effective drug control activities in cooperation with other States in accordance with those international instruments, in order to implement the outcome and the goals of the special session; 4. Calls upon the relevant United Nations bodies, the specialized agencies, the international financial institutions and other concerned intergovernmental and international organizations, within their mandates, and all actors of civil society, notably non- governmental organizations, community-based organizations, sports associations, the media and the private sector, to cooperate more closely with Governments in their efforts to promote and implement the actions to fulfil the Global Programme of Action and the outcome of the special session; 5. Urges Governments, the relevant United Nations bodies, the specialized agencies and other international organizations to assist and support, upon request, transit States, in particular developing countries in need of such assistance and support, aiming at enhancing their capacity to fight illicit trafficking of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances, and emphasizes the importance of national initiatives, as well as subregional, regional and international cooperation, in combating illicit drug trafficking; 6. Reaffirms that preventing the diversion of chemicals from legitimate commerce to illicit drug manufacture is an essential component of a comprehensive strategy against drug abuse and trafficking, takes note of the progress made in developing practical guidelines, including those of the International Narcotics Control Board and the recommendations on implementing article 12 of the 1988 Convention, and calls upon all States to adopt and implement measures to prevent the diversion of chemicals to illicit drug manufacture in accordance with the resolution on the control of precursors, adopted at the special session;10/ 7. Requests the Executive Director of the United Nations International Drug Control Programme to report to the Commission on Narcotic Drugs at its forty-second session, in March 1999, on the follow-up to the Action Plan on International Cooperation on the Eradication of Illicit Drug Crops and on Alternative Development; 8. Requests the Commission on Narcotic Drugs to examine, at its forty-second session, the proposal for an action plan for the implementation of the Declaration on the Guiding Principles of Drug Demand Reduction, which is being elaborated by the United Nations International Drug Control Programme in consultation with Member States, taking into account the international agreements and declarations in the area of demand reduction that have been elaborated, in particular the Global Programme of Action, and addressing all policies and programmes to all sectors of society; 9. Requests the Commission on Narcotic Drugs and the United Nations International Drug Control Programme to elaborate guidelines in order to facilitate reporting by Governments on the implementation of the Global Programme of Action and progress achieved in meeting the goals and targets for the years 2003 and 2008, as set out in the Political Declaration of the special session, and to have an efficient collection of reliable data, increase the number of Governments that report updated information on a regular basis, improve the quality of their responses and avoid duplication of activities; 10. Calls upon the Commission on Narcotic Drugs to mainstream a gender perspective into all its policies, programmes and activities, and requests the Secretariat to integrate a gender perspective into all documentation prepared for the Commission; 11. Recalls the World Programme of Action for Youth to the Year 2000 and Beyond, adopted by the General Assembly on 14 December 1995,14/ notes with satisfaction the active participation of youth organizations and youth during the special session, and stresses the importance of their continuing to contribute their experiences and to participate in the decision-making processes, in particular in relation to the elaboration of the action plan for the implementation of the Declaration on the Guiding Principles of Drug Demand Reduction; 12. Calls upon States to adopt effective measures to stem the illicit trade in small arms, which, as a result of its close link to the illicit drug trade, is generating extremely high levels of crime and violence within the societies of some States, threatening the national security and economies of those States; 13. Notes the elaboration of an international convention against transnational organized crime by the year 2000, within the framework of the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice; 14. Reaffirms the importance of achieving the objectives of the United Nations Decade against Drug Abuse, 1991-2000, under the theme - A global response to a global challengeþ, by Member States, the United Nations International Drug Control Programme and the United Nations system; III ACTION BY THE UNITED NATIONS SYSTEM 1. Reaffirms the role of the Executive Director of the United Nations International Drug Control Programme in coordinating and providing effective leadership for all United Nations drug control activities so as to increase cost-effectiveness and ensure coherence of action, as well as coordination, complementarity and non- duplication of such activities throughout the United Nations system; 2. Emphasizes the need to increase the efficiency of the United Nations System-wide Action Plan on Drug Abuse Control,15/ as a tool to promote the coordination and enhancement of drug abuse control activities within the United Nations system; 3. Urges the specialized agencies, programmes and funds, including humanitarian organizations, and invites multilateral financial institutions, to include action against the world drug problem in their programming and planning processes, in order to ensure that the integral and balanced strategy which emerged from the special session devoted to countering the world drug problem together is being addressed; IV UNITED NATIONS INTERNATIONAL DRUG CONTROL PROGRAMME 1. Welcomes the efforts of the United Nations International Drug Control Programme to implement its mandate within the framework of the international drug control treaties, the Comprehensive Multidisciplinary Outline of Future Activities in Drug Abuse Control,16/ the Global Programme of Action,13/ the outcome of the special session of the General Assembly devoted to countering the world drug problem together and relevant consensus documents; 2. Requests the United Nations International Drug Control Programme: (a) To strengthen cooperation with Member States, as well as with United Nations programmes, funds and relevant agencies and non- governmental organizations, and to provide, on request, assistance in implementing the outcome of the special session, which may include the adjustment of national laws and policies, the development of training programmes and the establishment of mechanisms for data collection and analysis; (b) To strengthen the dialogue and cooperation with multilateral development banks and with the international financial institutions so that they may undertake lending and programming activities related to drug control in interested and affected countries to implement the outcome of the special session, and to keep the Commission on Narcotic Drugs informed on further progress made in this area; (c) To continue, taking into account the outcome of the special session, to include in its report on illicit traffic in drugs an updated assessment of worldwide trends in illicit traffic and transit in narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances, including methods and routes used, and to recommend ways and means of improving the capacity of States along those routes to deal with all aspects of the drug problem; (d) To continue the publication of the World Drug Report with comprehensive and balanced information about the world drug problem and to seek additional extrabudgetary resources for its publication in all official languages; 3. Invites Governments and the United Nations International Drug Control Programme to consider ways and means of improving the coordination of United Nations activities related to the world drug problem so as to avoid duplication of such activities, strengthen efficiency and accomplish the goals approved by Governments; 4. Urges all Governments to provide the fullest possible financial and political support to the Programme by widening its donor base and increasing voluntary contributions, in particular general- purpose contributions, to enable it to continue, expand and strengthen its operational and technical cooperation activities; 5. Urges the International Narcotics Control Board to increase efforts to implement all its mandates under international drug control conventions and to continue to cooperate with Governments, including by offering advice and technical support to Member States that request it; 6. Notes that the International Narcotics Control Board needs sufficient resources to carry out all its mandates, and therefore urges Member States to commit themselves in a common effort to assigning adequate and sufficient budgetary resources to the Board, in accordance with Economic and Social Council resolution 1996/20 of 23 July 1996, and emphasizes the need to maintain its capacity, including through the provision of appropriate means by the Secretary-General and adequate technical support by the United Nations International Drug Control Programme; 7. Stresses the importance of the meetings of Heads of National Drug Law Enforcement Agencies and the Subcommission on Illicit Drug Traffic and Related Matters in the Near and Middle East of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs, and encourages them to continue to contribute towards strengthening regional and international cooperation, taking into account the outcome of the special session; 8. Takes note of the reports of the Secretary-General,17/ and, taking into account the promotion of integrated reporting, requests the Secretary-General to submit to the General Assembly at its fifty-fourth session a report on the implementation of the outcome of the twentieth special session and the present resolution. 85th plenary meeting 5/ United Nations, Treaty Series, vol. 520, No. 7515. 6/ Ibid., vol. 976, No. 14152. 7/ Ibid., vol. 1019, No. 14956. 13/ See resolution S-17/2, annex. 17/ A/53/382, A/53/383 and A/53/129-E/1998/58.
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