UN – The challenges posed by the world drug problem require a global response that is simultaneously effective, compassionate and humane, UN Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson has said.
Eliasson stated this while speaking on behalf of the Secretary-General to the General Assembly Special Session on the World Drug Problem in New York on Tuesday.
Addressing the world drug problem, he said it requires the active and continued involvement of all governments and sectors of society.
Prevention and treatment, he added required human-rights based approaches adapted to the needs of individuals.
He said drugs policies should make use of all the tools of the conventions and agreements on drugs, corruption, organised crime and terrorism.
At the same time, he said, respect for human rights and accountability in operations to enforce the law were critical.
This, he said, “means considering alternatives to conviction or punishment when appropriate, It means sentencing those convicted in proportion to their crimes’’.
“Poverty and inequality drive illicit drug production and use.
“The best prevention policy is working decisively and universally towards the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals which was so skillfully negotiated and endorsed last year.
“Countering drug-related crime and corruption is imperative for us to achieve stable societies and effective institutions, which constitute a foundation for sustainable development,’’ he said.
Eliasson said drugs threaten not only development and lives in dignity, but also stability and security.
Looking forward to 2019, he said, Member States should focus on new challenges and threats, including the emergence of new psychoactive substances.
The health and welfare of people around the world, he said, should be our overarching objective in the spirit of “We The Peoples,” the first three words of the UN Charter. It is the people we are to serve.
He stated that the world drug problem was affecting virtually every nation and all sectors of society.
“I am sure that you all thought about the victims and tragedies caused by this scourge when you observed the moment of silence a while ago.
“Drug trafficking and organised criminal networks fuel violence and feed corruption.
“They weaken institutions and the rule of law.
“As the Security Council has recognised profits from drug-trafficking are funding terrorism and violent extremism in today’s world.
“Drug policies have serious human rights implications as some people dare not seek the care they need, fearing punishment or forced treatment.
“Drug abuse causes tragic and terrible human costs to users, their families and their communities.
“It kills and injures millions of people. It is linked to the spread of HIV, tuberculosis and hepatitis,’’ he said.
The ultimate goal of the international drug control conventions, he added was to ensure the health and welfare of humankind.
He said in applying these conventions, States must balance security and public safety concerns with considerations of health, human rights and development.
Eliasson commended Member States for their informed and wide-ranging discussions in the lead-up to the special session and for their dedication to reach consensus agreement on the outcome document.
He also thanked the Civil Society Organisations around the world, the Commission on Narcotic Drugs and in particular Chair of Board, Amb. Shamaa for their work on this important document.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the UN said drug use disorders continued to create an unacceptable burden on individuals, families, communities and societies.
The world body said people between the ages of 15 and 64 years used drugs for non-medical or non-scientific purposes in 2013.
Of these, it said, 27 million people suffered from drug use disorders, while 187,100 people who use drugs lost their lives prematurely, including from drug overdose.
NAN reports that the assembly had adopted a Political Declaration on Global Drug Control.
In the declaration, the 193 Member States among others recognised the powerful connection between substance use, drug use, health and development.
This they did by adopting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 3.5, thus committing themselves to strengthening drug prevention and treatment.
Member States called for joint action by the international community, national Governments, civil society and the private sector to address unsafe drug use. (NAN)