WASMUN 2003 Drug Control Programme Topic Updates

WASMUN 2003 Drug Control Programme Topic Updates

Introduction

Since the release of the WASMUN Topic Synopses this fall, the United Nations Office for Drug Control and Crime Prevention (UNDCCP) has been renamed to the Office on Drugs and Crime (ODC) – this change was effective Oct. 1, 2002. The ODC is composed of the former Centre for International Crime Prevention (CICP), the International Drug Control Program (UNDCP), as well as affiliated with several other institutions such as the International Narcotics Board, the Crime Commission (CCPCJ), the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) and the Global Youth Network (GYN).

It is noteworthy that the midterm of the 1998 General Assembly special session (UNGASS) on drugs will be reached in April 2003. As a reminder, several challenges were taken on by the ODC as a result of this meeting – the most relevant to this discussion being strategies to improve (a) sustainable development and (b) drug abuse prevention. Thus, during a ten-year period (1998-2008), it was the mandate of the General Assembly to make international improvements in these areas.

On November 26th, 2002 the ODC published its Operational Priorities: guidelines for the medium term which can be downloaded at:

The 16-page document describes the office’s (i) priorities, (ii) means to achieve, and (iii) next steps of action in detail. This updated publication should be read in context of the two discussion topics to be addressed in the 2003 WASMUN General Assembly, as it will be referenced below.

Alternative Development with regards to Crop Monitoring

In October 2002, the annual Afghanistan Opium Survey was published. Detailed information can be found at:

org/odccp/crop_monitoring.html

These surveys have been conducted on a yearly basis since 1994 and their intent is to provide an objective understanding of the current state of illicit opiate production of Afghanistan, the worlds leading opium producer. It is interesting that the 2002 survey was conducted under rather extreme conditions due to the heightened security found presently in the Middle East. For this reason, the majority of crop analysis was accomplished via satellite imagery –with only partial use of traditional, yet extensive ground methods. Although high-resolution satellite detection of illicit crop production is a relatively new technique, it seems to be a valuable resource and may become more important with the advent of more advanced technology.

In the 2002 Afghanistan survey, high yields of opium were discovered. The director of ODC (Antonio Maria Costa) was quoted in a recent UN press release stating:

“The high level of opium cultivation in Afghanistan this year is not a manifestation of a failure of the Afghan authorities or of the international efforts to assist them in drug control. The planting (of the 2002 crop) took place during the total collapse of law and order in the autumn of 2001, long before the new government of Dr. Hamid Karzai was in place.”

It is therefore evident that crop monitoring is only indicative of what drugs will enter the market. Further speculation on the political state of affairs can not be made after crop monitoring reports, mainly because a lot can take place during the year in which a crop is harvested (i.e., fall of the Taliban regime in Afghanistan during 2001). This is support for the ODCs multifaceted approach to solving this problem, one that utilizes international support and intelligence. In the words of the UNGASS on drugs, the Action Plan calls for “participatory approaches that are based on dialogue and persuasion and that include the community as a whole.”

Once a crop is sown, the typical grace period can last from 1-3 years. The delay in harvesting alternative crops makes development strategies difficult. For example, palm oil and coffee are typical alternative crops that have been systematically integrated into countries requiring alternative-development assistance. These crops can require up to three years until full crop rotation is complete and financial prosperity is gained. Participation and support from international financial institutions and bilaterial donors is essential during this grace period. The current pilot project in Laos aimed to eliminate opium poppy cultivation provides good evidence that with solid political and financial backing, alternative development is a feasible and obtainable method to eliminate illicit drug farming. Other positive examples of alternative development projects are underway in Pakistan, Thailand, Peru and Bolivia. Other alternative crops include agro-forestry, which encompasses timber, citrus, flowers and honey production.

Several difficulties have also been experienced in some alternative development sites. The main reason is local political unrest. Violent and volatile political situations in Afghanistan have limited implementation of alternative development actions. In Columbia, armed conflict and lack of state control have also restrained positive efforts put forth by the ODC. In these situations, law enforcement and local action is the predominant method of drug crime reduction – although it should be noted that money spent on prevention will far outlast money spent on enforcement. It is therefore pertinent to use knowledge and vision as the guiding principles in this effort.

In the five years since the Action Plan on International Cooperation on the Eradication of Illicit Drug Crops and on Alternative Development was created in 1998, many pilot projects have began and positive results are being seen. In the Operational priorities: guidelines for the medium term publication referenced above, the theme of sustainable development is given detailed attention. Specifically, priority #2 aims to “place drug and crime issues in the context of sustainable development.” Uncivil actions within a country are quite damaging and discourage foreign investors from supporting that country. Thus, the solution to the problem is not a constant supply of money or resources, but an integrated effort beyond the reaches of the Office of Drugs and Crime alone. The Operational priorities truly emphasized the need to think globally and act locally. By having multi-agency involvement in this issue, broad financial strongholds will keep farmers from cultivating illicit crops and staying committed to a viable legal crop. This would include the participation of non-governmental agencies (NGOs) and civil society. By attracting public attention via advertisements, advocacy, joint partnerships – NGOs and other international actors can help to keep the ball rolling on sustainable alternative development.

Reduction of Youth Drug Use

After the 1998 UNGASS for drugs, reduction of drug demand was considered essential to curbing the transnational crimes of abuse and trafficking. Member states committed themselves to this in the Political Declaration on the Guiding Principles of Drug Demand Reduction. This publication can be downloaded at:

As discussed above, this April will be the midterm of the 1998-2008 period. This is an important time to reflect on the direction and success of past and present efforts. In Operational priorities: guidelines for the medium term, the #3 priority seeks to achieve a “balance between prevention and enforcement activities.” In the context of prevention of youth drug abuse, such activities could include in-school activities, educational and preventative programs aimed toward “at-risk” youth. Further, reduction of demand must be coupled with open dialogue and positive learning environments – the youth of today listen most closely to each other. Thus, the effectiveness of youth drug abuse prevention resides mainly in the participation of the ODC with youth groups around the world.

In the past five years, over 50 youth groups from over 30 countries have been part of the Global Youth Network (GYN). This coalition aims to teach children identify and avoid drug abuse within their own local region and beyond. Focusing mainly on communication and mutual understanding, several meetings a year are held around the world to discuss specific topics. Some of the recent topics of GYN included working with youth from ethnic and indigenous minorities, media literacy issues, youth and community interactions, using sports to prevent drug abuse, peer-to-peer techniques and school-based drug abuse prevention.

Recently the General Accounting Office (GAO), a non-partisan investigative arm of the US Congress, reported that the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) program was ineffective. This report can be downloaded at:

According to the GAO report, “the six long-term evaluations of the DARE elementary school curriculum that we reviewed found no significant differences in illicit drug use between students who received DARE in the fifth or sixth grade (the intervention group) and students who did not (the control group).”DARE is one example of several anti-drug, “say-no” federal programs that have received billions of dollars to operate. As an adult-to-peer educational program, this may perhaps be its limitation. Thus, program evaluation is an important factor to the ongoing success of the ODCs priority #3. The impact of a program on the youth can only be adequately determined by ascertaining how well it has been implemented and received – in the case of DARE, this may bring to light the effectiveness of money spent. Perhaps rather than training more “experts” that in turn will teach the youth, perhaps the money should be provided to Youth Networks such as GYN. If there is indeed proposed to be a better “balance” between prevention and enforcement this would be a sensible approach.

Other methods of youth prevention reside in the support of ‘good practices.’ This may be one of the most fruitful endeavors of the youth networks so far – as it can be seen by the large number of resources available online. Group communication brings forth positive results. When youth-group discussions publicize methods and approaches ‘that work,” the youth are provided with the tools to teach themselves. For extensive links to ‘good practice’ URLs go to:

Conclusion

It is a unique time to be researching and debating both of the above topics. The solutions to international illicit crop monitoring and drug abuse prevention are complex and multi-faceted. In order to have a solid understanding of your countries position in these topics, it is essential to understand the surrounding issues. Socio-economic dependence on illicit drug trade and cultivation as a country is a difficult barrier to overcome. Similarly, the personal struggle of drug addiction as an individual is difficult to treat. In both scenarios, prevention and assistance are key elements to a successful recovery. Use the links below and come ready to explain your views.

To learn more:

Alternative Development with regards to Crop Monitoring

On January 13, 203 there was a press conference by the United States Agency for International Development:

An excellent search engine for recent press releases from the UN is:

Mobilizing domestic financial resources for development:

More publications on alternative development:

ODCCP Studies on Drugs and Crime, Guidelines, Alternative Development in the Andean Area - The UNDCP experience, Vienna, July 2000

UNDCP, Alternative Development - Drug Control through Rural Development, article prepared for the ACC Network on Rural Development and Food Security, September 1998

Mansfield, D, Alternative Development: the modern thrust of supply-side policy, Occasional Papers, Bulletin of Narcotics, Vol. VI, Nos 1&2, 1999

Reduction of Youth Drug Abuse

To learn more about adolescent drug use please visit:

A Framework for Strengthening State Substance Abuse Prevention Systems Sharing Practical Experiences (2002 Conference Edition)

UNICEF - Voices of Youth

UNESCO - Youth Coordination Unit

The World Bank's youth resources

Asia-Pacific Youth Zone - UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific