S/PV.6233
6233rd meeting
Tuesday, 8 December 2009, 10 a.m.
New York
Peace and security in Africa
Mr. Shalgham (Libyan Arab Jamahiriya) (spoke in Arabic): I would first like to express my gratitude to you, Mr. President, for organizing this meeting — the first Security Council debate of its kind — on the effects of illegal drug trafficking on international security, and for personally presiding over this important meeting. On behalf of the Libyan delegation, I should also like to thank you and your delegation for preparing the presidential statement (S/PRST/2009/32) that the Council has adopted. I also wish to thank Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon for his statement, as well as Mr. Costa, Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), for his important briefing.
There is no doubt that, in debating this important issue, the Security Council is contributing to the efforts of other United Nations bodies to address the illicit drug trade and its serious consequences. With support from UNODC, the General Assembly and the Economic and Social Council have addressed several aspects of drug trafficking, in particular in connection with its effects on public health and development and its links and contribution to organized crime.
There is also no doubt that, several decades ago, the international community realized the importance of international cooperation in controlling both drug trafficking and drug use. The Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs was concluded in 1961 and amended in 1972; the Convention on Psychotropic Substances was signed in 1971; and the United Nations Convention against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances was finalized in 1988. In addition, the General Assembly, which devoted its twentieth special session to the problem of drugs, adopted a Political Declaration (resolution S-20/2, annex) that identified the objectives of international cooperation in addressing this issue. At its fifty-second session, held this year, the Commission on Narcotic Drugs devoted a high-level segment to evaluating the progress made since 1988 in achieving the goals identified at the twentieth special session, as well as to establishing priorities for the future. In that connection, on 12 March 2009, ministers and representatives participating in the segment issued the Political Declaration and Plan of Action on International Cooperation towards an Integrated and Balanced Strategy to Counter the World Drug Problem.
Against the backdrop of advances in communications and transportation — and the opportunities they provide for criminals to move quickly and en masse — as well as the existence of a large number of vulnerable States, promoting international cooperation to combat the drug trade is more urgent than ever. Studies have shown that there are strong links between drug trafficking and armed conflicts, the proliferation of small arms, money-laundering and the financing of organized crime and terrorism. The illicit traffic in drugs now constitutes a significant source of laundered funds. It is also an important tool in the hands of those who seek to spread instability by promoting corruption and proliferating small arms, which are the most important component in fuelling conflicts in Africa.
Recent reports point to a disturbing increase in cocaine trafficking across West Africa, as well as heroin trafficking in East Africa. That is due to the precarious security situation in several States in those regions. That creates a serious threat to the security and the stability of those States and creates obstacles to sustainable development in them. It also constitutes a serious threat to all the States in the region.
In the expansive Sahel region of Africa, there is a concern that drug trafficking might be a principal source of financing for terrorist groups that are rampant in those desert areas and that continuously threaten the lives of the populations and of tourists. Those groups seek to destabilize the States of the region.
The current situation in West Africa and the Sahel region requires international financial and technical support to the efforts of States in the region to promote cooperation among themselves in controlling their borders and in combating organized crime. We wish to express our gratitude to UNODC for their efforts in that area.
In countries where significant numbers of the population depend on the cultivation of drugs — such as Afghanistan, Colombia, Peru, Bolivia and Laos — there is a need for the international community to continue providing support to farmers and to urge them to take on legitimate and peaceful agricultural activities that are economically sound and sustainable. In that way, the production and supply of narcotics and drugs throughout the world will be reduced while food security would be strengthened and poverty reduced.
In conclusion, we commend the important role of UNODC, under the leadership of Mr. Costa, and we value his role in promoting and strengthening the capacity of Member States to confront illicit drug trafficking, crime and terrorism. We urge that UNODC be provided with the necessary financial resources to support its work.
