OAS Chief Calls for Commitment of Financial and Political Resources in Fight against Drugs

The Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS, José Miguel Insulza, reiterated the urgent need for a renewed, strengthened commitment to international cooperation as a fundamental strategy in the hemispheric fight against drugs and crime.

Speaking at the thirty-ninth regular session of the Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission, Insulza stressed that cooperation among all nations is vital to confront the dangers of illicit drugs in the hemisphere. "It is necessary to encourage the participation of all government entities and organizations, and to promote cooperation among the countries of the Americas," he said. The drug trade is a regional and global enterprise supported by multiple sources, he added, and it is imperative to join resources and tackle it with a multifaceted, regional strategy as a single response.

The Secretary General invited the countries to adopt laws that would, on a regular and permanent basis, contribute funds towards CICAD equal to less than one percent of the drug-related assets they seized. "If this type of contribution is not contemplated in the legal systems of your countries, I urge you to work on the legislative modifications that may be necessary," he said. He noted that this is not a new initiative, given that the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime contemplates this type of measure.

During the three-day CICAD meeting, chaired by the Deputy Minister of Foreign Relations of Bolivia, Ambassador Mauricio Dorfler Ocampo, the countries approved the national and hemispheric reports on the implementation of the Third Round of Evaluation 2003-2004 of the Multilateral Evaluation Mechanism (MEM). This instrument uses a number of indicators to evaluate the progress made in the fight against drugs in the 34 CICAD member countries and in the entire hemisphere. The meeting also approved recommendations from the Intergovernmental Working Group to modify the MEM. The number of indicators was reduced in order to streamline the process.

Insulza told the experts from the 34 member states that the success of the MEM depends on broad political support. "Without support from all the countries, this mechanism would lose importance,” he said. “We think that CICAD and the MEM have gained greater recognition during this Third Evaluation Round."

A report comparing drug use among adolescents who attend school in nine South American countries was also presented at the meeting. This was a collaborative effort between the Inter-American Observatory on Drugs (OID) and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODD). "This report provides us with an updated, valid and reliable diagnosis on the use of drugs and the associated risk factors and protections," Insulza said.