Home » Plenary: Item 10. Implementation of the Political Declaration and Plan of Action on International Cooperation towards an Integrated and Balanced Strategy to Counter the World Drug Problem (cont…)

Plenary: Item 10. Implementation of the Political Declaration and Plan of Action on International Cooperation towards an Integrated and Balanced Strategy to Counter the World Drug Problem (cont…)

Cameroon: Allow me to give a brief overview on status of drug and durg abuse in my country. Cannabis remains the most consumed drug in Cannabis, albeit trafficking as a whole is on an increase. Cocaine, heroine and synthetic opioids continue to enter Cameroon by land air and sea and trafficked in great quantities. We have witnessed a large number of offences due to drug abuse and trafficking of the stated substances, which continued to pose security problems linked to our region. In the Cameroon, the rate of parcels being seized from criminals continues to increase.  With regards to use, 21% of the Cameroon population have tried hard drugs, with 10% regular users, the current context also demonstrates the rising rate of is one of polydrug users whereby cannabis and amphetamine is mixed with the likes of cannabis. Another drug ‘tramadol’ continued to be trafficked in significant quantities, with young school children, and mainly those in the informal sector most vulnerable. Over the past two years our specialist health centres have recorded more than a 1000 new patients demanded treatment, with The median age of use at 26, with cases of abuse reported in the age category of 15-19,  down to experimentation. Our health departments report addictive substances have been a cause and consequence of the spread of hepatitis amongst the youth and most vulnerable position. Cameroons attempt is being stepped up, a commitment to the UN various drugs committee that has been established, national law, considerate of psychotropic substances. School programmes have also been stepped up to combat drug use, legislation in the drugs area has been harmonized, and cannabis consumption policy has been crafted. A programme to reduce addiction in prison has been adopted. Budgetary resources have been committed to the functioning of these specialist units, alongside specialist training, awareness raising campaigns involving the media and community groups. Our focused efforts have enabled the effective seizing of drugs and destroying cannabis fields. We are also working with local administrations and local religious leaders and civil society organisation to predict the misuse of drugs. We are using every opportunity to combat the world drug problem, we are engaged in alternative programmes, we are combatting false medication and working with pharmacies in this regard in implementing the likes of legal laboratories that have been set up. Airport anti-trafficking has been established, high-tech equipment to monitor and control, our police are trained in detection and surveillance, our partnership with the African Union for the prevention and mistreated use of drugs. Operationalisation of new government. Cameroon remains open tor receiving any support, in particular a reference centre specialising in addiction care to assist those who have problematic use with drugs. A responsibility body for suppression of trafficking alongside an effective data monitoring to bolster the legal framework in force. We wish to establish a plan to reduce decency amongst vulnerable communities, and support for community based education targeting the youth. We also seek to conduct a mapping study where cannabis is cultivated and specific regions, wishes to take full part in welcome into various UNODC programmes for Africa.

Suriname: The WDP is a prime concern for Suriname. I have to thank this mechanism for giving high attention to trends and challenges of the basis of common and shared responsibilities. Suriname is a transit country. IT is necessary to curb it by employing law enforcement to ensure the well-being and security of the society. The national drug master plan serves as a road map for implanting the targeted plans. The revised national drug master plan will be presented to the president of Suriname. It is a renewed strategy focusing on security, health and human rights. The implementation will consist of a sustainable balance and integral approach. Special focus will be place on international infrastructure. To do so target actions at national, bi national and multi-regional should be implemented. Marijuana is the only crop cultivated for local use. Arrests have been made which have led to the overpopulations of our prisons. We have recently adjusted our laws and regulations in regard to cannabis and related substances. Decriminalisation for scientific and medical purposes. Recreational use is still illegal in Suriname. The country is internationally labelled as a drug country which imposes an unfair stigma of the country and its nationals. It is a prerequisite that Suriname maintain collaboration and communication with other sub regional services. With our outstretched boarder the government recognise that illegal drug crime is a major problem. Suriname calls on all countries, multi-lateral and relevant instate to support the smaller countries who are not able to tackle all levels of this cross-border crime. In this capacity Suriname will be hosting the HLM of this mechanism combined with the 4thCOPOLAD conference in June 2019. We urge all CILAC and EU member states to attend this conference to address the WDP.

Nepal: Nepal takes the trade of narcotic drugs seriously extremely, taking narcotic drugs control in the form of policy and strategy. We also have a concept of community police partnership which identifies the abuse of drugs amongst youths, and an important area in line with prevention. The community police partnership has demonstrated exceptional results since launched in Sept 2018. Such programmes can meet the demand level of the national strategy, and we deem these realistic plans have instead been preferred. As devised in the narcotic control action plan, Nepal identified seven areas of narcotic drugs control and violence against children and women as highest priority. We have taken the initiative to bring all together to bring all the sectors to promote proper cooperation and collaboration in tackling drug related crimes. Through effective implementation strategy, and regulation of chemical solutions, treatment and rehabilitation centres, awareness campaigns particularly targeting the children and youth. To maintain the best practices, Nepal in demand reduction areas, school collaboration focused through orientation programmes on drug addiction, and opioid substances. In addition drug education brought into drug curricular to meet the demand reduction right down to the grassroots levels. Nepal’s commitments ensures how committed to uphold its international commitments based on responsibility.

Venezuela: Drug consumption requires a comprehensive and balance of its root causes. Up to 2016 207 million people had consumed drugs at least once according to UNODC data. V has become a transit point for drug trafficking even though we are not a country for a great prevalence of consumption. We do not suffer from the same consumption levels that other countries do. We aim to implement activities based on scientific evidence; we prioritise care for children and teenagers. More than 300000 toxicological tests were applied during the 2018 period. Our country has a public system for treatment and care of addiction. Our objective is to achieve social reintegration of the individual. In the last decade we have financed over 6000 programmes. We attach great important to social, cultural and educational practices. My country has developed an ambitious political policy. We have public po9licy based on scientific evidence that have provided to reduce violent behaviour. We are seeing among the international community a spread of challenges over the last ten years. Between 2009 and 2018 around 72000 trains and 200 anti-drug operations took place. Thanks to the implementation of our air policies – recognises by the INCB in its report – we have caught people for drug trafficking crimes. We turn to the control of chemical substances; we have created out national network to combat the diversion of chemical substances. We never minimise the risk of drug trade in our community. We show the firm commitment to develop a global strategy to address the WDP and to combat the illicit trade of narcotic and psychotropic substances. We wish to state that our initiatives are human based and consequence bases, with the object of promoting human health and security.

CICAD: The CICAD plan of actions on drugs, continues in line with the UNGASS documents. Our OAS member states will discuss if plans should be modified and content of a new plan of action. Documents aligned with the UNGASS document. Our work brings together government appointed experts to produce a written hemispheric report. We importantly in our work take into account the SDG 2020 goals built on inclusion. It is essential that drug policies that must rely on evidence based policy through the collecting of data, as such early-warning networks can be produced. Our report provided by OAS member states in the Southern hemisphere, CICAD looks forward to furthering collaborating efforts. Improving public health remains CICAD’s core goal through drug rehabilitation, teaching trainers two core curriculums, with more than one third of OAS member states now conducting such practice. In 2019/2020 we continue to support OAS member states, and we believe without institutional referenced to address drug problems, the risk is of drug policy efforts becoming temporary, opposed to reaping long term benefits. Our supply reduction unit focused on pre-cursor materials used in the manufacture of drugs and we devote a gender respective process throughout, through the implementation of gender related drug policy programmes such as the law enforcement agency dealing with women.

IOGT:there have been considerable achievements and challenges with regard to the WDP. Drug use has remined strikingly use. 95% of the world population remain drug free. Clearly global consensus exists for comprehensive action. This is a positive shift in line with the UN Convention. A concerning trend is the war for drugs. The scale and leadership for reduction has not become the priority that it should be. We call for a systematic evidence-based intervention. A transition to comprehensive evidence-based intervention benefits governments and empowers communities. It promotes human rights and contributes to the society. We urge member states to adopt and scale up evidence-based programs.

Singapore; SANA: Extend our gratitude to the CND for engaging civil society in the formulation of drug policies. A drug free Singapore was good for our people, this aspiration continues to be as relevant. In the last ten years we have worked with students in our preventive programmes along with people in recovery. We have seen how drug addiction ruins lives and relationships, and witnessed first-hand how people how children have suffered as the result of parental addiction. Through recovery people can live a drug-free life, and encourages us to do more from recovering addicts. I want to share firstly, our set-up centre for people to drop in to seek help for themselves or drop in, the centre is made possible and built on the basis of joy, fun and love. The centre provides a full range of services from sports to cultural programmes. Second, our peer leaders who recover and become employed, these people usually wish to help and we for that reason call them peer leaders. Our peer leaders how empathy that no one else can, such understanding go a long way to help recovering addicts they also help us strengthen our preventive messages and more at risk people, We believe evidence based practiced in rehabilitation, we have conducted much research to meet the need of our clients and learn from everybody else. Finally, I wish to discuss how the internal environment impacts our work, our work would be made much more difficult for a drug-free Nepal, we have a drug-free prevention system. We adopt tough laws and robust enforcements..  We do best to achieve this goal. The young are there well informed to make these decisions, and aware of support networks. More jurisdictions have been legalizing for recreational use, and we have observed the permissive attitude has impacted how the young view drugs which has an impact on how people view drugs, and places a high price on our society. We maintain the three drug conventions which are the cornerstone of the drug control system. We continue to offer support and rise above the need for drugs.

Turkish Green Crescent: In the last couple of decades there has been a necessity to switch to public health policies. Gender sensitive and care packages for all groups are imperative to leave no one behind. Focusing on the promotion od drug prevention and treatment is an emerging need. Labelling drug users are no longer acceptable during these efforts. Prevention should target different age groups. prevention is the most cost effective, humane, sustainable implementation. Increasing awareness in the community should be a second dimension in the area. We would like to remind you that all stakeholders should conside3r the necessity of the individual counselling programmes.

International Association for Hospice and Palliative Care: Thank you Chair. I am a palliative care physician in Colombia, which means I see patients with serious health conditions, many at the end of life. In Colombia we have a Fondo Nacional that gives us relatively good access to internationally controlled essential medicines such as morphine, but this is becoming increasingly restricted as physicians are afraid to prescribe because of the effects of the US opioid crisis. IAHPC thanks CND for Chapter 2 of the UNGASS Outcome Document, which is a great advance on the Plan of Action, 2009, a document that barely acknowledge the need to improve access to controlled medicines for the relief of severe pain and palliative care. Now we have the way forward, and UNODC, WHO (OMS), and INCB (JIFE) have provided the guidelines to countries to implement the recommendations of Chapter 2. We beg member states where access to controlled medicines are restricted, where physicians do not know how to prescribe them, not to allow their supply control efforts to undermine access to controlled medicines. Please hold multi-stakeholder workshops, like we do in Colombia, to allow prescribers and pharmacists to meet with drug regulators, narcotics control authorities, and the pharmaceutical sector. IAHPC has experience in organizing these workshops. Those of us in Latin America who are making progress can show you the way to make controlled medicines available for your patients while preventing diversion and misuse. I thank you.

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