Thailand: Thailand, Peru and Germany have the honour of presenting this resolution. We have gone through all the paragraphs in informals, there are some amendments and hopefully we can get through this today.
Chair: The title?
Pakistan: At an early stage we suggested the title is complicated, so we should use the 2016 title. I understand the sponsors would like to retain the longer title, so we are willing to go along with this.
Chair: Any other comments? Title agreed. PP1?
Peru: We would appreciate you consider PP1 and PP2 together.
Chair: To consider PP1 and PP2 as a package, comments?
Pakistan: The last two lines of PP1, where did they come from?
Peru: It was the result of a long negotiation, that is why I request them as a package.
Germany: We would like to keep the package.
Chair: Can we endorse PP1 and PP2? Agreed. PP3? Agreed. PP4?
Thailand: PP4 is to reaffirm commitments using pre-agreed language.
Chair: PP4 endorsed. We go to PP5: agreed. PP6: agreed. PP6 bis. Pakistan?
Pakistan: We would like to retain this paragraph.
Thailand: During the meeting yesterday, we discussed this paragraph as well. The meeting agreed on the paragraph.
Pakistan: We believe everybody should be flexible, it should remain consistent with the normative frameworks. I insist we reintroduce them.
Germany: I suggest we go into the concrete language. I attended the informal, it is hard to follow without the language on screen.
Pakistan: We did give a proposal which is not reflected here. I will try to reintroduce, after the word project ‘continue to be implemented’ and then delete ‘consider.’ After the word strategy ‘which include eradication and law enforcement.’
US: Something we discussed in the informal context was not to take away from the political declaration but not limiting ourselves to it. We want to be sure we are allowing maximum flexibility in regard to alternative development.
Germany: We consider the current language to be difficult as we are in charge of implementing alternative development. In order to avoid politicised discussion here we would prefer to find a solution that leaves it up to the reader which declarations they would like to use. We would like to avoid the term ‘should’ and bring ‘also’ back into the wording. I suggested we go back to the original text from the informal, especially referring to eradication as that is so far from our policy.
Peru: I have a proposal to bring both positions together. ‘Implemented considering the framework of sustainable crop control strategy’
Germany: Thank you we would agree with this.
Chair: Is that proposal agreeable Pakistan?
Pakistan: As a country that has experience of alternative development that over reliance on AD would hardly yield desirable results. Despite alternative development we have not been able to eradicate illicit cultivation. I request we bracket this paragraph.
Germany: I would like to remind the delegations this resolution is about alternative development, it seeks to convene an expert meeting on alternative development and a separate one on eradication. Not necessarily combined unless a country wants to. I am fine to bracket it in order to proceed and not spend too much time, but I do not want to mix up the intention of this paragraph.
Thailand: The purpose of this resolution is to convene the expert group meetings.
Iraq: I would like to merge two ideas about the proposals using language from the general assembly resolutions. Alt: ‘Reaffirming that alternative development is an important and sustainable alternative to the illicit cultivation of drug crops, that is an effective measure to counter the world drug problem, including illicit drug related activities.’ I hope this will be acceptable.
Iran: We support the proposal from Pakistan.
Chair: We will bracket it and move to the next. PP7: endorsed. PP8: endorsed. PP9: endorsed. PP10: endorsed. PP11: endorsed. Comments before we move to the operative part.
Mexico: New PP ‘Recalling also that alternative development policies and programmes should respect fundamental human rights, take due account of traditional licit uses where there is historical evidence of such use, and of the protection of the environment, also taking into account as appropriate and in accordance with national legislation of the UN declaration on the rights of indigenous peoples.’
Pakistan: Paragraph PP11 bis has not been discussed and seems to have been deleted.
Germany: Reporting back from the informal there was a strong opposition to this paragraph because it is a resolution of a global scope and should not refer to specific regions and dating back to previous years. A consensus in the informal to delete that paragraph.
Pakistan: I have listened carefully, and I am wondering what their goal of alternative development is. We see it as a tool to deal with illicit cultivation. If AD is to address illicit cultivation how can we ignore the current situation. We think this paragraph will help us see things in proper perspective.
Thailand: I would like to express concern on the balloon effect of supply and demand.
Pakistan: To make progress I suggest we bracket this because it requires more discussion.
Chair: This proposal will require more work so let us move on to the new PP proposed by Mexico.
Colombia: A very good paragraph.
Thailand: The issues of the rights have already been included in PP1. We recognise the importance of this issue but singling this out might not be the way to go.
Singapore: We would like to echo the remarks that it might not be constructive at this time. The language does not reflect the source it is supposed to be taken from.
Germany: To recall the language used by Mexico it is taken from UNGASS 2016, but the wording of the traditional licit uses is taken from the 1988 convention that has been referred to in the first paragraph of this resolution.
Indonesia: We are flexible regarding PP11 bis which is from Pakistan.
India: Alternative development and eradication should go hand in hand wherever you have traditional cultivation areas. We have to go for the strategy of eradication.
Thailand: We propose to bracket this paragraph and to have a consultation.
Brazil: The new PP we would not have problems reflecting this. We would like it to reflect the exact wording of the UNGASS document. The idea behind PP11bis we could also support this. We do not see them as alternatives but complementary.
Chair: We bracket these for consultation. We go to OP1. Endorsed. OP2?
US: We have concerns with the language in the 5th paragraph. I do not believe we have a review of the plan of action in 2019. We suggest striking everything after ‘bearing in mind.’
Canada: We agree with the US.
Chair: So, this is agreeable? I see no objection. OP2 accepted as amended. OPbis?
Pakistan: We would like to keep this. I believe Morocco suggested we only reference narcotic plants.
Germany: There was broad agreement to delete this paragraph in informal meetings. We would like to start to design policies for alternative development.
Pakistan: We believe this paragraph tells us to not shy away from alternative development. If the intention of the sponsors is to convene a meeting, we should just include two paragraphs referring to an expert meeting.
Hungary: We want to express that we agree with Germany that including reference to this specific aspect of alternative development would divert focus.
Iran: My delegation supports 2bis as it is.
Chair: We do not have a consensus on that, so we move to OP3.
India: As I expressed myself earlier. We request to insert the word ’traditional’ to OP3.
Germany: This is agreed language from UNGASS. We should keep our resolutions as global as possible and not refer to specific countries.
Thailand: I agree with Germany.
Chair: Can we approve OP3? Approved. We go to OP4. Adopted.
Uruguay: An additional paragraph ‘encourages also to intensify efforts in the context of long term and sustainable development programmes to address the most pressing drug related social economic factors, including unemployment and social marginalisation conducive to their subsequent exploitation by criminal organisations involved in drug related crime.’
Chair: Comments? We move to OP5.
Thailand: The purpose is to convene an expert meeting here in Vienna.
Chair: Can we approve OP5?
Singapore: It is not clear how inputs are going to contribute to the ministerial segment. We would like to place in square brackets.
US: We have the same concerns. We suggest the deletion of the word ‘input.’
Germany: A reasonable suggestion. The plan of involved parties is to produce a conference paper, but it is fine to delete as proposed.
Thailand: about the participation of civil societies, it is reflected in OP6.
Nigeria: We believe that we cannot go along with the proposal from Uruguay. I do not see how we can do this within the timeframe. We can put it in brackets for consultations.
Germany: We would be fine as a potential host of that meeting either to keep it or delete it because it would not alter the character of the meeting. It will be an integrative meeting for all purposes.
Canada: We would like to support the Uruguay text.
Iraq: I believe a separate focus could focus on multi-lateral consideration on the subject of alternative development.
Indonesia: The participation of civil society has been included already so we do not need Uruguay’s proposal.
Ecuador: Uruguay’s proposal is one that we can support. We would like to include ‘including preventative alternative development’ we are flexible, but we have misgivings about whether we need to refer to the expert group. Perhaps the co-sponsors of this resolution could clarify this to us about whether this is an expert group. Is it an open-ended group? If that is true and it is inclusive we approve. If it will just be a group of friends, then we do not approve.
Germany: The background recognises the term here at the CND. Expert meetings are considered to include experts on specific issues covered here at CND. The idea is to invite every member state of the CND and all relevant experts. The reason we do not go into detail is because we ask for funding which will define who can attend. I ask the delegation that we avoid this debate now because we do not know what kind of budget we will have available. It will be an inclusive meeting.
US: On the addition of preventable alternative – we do not need to prescribe here.
Uruguay: It has been interesting to listen to this debate. We are prepared to revert to the original language and accept the paragraph as it stands.
Ecuador: After a quick chat with a proponent of this resolution indicating this is the language. We keep the language of the second line. The value of the resolution lies in this paragraph. Here it is most relevant indeed that we would focus on preventative alternative development. Discussing the challenges that stand in the way of this strategy. I could go along with the approved language.
Chair: Uruguay is ready to withdraw the addition language.
Peru: As regards the comments made by Ecuador, the notion of alternative development is already covered. This case including the phrase ‘as appropriate’ I do not think it would add meaning. We are not usually opposed to the phrase, but we are here.
Chair: Do Ecuador have flexibility?
Ecuador: I understand the concerns. We are well prepared to set aside time for flexibility. We feel that we have to establish what is going to be discussed by that group. We remain flexible.
Chair: We bracket and move on to OP6. Adopted. OP7. Adopted. OP8. Adopted. I thank you all and encourage delegations to intensify consultations to follow closely the informal consultations undertaken by the sponsors with maximum flexibility.
Thailand: We will hold an informal meeting tomorrow morning.
Pakistan: If we have time, we could discuss our resolution.