2009 Political Declaration and Plan of action on international cooperation towards an integrated and balanced strategy to counter the world drug problem

Political Declaration

1. Reaffirm our unwavering commitment to ensure that all aspects of demand reduction, supply reduction and international cooperation are addressed in full conformity with the purposes and the principles of the Charter of the United Nations, international law and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and, in particular, with full respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of States, the principle of non-intervention in the internal affairs of States, all human rights, fundamental freedoms, the inherent dignity of all individuals and the principles of equal rights and mutual respect among States.

4. Support the traditional and established supplier countries in maintaining a balance between the licit supply of and demand for opioids and opiate raw materials used for medical and scientific purposes;

10. Welcome the important role played by civil society, in particular non-governmental organizations, in addressing the world drug problem, and note with appreciation their important contribution to the review process, also noting that representatives of affected populations and civil society entities, where appropriate, should be enabled to play a participatory role in the formulation and implementation of drug demand and supply reduction policy;

19. Call for continued cooperation between Member States, the International Narcotics Control Board and the World Health Organization to ensure the adequate availability of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances under international control, including opiates, for medical and scientific purposes, while concurrently preventing their diversion into illicit channels, pursuant to the international drug control conventions;

20. (…) note with great concern the alarming rise in the incidence of HIV/AIDS and other blood-borne diseases among injecting drug users, reaffirm our commitment to work towards the goal of universal access to comprehensive prevention programmes and treatment, care and related support services, in full compliance with the international drug control conventions and in accordance with national legislation, taking into account all relevant General Assembly resolutions and, when applicable, the WHO, UNODC, UNAIDS Technical Guide, and request the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime to carry out its mandate in this area in close cooperation with relevant organizations and programmes in the United Nations system, such as the World Health Organization, the United Nations Development Programme and the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS

24. (c) Such crop control strategies should be in full conformity with article 14 of the United Nations Convention against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances of 1988 and appropriately coordinated and phased in accordance with national policies in order to achieve the sustainable eradication of illicit crops and facilitate long-term development, noting furthermore the need for Member States to undertake to increase long-term investment in such strategies, coordinated with other development measures, in order to contribute to the sustainability of social and economic development and poverty eradication in affected rural areas, taking due account of the traditional licit uses of crops where there is historical evidence of such use and giving due consideration to the protection of the environment;

39. Commit ourselves to implementing effectively the present Political Declaration and its Plan of Action through resolute international cooperation, in collaboration with relevant regional and international organizations, with the full assistance of the international financial institutions and other relevant agencies and in cooperation with civil society, including non-governmental organizations, as well as the private and public sectors, and to reporting biennially to the Commission on Narcotic Drugs on the efforts to fully implement the Political Declaration and the Plan of Action, and also consider it necessary for the Commission to include on its agenda a separate item on follow-up to the Political Declaration and its Plan of Action;

Plan of Action

Part I., A.,3. 5. There is an insufficient emphasis on human rights and dignity in the context of drug demand reduction efforts, in particular regarding access to the highest attainable standard of health services.

6. Member States should: (a) Ensure that drug demand reduction measures respect human rights and the inherent dignity of all individuals

Part I., A., 4. Member States should:

(b) Deliver comprehensive policies and programmes using a multi-agency approach, including health-care, social-care, criminal justice, employment and education agencies, non-governmental organizations and civil society, which should take full advantage of the activities of non-governmental and civil society organizations;

Part I., A., 10. Member States should:

(a) Ensure, where appropriate, the sufficient availability of substances for medication-assisted therapy, including those within the scope of control under the international drug control conventions, as part of a comprehensive package of services for the treatment of drug dependence;

(b) Continue to comply with the procedures established under the international drug control conventions and relevant resolutions of the Economic and Social Council relating to the submission to the International Narcotics Control Board of estimates of their requirements for narcotic drugs and assessments of requirements for psychotropic substances so as to facilitate the import of the required narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances and to enable the Board, in cooperation with Governments, to maintain a balance between the demand for and the supply of those drugs and substances in order to ensure the relief of pain and suffering and the availability of medication-assisted therapy as part of a comprehensive package of services for the treatment of drug dependence, while bearing in mind, in accordance with national legislation, the World Health Organization Model List of Essential Medicines.

Part I., A., 11. In many cases, interventions tend to be supported through isolated and short-term initiatives and are not mainstreamed in the regular provision by Governments of public health, education and social services. Moreover, they do not involve all stakeholders at the community level in the planning, delivery, monitoring and evaluation of drug demand reduction measures, and they do not take full advantage of the activities of non-governmental organizations and civil society.

Part I., A., 12. Member States should:

(d) Promote collaboration between governmental and non-governmental organizations and other members of civil society in the establishment of drug demand reduction measures at the local level.

Part I., A., 16. Member States should:

(a) Working within their legal frameworks and in compliance with applicable international law, consider allowing the full implementation of drug dependence treatment and care options for offenders, in particular, when appropriate, providing treatment as an alternative to incarceration;

Part II., B., 22. Member states should:

(c) Ensure that supply reduction measures are carried out in full conformity with the purposes and the principles of the Charter of the United Nations and international law, the three international drug control conventions and, in particular, with full respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of States, the principle of non-intervention in the internal affairs of States and all human rights and fundamental freedoms; (…)

(e) Promote supply reduction measures that take due account of traditional licit uses, where there is historical evidence of such use, as well as environmental protection, in conformity with the United Nations Convention against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances of 1988;

Part II., B., 41. (c) Ensure that measures to control precursors and amphetamine-type stimulants are carried out in full conformity with the purposes and the principles of the Charter of the United Nations and international law, the international drug control conventions and, in particular, with full respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of States, the principle of non-intervention in the internal affairs of States and all human rights and fundamental freedoms.

Part II., D., 43. (d) Ensure that States with the necessary expertise, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and other relevant United Nations organizations assist affected States in designing and improving systems to monitor and assess the qualitative and quantitative impact of alternative development and drug crop eradication programmes with respect to the sustainability of illicit crop reduction and socio-economic development; such assessment should include the use of human development indicators that reflect the Millennium Development Goals; (…)

44. (e) Consider, where appropriate, including in their national development strategies, integrated and sustainable alternative development programmes, recognizing that poverty and vulnerability are some of the factors behind illicit drug crop cultivation and that poverty eradication is a principal objective of the Millennium Development Goals; and request development organizations and international financial institutions to ensure that alternative development strategies, including, when appropriate, preventive alternative development programmes, are incorporated into poverty reduction strategy papers and country assistance strategies for States affected by the illicit cultivation of crops used for the production of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances;

Part II., D., 44(f) Ensure that the design and implementation of alternative development programmes, including, when appropriate, a preventive approach, involve all stakeholders, take into account the specific characteristics of the target area and incorporate grass-roots communities in project formulation, implementation and monitoring;

Part II., D., 47. (a) Tackle alternative development in a larger development context through a holistic and integrated approach, taking into account the Millennium Development Goals, with the priority of eradicating poverty;

Part II., D., 47. (b) Develop alternative development programmes and eradication measures while fully respecting relevant international instruments, including human rights instruments, and, when designing alternative development interventions, taking into consideration the cultural and social traditions of participating communities;

(c) Ensure that development assistance provided to communities in areas affected by illicit cultivation of crops used for the production of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances takes into account the overall aims of human rights protection and poverty eradication; (…)

(g) Ensure, when considering taking eradication measures, that small-farmer households have adopted viable and sustainable livelihoods so that the measures may be properly sequenced in a sustainable fashion and appropriately coordinated; (…)

(n) Mainstream drug control and alternative development approaches into the broader development agenda, while encouraging the development community, in particular the international financial institutions, to incorporate drug control approaches into their wider development agendas.