Telephone: +32 (3) 226 4511/Telefax: +32 (3) 226 3476/ e-mail: encod@glo.be

REPORT OF ENCOD'S GENERAL CONFERENCE

'THE ROAD TO NEW YORK'

Oasi, Turin

30 November/1 December 1997

HISTORY

In June 1998, the General Assembly of the United Nations will dedicate a Special Session on the drugs issue. This UNGASS represents an important opportunity for Non-Governmental Organisations throughout the world to present the need to revise current drug control policies and proposals for change. From May 1997, The European NGO Council on Drugs and Development has contacted a number of organisations in order to join an international NGO coalition with regards to UNGASS. On 30 November and 1 December 1997, some of them were present at ENCOD's General Conference in Turin, Italy, in order to agree on a number of steps to take to enable this coalition to participate in UNGASS and its preparatory process.

List of participants

Elie Aaraj, Soins Infirmiers et Developpement Communautaire, Lebanon

JosAndy Atkins, Tear Fund, United Kingdom

Josep Baltierrez, ARSEC, Spain

Martin Barriuso, Bizitzeko, Spain

Lucia Bianco, Gruppo Abele, Italy

Tom Blickman, Transnational Institute, Netherlands

Ken Bluestone, Catholic Institute for International Relations, United Kingdom

Frans Bronkhorst, Drugs Peace Institute, Netherlands

Sergio Cipolla, Cooperazione Internazionale Sud-Sud, Italy

Abdel Elhakkaoui, Agence Internationale pour le Developpment, France

Paola Grandi, Gruppo Volontariato Civile, Italy

Martin Jelsma, Transnational Institute, Netherlands

Axel Klein, School of Oriental and African Studies, United Kingdom

Alain Labrousse, Observatoire GAnn Mennens, consultant to European Commission, Belgium

Eva Michalikova, Agence Internationale pour le Developpment, Slovakia

TomJoep Oomen, European NGO Council on Drugs and Development, Belgium

Gerbrand Nootens, Boliviacentrum Antwerpen Belgium

Giordano Rigamonti, Missionari della Consolata, Italy

Marina Szikora, Transnational Radical Party, Hungary

Peter Stirnimann, Arbeitsgruppe Schweiz Kolumbien, Switzerland

Rosa Urrunaga, Consejo Andino de Productores de Coca, Peru

Ricardo Vargas, Acci

Participants Excused:

Lee Tunde Asaju, African Network for Information and Action Against Drugs, Nigeria

Coletta Youngers, Washiington Office on Latin America, United States of America

Raul Oliveira, Red Andina de Informacion, Bolivia

Ricardo Soberon, ComisiHoria Turcanu, TELE 7, Romania

A complete list of addresses of participants is available at ENCOD's secretariat.

1. OPENING OF THE CONFERENCE

The conference was opened and moderated by Peter Stirnimann, ad interim chairperson of ENCOD. He gave the floor to Joep Oomen, secretary of ENCOD, who thanked all participants for their presence and reminded the basic objectives of the conference: to agree on a common strategy for the envisaged NGO coalition towards the United Nations General Assembly's Special Session on Drugs, to be held in New York in June 1998. He presented the three speakers from the developing world, and informed that unfortunately, two speakers had to cancel their participation at the last minute: Horia Turcanu from Romania and Lee Tunde Asaju from Nigeria. Lee Tunde Asaju's speech reached us in time to include it in this report.

2. IMPACT OF CURRENT DRUG POLICY IN THE DEVELOPING WORLD (CASES OF THE MIDDLE EAST, THE ANDEAN REGION AND WEST-AFRICA)

Elie Aaraj, Soins Infirmiers et Developpement Communautaire, Lebanon*

Situation

The Middle East Region constitutes a transit line for drugs trafficking, in addition to the production and manufacturing of agricultural illicit crops in some parts of it. While governments claim to have erradicated most of the illicit agriculture (particularly in Lebanon, which was a major producer of hashish and opium until 1994), the region has in the past years developed into an easy transit area for passage of drugs towards Europe and North America. Also, some countries have become major centers for international money laundering.

Although (forced) erradication of illicit crop cultivation in Lebanon has been completed, alternative development programmes have not reached their objective. Curiously, this is due to lack of international support, as the international community finds no further need in raising funds for development, ignoring the needs of farmers in finding other income sources. As a result, there is a continuous threat that the involved farmers will go back to illicit agriculture.

Figures on consumption are difficult to obtain due to the taboo related to it. However, we have seen in recent years an increase in drug consumption and additional burdens, like the rise in the rates of marginalised people, school leaks, health problems (AIDS/HIV, STD, Hepatitis), crime and violence etc.

Resuming, we find that international policy highly prioritises the reduction of the supply of drugs in a repressive perspective. One would question its sustainability, when taking into account the creativeness of smugglers and dealers to find new routes and places of production, and considering the social consequences of this approach. Moreover, one must be convinced that there will always be drugs and people who abuse them.

Conclusion

Emphasizing on human and social development, if added to the efforts in the field of enforcement, can contribute more effectively to minimizing the problem of drug abuse. Developing countries must be helped in the field of alternative development and the implementation of policies that sustain, maintain and encourage this development, without putting additional burdens on the population. Furthermore, cooperation must involve support to demand reduction strategies, i.e. in the field of prevention, therapy, rehabilitation, drug related harm reduction etc. NGO's can and do play an important role in these strategies, but their projects have often too limited resources and reach limited populations. They cannot be enough to have an impact at a large scale, while national policies do not strengthen their effectiveness and efficiency.

Ricardo Vargas, Centro de Investigaci

Situation

The increasing production of illicit drugs in Colombia is due to the globalisation of economy which facilitates market access in Eastern Europe and Asia, apart from already existing markets in the US and Western Europe. Internal causes are the Structural Adjustment programmes and the lack of competence of Colombian farmers in the market of licit agricultural products like coffee.

Coca leaves and opium are by consequence important sources of income for the marginalised rural populations who have colonised the Amazon region, in a way that threatens the biodiversity of the region. In Bolivia and Peru, the desintegration of Colombian drug cartels has meant the extension of national drug trafficking organisations. Drugs control policy in the Andean region is dominated by the US, that uses the issue to justify its military presence. Repressive supply reduction strategies have led to increasing violence, eradication by means of fumigation has caused further deforestation. Drug traffickers are only benefiting from this situation.

Conclusion

There should be room to implement harm-reduction strategies at the supply side. These strategies may include alternative uses for coca leaves.

Rosa Urrunaga, University of Cusco, Peru (representing the Andean Council of Coca Leaf producers)

Situation

In Peru and Bolivia, coca leaf production is divided into legal areas (producing for the local traditional market) and illegal areas (producing for the cocaine market). In the legal areas, producers are faced with a state monopoly on the commercialisation of coca products that is negative for farmers (prices do not guarantee a sustainable production). The situation in illegal production areas is troubled by the presence of terrorist groups taking advantage of the conflict between farmers and the state. As a result, in both areas the population does not have access to minimal life standards.

Conclusion

The cultivation of coca should be subject to a controlled legalisation. Regulation mechanisms should be applied to ensure a sustainable production and commericalisation of coca leaf derivates (several possible products have been proposed). The international community should respect the right of the Andean population to produce and consume coca, which is an integral part of Andean culture.

Lee Tunde Asaju, African Network on Information and Action Agains Drugs, Nigeria *

Situation

There are various reasons why in the past decade there has been a steep rise in the incidence of drug production, consumption and trafficking in most parts of West Africa. In the late 1980s, social structures were completely eroded when the economies were surrendered to unstable and unpredictable winds of market forces (following monetary measures imposed by IMF and World Bank). Societies became divided in haves and have nots, and the drugs industry became an opportunity for many to make money. Marijuana provides several advantages to the growers, while law enforcement authorities do not have the wherewithal to patrol all rural areas. Finally, internal conflicts have forced people to seek both legal and illegal means of survival. Meanwhile, Europe and North America only criticise the sit-tight (military) leaders when their own business interests are at stake.

NGO commitment in activities on drug related issues is highly needed, but it is too limited, due to several reasons: insecurity, lack of financial ressources, misplacement of priorities.

Conclusion

We need independent research on the drugs issue in all its ramifications, which can be made available to governments and policy makers so they can be assisted in policy design and action. This research should include the impact of government policies such as the withdrawal of subsidy on agriculture. We also need better facilities for treatment, education and prevention, exchange of information on practices used elsewhere, training, improve the work of human rights groups to ensure the basic human rights and the enthronement of democracy.

3. ENCOD'S PROPOSAL TO CREATE AN NGO COALITION TOWARDS UNGASS

Martin Jelsma, Transnational Institute, The Netherlands*

The Special Session of the United Nations' General Assembly on Drugs is held ten years after the latest Convention on Drugs Trafficking of 1988. Originally, Mexico had proposed to celebrate a World Summit on Drugs to evaluate current drug control and propose alternatives, but this idea was rejected particularly after pressure by the United States and Western Europe. The importance of UNGASS, therefore, should not be over-estimated, though it continues to provide a unique opportunity to obtain attention of the media for messages and proposals that contradict the official sources.

One part of the official session will consist of the political debate. Here, government leaders are participating, and they are expected to limit themselves to repeat the arguments that are normally based on electoral motives and not on a profound analysis of the situation. Probably, the political declaration that will result from it will call for a stricter interpretation of UN Conventions.

The other part will be dedicated to reach consensus on 5 specific issues on the agenda: a declaration of principles on Demand Reduction, control of precursors, money laundering, synthetic drugs and alternative development.

Most of the preparatory work for the texts that will be adopted in this part has already been done in the meetings of the United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs in Vienna (where ENCOD assisted and published reports on, available at the secretariat). Therefore it is expected that the final texts that will be adopted in New York, will be almost finished at the final PrepCom in Vienna, to be held in Vienna between 16 and 20 March, 1998. Therefore, a lobby strategy towards UNGASS should already include activities towards this meeting.

To elaborate our strategy towards UNGASS, we should think of four questions: Where, How, What and Who.

Where: we should be active in our own countries (to lobby delegates of national governments / European Union in their offices in the national capitals) at the PrepCom in Vienna and at the official UNGASS itself.

How: we should create possibilities to present our view at the PrepCom in Vienna, at UNGASS itself, and the NGO forum attached to it and possibly, at events which we ourselves organise during UNGASS (press conferences, seminars). A publication in various languages would help.

What: we should agree on a common proposal that could be presented as a joint analisis of NGOs from both developed and developing countries, on both demand and supply side issues. Ideally, this analisis would be a reflection on the need to change drug control policies in a certain direction.

Who: we should agree on a group of people to represent the coalition in New York.

Tom

Tomas Montoya attended for ENCOD the three prepraratory meetings of the United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs in Vienna, acting as a Preparatory Body for UNGASS. He resumed his experiences with these meetings as follows.

The question that is raised when one attends the official preparatory meetings, is whether at present, the States of the world are (going to be) able to control processes that take place in society. The measures that are proposed and seem likely to be adopted in the field of judicial co-operation for instance (like the practice of re-versed proof) are in flagrant contradiction with basic human rights principles. However, several processes are taking place within the UN system as well: for instance, an increasing pressure for a reform in the UN system. Therefore, it seems the best strategy to propose a declaration of principles rather than a set of demands.

4. DEBATES

Unfortunately, the debates were not adequately registered, so these minutes can only reflect a limited part of them.

In the debate on Sunday afternoon, we intended to find a set of principles that all participants could agree on as basis for a common declaration or manifesto, which could be the starting point for the coalition. These principles were:

- giving the right priority to drugs control policy, i.e. making it subordinate to universal principles of human, civil, political and socio-economic rights.

- demarginalisation of small producers and consumers of drugs.

- introducing the concept of subsidiarity, which means that every community/region/state should be allowed to develop its own drug control policy, while the international community should limit itself to creating the conditions that would allow communities to implement these policies.

A Spanish association of drug consumers presented a proposal* for a manifesto, in the form of an alternative for UN Drug Conventions. We did not reach consensus on this text, so a second round of debate on Monday was proposed to formulate the basic elements that the manifesto should include. On the Monday, the representative of the Transnational Radical Party presented the proposals of this alliance, containing the depenalisation of consumption of drugs, the revision of the classification of controlled substances based on the damage they might generate to human health, legalisation of cannabis and derivates and support to harm reduction policies towards drug demand.

Afterwards, the debate concentrated on the formulation of 3 elements:

- an analysis of current drug control policies and its impact on human rights/democracy/sustainable development,

- a set of principles for a more sound drug control policy

- a set of measures that the NGO coalition could propose to UNGASS.

This text, that was later worked out by Martin Jelsma, Ken Bluestone and Joep Oomen, is included in this mailing under the title: Manifesto of the International Coalition of NGOs (ICN) working for just and effective policy on drugs.

5. CONCLUSIONS

1. It is proposed that all NGO's interested to take part in the NGO Coalition consider signing the Manifiesto, and notify ENCOD's secretariat before 20 january of 1998. Those who do not feel ready to sign it, are asked to consider sending their suggestions/comments to ENCOD's secretariat before the same date. ENCOD will then notify all envisaged members of the coalition on these comments, and intend to reach consensus on a definitive text before 16 March.

2. All NGOs interested to take part in the delegation that is going to attend UNGASS/the NGO Forum attached to it/ eventually other events that the NGO coalition will organise in New York, are requested to notify ENCOD's secretariat as soon as possible, but at least before 20 January. After this date, ENCOD's Secretariat will start a fundraising campaign to ensure finance for a delegation of the Coalition to participate in UNGASS/NGO Forum/other public events during the UNGASS meeting. All NGOs who can/want to cooperate in this task are requested to notify the Secretariat in time.

In order to participate to the NGO Forum at UNGASS, the NGO has to count with an official registration in the country it resides in. The NGO has to send an application formular to the Vienna NGO Committee on Narcotic Drugs, P.O.BOX 189 1001 Lausanne, Switzerland. Tel. +41 21 3209865/ Fax. 41 21 320 9817. Please contact ENCOD for further details.

3. ENCOD will organise/finance a tour of two representatives from NGOs in developing countries in Europe during February/ March, in order to assist to a number of events aimed at presenting concerns and proposals of the NGO coalition for UNGASS (seminar by CIIR in London, European Parliament hearing in Brussels, meetings with government representatives/politicians/press in Holland, Belgium and eventually other countries, the PrepCom meeting in Vienna). For this delegation, Lee Tunde Asaju from RAID, Nigeria and Veronica Ramos from the Andean Information Network in Bolivia will be invited.

4. CIIR London will co-ordinate the edition of a document (magazine-type) in which experiences from several regions/fields of interests will be included, with the aim of presenting common analysis and supporting the concerns that are put forward in the Manifesto. This document hopefully will be ready in May, in several languages, so use can be made to lobby official delegates who will participate in UNGASS. For the editorial committee, chaired by Ken Bluestone from CIIR, the following persons will be invited: Martin Barriuso from Bizitzeko, Martin Jelsma of TNI, Alain Labrousse from OGD and Ricardo Vargas from CINEP/Accion Andina.

5. On 16 March, the Vienna NGO Committee on Narcotic Drugs (linked to the UN office in Vienna) will organise a mini-forum to discuss and design the content of the NGO forum in New York. Members of ENCOD and the NGO coalition are invited to participate and propose ideas for our participation in New York. We will be in Vienna from 14 March onwards, in order to prepare our participation in this meeting.

On the other hand, we will contact US based organisations in the coming weeks in order to discuss with them possibilities for collaboration in logistical arrangements with regards to our stay in New York (organisation of seminars/press conferences etc.)

If you wish to assist in / hear more of these activities, please contact ENCOD's secretariat (from 5 January 1998).

* The complete text of these texts are available in Spanish and/or English at ENCOD's secretariat

Annex: Manifesto of the International Coalition of NGOs (ICN) working for just and effective policy on drugs.

Manifesto of the International Coalition of NGO's (ICN) working for just and effective policy on drugs

As NGO's concerned with the growing impact of the illegal drugs trade, and those policies to control it, on global development, we wish to present the following proposal to the United Nations' General Assembly Special Session on Drugs, to be held in New York on 8-10 June 1998.

We state the fact that in most countries, drugs control policies currently intend to comply fully with the international UN conventions on drugs (1961, 1971 and 1988); that these policies have proven unsuccessful in countering the illegal drugs trade and have resulted in harmful and counter-productive consequences; that the weakest links of the drugs-trade chain, namely drugs consumers and peasant populations involved in the production of drugs-linked crops, have suffered a disproportionate amount of the negative consequences of drugs control policies. Among these consequences are:

violations of the national sovereignty of drugs-producing countries;

criminalisation and marginalisation of drugs consumers and the peasant populations involved in the production of drugs-linked crops;

violation of basic human rights, including political and economic rights, of the peasant populations involved in the production of drugs-linked crops;

violation of basic human rights of drugs consumers, including the lack of adequate access to health services;

unnecessary overburdening of police and judicial capacity;

erosion of the Rule of Law and democratic practices through corruption;

damage caused to the environment through unsustainable eradication and substitution methods.

Therefore, we consider these drugs control policies to be inefficient, ineffective, and a major impediment for the introduction of innovative strategies for addressing the issue of illegal drugs both globally and locally. We fear that the enforcement of current policy will lead to a worsening of the drugs situation, and to the increased lack of credibility of these policies in the opinion of the general public.

Furthermore, we note that current drugs control has taken place in the context of economic globalisation and trade liberalisation, and that such processes may have created conditions in which the effective implementation of any drugs control policy would be impeded.

We believe that drugs control policies should be subordinated to guiding principles of sound governance, such as those laid out in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other international agreements. We refer in particular to those principles which guarantee the respect for social, economic and political rights and the cultural diversity of all human beings, and those which take into account the sustainability of the planet. We believe that such policies should be primarily directed at supporting people to reduce the eventual harm that the production, trade and consumption of drugs can cause.

We propose the governments of the world to take the following measures to improve current drugs control policies, thereby increasing their effectiveness, viability and credibility:

Decriminalize the production of drugs-linked crops by small-scale independent producers;

Suspend forced eradication operations and those eradication measures which have negative impacts on the environment and on human health, such as the devastating practice of aerial fumigation with herbicides and defoliants;

De-link military involvement from counter-narcotic tasks, including the demilitarization of areas of illicit drugs-linked crops cultivation;

Decriminalize the consumption of drugs, in ways which are socially and culturally acceptable to those local populations involved;

Abolish any exceptional drugs control legislation which violates universally agreed legal and processual guarantees;

Guarantee the freedom of speech and expression on drugs-related matters for all individuals.

Likewise, we propose that the UN authorities (INCB, WHO, UNDCP) should revise the current classification of substances listed under the schedules attached to the International Conventions on Drugs, according to scientific criteria on the harm they produce to human health.

We also call on them to allow for a broader margin for signatory states to experiment locally with alternative policies (which may include steps for legalisation of certain substances), from which the international community might draw useful lessons in its search for a more just and effective drug policy.

Torino (Italy), 1.12.97

Organisations Names

The International NGO Coalition working for a just and effective policy on drugs consists of a number of NGOs from both developing and developed countries who are concerned with the impact of current drug control policies and wish to contribute to a modification of those policies. The coalition can be contacted at:

EUROPEAN NGO COUNCIL ON DRUGS & DEVELOPMENT (ENCOD)

Lange Nieuwstraat 145, 2000 Antwerpen, Belgium

Telephone: +32 (3) 226 4511/Telefax: +32 (3) 226 3476/ e-mail: encod@glo.be

http: //worldcom.nl/tni/drugs

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