25 May 1988

13th plenary meeting

International Conference on Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking

The Economic and Social Council,

Welcoming the successful conclusion of the International Conference on Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, in particular the adoption of the Declaration and the Comprehensive Multidisciplinary Outline of Future Activities in Drug Abuse Control,

Affirming its commitment to the Declaration of the Conference as an expression of the political will of nations to combat the drug menace,

Noting that in the Declaration of the Conference the Secretary-General was requested to make proposals in the context of the programme budget and within available resources the priority attached to the field of drug abuse control,

Further noting that in the Declaration of the Conference, the Commission on Narcotic Drugs was requested to examine the most suitable modalities for following up the activities referred to in the Declaration and the Comprehensive Multidisciplinary Outline, as appropriate, at the international level,

Urging Governments to take early action to conclude a new convention against illicit traffic in narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances, to which the General Assembly and the Conference have attached high priority,

Recognizing the important contributions of the United Nations drug control bodies and their distinct mandates and responsibilities, and welcoming the Secretary-General's efforts to increase co-ordination of activities related to drug control following the Conference,

Recalling that the General Assembly, in its resolution 41/112 of 7 December 1987, inter alia, requested the Commission on Narcotic Drugs, as the principal United Nations policy-making body on drug control, to identify suitable measures for follow-up to the Conference and, in that context, to give appropriate consideration to the report of the Secretary-General on the Conference,

1. Urges Governments and organizations to adhere to the principles set forth in the Declaration of the International Conference on Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking and to utilize the recommendations of the Comprehensive Multidisciplinary Outline of Future Activities in Drug Abuse Control in guiding the development of national and regional strategies and particularly bilateral, regional and international co-operative arrangements;

2. Welcomes the prompt action taken by the Secretary-General to identify suggestions for activities to build upon the achievements of the Conference;

3. Urges those Member States that have not yet done so to adhere to the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, 1961, as amended by the 1972 Protocol, and the Convention on Psychotropic Substances of 1971;

4. Urges Governments, as a priority goal in the follow-up of the Conference, to provide additional resources for the United Nations Fund for Drug Abuse Control, in order to enable it to strengthen its co-operation with the developing countries in their efforts to implement drug control programmes;

5. Invites intergovernmental and regional and international non-governmental organizations that are referred to under the particular targets of the Comprehensive Multidisciplinary Outline to provide to the Commission on Narcotic Drugs at future sessions information on activities undertaken in pursuit of those targets;

6. Requests the Secretary-General to review the submission of written reports on drug matters in the United Nations and to report thereon to the Commission;

7. Requests the Secretary-General to review, within available resources, current information systems in the United Nations drug control units and to develop an information strategy and submit it, with its financial implications, to the Commission on Narcotic Drugs at its thirty-third session, with a view to the creation, within existing United Nations structures, of an information system integrating input from national, regional and international sources in a computerized data base, so as to facilitate the linkage, retrieval and dissemination of information on all aspects of narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances and the chemicals used in their illicit processing and manufacturing;

8. Invites the Secretary-General to support, within available resources, activities of relevant non-governmental organizations in the drive against drug abuse and to co-ordinate the activities of the appropriate United Nations agencies with them;

9. Urges the Secretary-General to ensure continued inter-agency co-operation in implementing and reporting on activities related to the targets established in the Comprehensive Multidisciplinary Outline and to ensure that the ad hoc inter-agency meetings on co-ordination in matters of international drug abuse control consider how such activities can be included by each specialized agency in its regular programme and budget, and to continue to report on such inter-agency co-operation;

10. Invites the regional meetings of heads of national drug law enforcement agencies to take the Comprehensive Multidisciplinary Outline into account in their discussions, with a view to enhancing regional co-operation to combat illicit drug trafficking;

11. Recommends that the Secretary-General convene a second interregional meeting of heads of national drug law enforcement agencies at an appropriate time following the adoption of the convention against illicit traffic in narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances, with a view to promoting co-operation in the implementation of the convention;

12. Recommends that in developing activities to implement the guiding principles contained in the Declaration of the Conference and the targets of the Comprehensive Multidisciplinary Outline, the United Nations drug control bodies, specialized agencies and other intergovernmental organizations give particular emphasis in the coming year to the activities identified in the annex to the present resolution;

13. Decides to keep under review the action taken with respect to the Declaration and Comprehensive Multidisciplinary Outline adopted by the Conference.

ANNEX Suggested activities for follow-up of the International Conference on Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking by organizations of the United Nations system and other international organizations

A. Prevention and reduction of demand 1. The Division of Narcotic Drugs of the United Nations Secretariat, in collaboration with other United Nations drug control bodies and the World Health Organization, should help Governments improve data collection, should establish valid, reliable and practical procedures that national authorities may adopt and should undertake other activities identified in targets 1 and 2 of the Comprehensive Multidisciplinary Outline of Future Activities in Drug Abuse Control.

2. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, in collaboration with the World Health Organization and appropriate United Nations bodies, should solicit, compile and analyse information on educational and public information methods that have been proved effective for the prevention of drug abuse and disseminate this material to States on request.

3. The International Labour Organisation should supply resource kits for the promotion and implementation of programmes to reduce drug abuse in the workplace and monitor their effectiveness.

4. Non-governmental organizations with special expertise in the field of drugs should collaborate with Governments and appropriate United Nations bodies to ensure that effective education and prevention activities are identified and information on the them is widely disseminated.

B. Control of supply 5. The International Narcotics Control Board, in collaboration with the World Health Organization and other competent entities, should assist countries, on request, in improving their capacity for monitoring the manufacture, importation, dispensing and distribution of substances under international control.

6. The World Health Organization in collaboration with the Division of Narcotic Drugs of the United Nations Secretariat and the International Narcotics Control Board, should assist national drug regulatory authorities in developing and strengthening their pharmaceutical administrations and control laboratories in order to be able to control pharmaceutical preparations containing narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances.

7. The World Health Organization, in collaboration with United Nations drug control bodies, non-governmental organizations and others involved in the rational use of pharmaceutical preparations containing narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances, should assist national educational authorities in developing training materials and conducting training courses to ensure that medical practitioners and other health personnel are well trained in the rational use and prescription of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances.

8. The Customs Co-operation Council should continue to develop as a high priority an internationally recognized customs nomenclature for selected precursors, specifed chemicals and equipment.

9. The Division of Narcotic Drugs of the United Nations Secretariat, in collaboration with development assistance bodies and other bodies with relevant experience and in consultation and agreement with the Governments concerned, should support crop surveys and monitoring efforts, using such technologies as high-resolution satellite imagery and aerial photography.

10. The United Nation Fund for Drug Abuse Control should continue to encourage contributions and develop master plans for narcotics control, including the eradication of illicit crops and, where appropriate, the substitution of those crops through integrated rural development programmes.

11. The Division of Narcotics Drugs of the United Nations Secretariat should convene an expert group to make recommendations on the eradication of illicit plants using methods that do not harm the environment or humans.

12. International financing institutions should contribute more to integrated rural development in support of the eradication of illicit plantings and crop substitution programmes.

13. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, in collaboration with the United Nations Fund for Drug Abuse Control and other United Nations bodies, should improve methodological approaches to integrated rural development, illicit crop eradication and crop substitution.

C. Suppression of illicit trafficking 14. The Division of Narcotic Drugs of the United Nations Secretariat, in co-operation with the International Criminal Police Organization and the Customs Co-operation Council and with other United Nations drug control bodies, should continue to organize appropriate training courses for law enforcement personnel, making the most effective use of available information sources.

15. The Division of Narcotic Drugs of the United Nations Secretariat should continue to give high priority to its programme of scientific and technical assistance to Member States that have limited resources and should collaborate with the World Health Organization in this regard. The programme should include the establishment and strengthening of national laboratory services, an expanded training programme involving qualified national laboratories, the development of recommended methods of testing, and the provision of pure reference standards and scientific and technical information.

16. The International Criminal Police Organization and the Customs Co-operation Council should co-ordinate the dissemination of profiles of drug trafficking organizations and informaion on their methods of operation.

17. The International Civil Aviation Organization, the International Maritime Organization, the World Tourism Organization, the International Air Transport Association and the International Chamber of Shipping should, if they have not already done so, consider and set standards, in co-operation with the Customs Co-operation Council, to improve the control of movements of passengers and goods, with a view to curbing illicit traffic in drugs.

18. The Universal Postal Union should study how to prevent the use of the international mails for drug trafficking and make recommendations for action to combat this problem.

19. The United Nations Fund for Drug Abuse Control and regional and bilateral programmes should, on request, assist countries in equipping and strengthening their law enforcement authorities.

D. Treatment and rehabilitation 20. The World Health Organization, in collaboration with other organizations of the United Nations system, non-governmental and other relevant bodies, should, on request provide Governments with the basic information they need to develop clear policies for treatment and rehabilitation programmes appropriate to their national needs.

21. The World Health Organization, the Division of Narcotic Drugs of the United Nations Secretariat and other competent international bodies, including non-governmental organizations, should solicit, compile, analyse and disseminate information on treatment modalities and techniques that have been proved effective, and on appropriate evaluation methodologies that could be easily adapted for national use.

22. The World Health Organization, in collaboration with other competent international bodies, including non-governmental organizations, should solicit, compile, analyse and disseminate material that has been found effective in the training of personnel who treat and help rehabilitate former drug addicts.

23. The International Labour Organisation should prepare and publish guidelines for programmes to reintegrate former addicts in occupational activities or vocational training.

24. The World Health Organization should continue to explore with Governments and report on the development of:

(a) Preventive and health education programmes as a means of interrupting the transmission of HIV through intravenous drug abuse;

(b) Appropriate treatment and counselling for drug misusers who are HIV positive or who have developed acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS).