21 June 1991

15th plenary meeting

Demand reduction

The Economic and Social Council,

Recognizing the crucial importance of demand reduction as part of a balanced approach to combat the drug problem,

Welcoming the work currently being undertaken in demand reduction by the United Nations International Drug Control Programme and the specialized agencies of the United Nations system and the establishment by the World Health Organization of its Programme on Substance Abuse,

Recognizing the important role that regional and intergovernmental organizations can play in the development of demand reduction programmes adapted to specific regional conditions,

Noting the results being achieved by the Declaration and the Comprehensive Multidisciplinary Outline of Future Activities in Drug Abuse Control adopted by the International Conference on Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, the Global Programme of Action adopted by the General Assembly at its seventeenth special session and the London Declaration adopted at the World Ministerial Summit to Reduce Demand for Drugs and to Combat the Cocaine Threat, held in London from 9 to 11 April 1990,

Recalling its earlier resolutions on the subject, especially Economic and Social Council resolution 1989/14 of 22 May 1989,

Welcoming the analysis of the replies to the questionnaire on the implementation of the seven targets set out in chapter I of the Comprehensive Multidisciplinary Outline, as noted in the report of the Secretary-General on the review of drug abuse and measures to reduce illicit demand,

Recognizing the benefits of sharing information on demand reduction strategies and their effectiveness,

Welcoming the establishment of mechanisms such as the United Kingdom demand reduction task force announced at the World Ministerial Summit,

Noting the development in some countries of needle exchange schemes as a means of harm reduction, particularly the containment of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, and the claims of some countries that this approach is of value,

Considering the importance of education in helping young people and others to resist the pressures to take drugs and the fact that such education is best set in the context of continuing progressive programmes of preventive health education and health promotion,

Recognizing the major role that non-governmental organizations continue to play in the development and implementation of demand reduction strategies,

1. Urges all Governments, particularly Governments of countries where serious problems of drug misuse exist, to consider adopting or further developing national strategies for demand reduction and to give such strategies at least the same priority as those to combat the illicit traffic in drugs;

2. Recognizes the importance of giving due attention to the underlying causes of the demand for drugs, in particular the disadvantages that youth and other groups at risk often experience in inner-city areas;

3. Encourages all Governments to continue to develop education through schools, colleges and youth organizations and, in the wider community, to enable young people and others to acquire the necessary information, skills and attitudes to resist pressures to take drugs, and to live healthy lives;

4. Urges all Governments to provide or support preventive education and training opportunities for teachers, youth leaders and other professionals who work with young people in order to equip them to educate and otherwise help young people who are at risk because of current or likely drug use;

5. Emphasizes the importance of providing information and education materials to encourage and to help parents to understand their own influence as role models and to help promote the health of their children;

6. Emphasizes the importance of the impact of drug-taking on health, safety and costs in the workplace;

7. Invites all Governments to encourage employers and employees to develop joint action programmes which publicize information in the workplace, warning of the risks of drug use, and which help employees to obtain advice and appropriate treatment;

8. Emphasizes the importance of coordinated and consistent action between governmental and non-governmental organizations at the local and national levels in fostering education, training and treatment initiatives;

9. Stresses the need to develop comprehensive treatment, rehabilitation and social reintegration options, including services tailored to the specific needs of different groups of drug users;

10. Urges all Governments to reflect in education campaigns the serious implications of drug-injecting for the spread of HIV infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS);

11. Encourages, in the light of the spread of HIV infection, Governments to work strenuously to bring greater numbers of drug abusers, particularly those who inject, into contact with treatment services and agencies;

12. Urges Governments that have chosen to make available sterile syringes and needles to conduct such schemes under close monitoring and, to the extent possible, to evaluate the efficacy of those schemes in reducing the spread of HIV infection, as well as their usefulness as contact opportunities to encourage drug-dependent persons to enter or remain in treatment;

13. Encourages Governments with appropriate expertise to consider establishing mechanisms to share with interested States knowledge and expertise on the development and evaluation of demand reduction strategies, in coordination with the United Nations International Drug Control Programme and the specialized agencies of the United Nations system and utilizing the experience of relevant non-governmental organizations where appropriate;

14. Encourages the United Nations International Drug Control Programme to continue to develop the work undertaken by the former United Nations Fund for Drug Abuse Control, in particular by elaborating master plans that give due attention to demand reduction activities tailored to regional and local needs and by providing a greater proportion of extrabudgetary resources for related intervention programmes;

15. Urges States that are able to do so to increase substantially their voluntary contributions to the United Nations International Drug Control Programme to enable it to expand further its operational and technical assistance programmes, especially in the demand reduction sector;

16. Requests the United Nations International Drug Control Programme to utilize its International Drug Abuse Assessment System database to disseminate the demand reduction information received from Governments, specialized agencies of the United Nations system, intergovernmental organizations and non-governmental organizations in such a way that it helps Governments and those organizations to develop their demand reduction policies;

17. Encourages non-governmental organizations to continue to develop their work on demand reduction in coordination with the United Nations International Drug Control Programme;

18. Invites the New York Non-Governmental Organization Committee on Narcotics and Substance Abuse and the Vienna Non-Governmental Organization Committee on Narcotic Drugs to coordinate the preparation of and to submit to the Commission on Narcotic Drugs an annual report on activities of international non-governmental organizations within the relevant terms of reference of the Commission;

19. Requests the Executive Director of the United Nations International Drug Control Programme to continue the analytical work on progress achieved in implementing targets 1-7 of the Comprehensive Multidisciplinary Outline of Future Activities in Drug Abuse Control and to prepare a succinct report for consideration by the Commission on Narcotic Drugs at its thirty-fifth session on progress achieved at the national and international levels in implementing targets 29-35 of the Comprehensive Multidisciplinary Outline;

20. Further requests the Secretary-General to transmit the text of the present resolution to all Governments, specialized agencies of the United Nations system and relevant non-governmental organizations in consultative status with the Economic and Social Council for consideration and implementation as appropriate.