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March, 2010 - 53rd session of the commission on narcotic drugs - vienna

Why condemn the third world, already ravaged by so many tragedies, to the neo-colonialism of drug dependence? - Antonio Maria Costa, Head of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC)

During its fifty-third session, the Commission focused on effective ways of raising awareness about the risks of abusing drugs, including cannabis; improving the understanding of substance addiction as a chronic health disorder; and the importance of research and data collection. Mrs Elena Goti and Mr Michele Bellasich represented Dianova International and civil society at the session.

Opening Remarks from UNODC Executive Director, Antonio Maria Costa's opening remarks (excerpted from the UNODC official website)

In his remarks, Mr Costa warned that failure to control drugs would unleash a health disaster in the developing world.

"The developing world lacks the treatment facilities and law enforcement to control drugs", said the head of UNODC. "This seems to have been forgotten by people in rich countries calling for loosening of drug controls. Why condemn the third world, already ravaged by so many tragedies, to the neo-colonialism of drug dependence?", said the head of UNODC. He identified a number of warning signs, including the increasing use of heroin in East Africa, cocaine in West Africa and synthetic drugs in the Middle East and South-East Asia.

The Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) is the central policy-making body for the United Nations drug control system. It has 53 members, elected for four years from amongst United Nations member states and meets annually each March. The purpose of the annual session is to discuss the global drug situation, to develop proposals designed to combat drug-related problems and to reinforce the system of controls.

The United Nations' drug control chief said, "we must not only stop the harm caused by drugs: let's unleash the capacity of drugs to do good". He reminded the Commission that this seemingly radical idea goes back to the roots of drug control. In the preamble of the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs of 1961 it is recognized that "the medical use of narcotic drugs continues to be indispensable for the relief of pain and suffering". He appealed to Member States to overcome cultural and socio-economic factors "that deny a Nigerian suffering from AIDS or a Mexican cancer patient the morphine offered to Italian or American counterparts".

He also appealed for greater respect for human rights, while stressing the need for greater attention to security, justice and development in vulnerable regions, stating that:

"As human beings, as well as members of the community of civilized nations, we have a shared responsibility to put an end to this. People who use drugs, or are behind bars, have not lost their humanity or their human rights"

the role of civil society

The CND makes decisions based on consensus. This means that it is easy for one member of the commission to block a resolution. As a result, the annual meeting rarely engages in meaningful discussion of the true dilemmas inherent to the current system. This is the reason why the role of civil society in general, and NGOs in particular, is critical. Dianova International is an active member of the Vienna NGO Committee (VNGOC), which is composed of members who, collectively, represent a key mechanism through which NGOs may contribute to the development of global drug policy.

For the first time, the Vienna NGO Committee on Drugs has joined the UNODC and the World Health Organization in organizing a side event on drug dependence treatment, which was held March 11th.

Created in 1983, the goal of the Vienna NGO Committee is to ensure that NGOs and civil society organizations are able to contribute to global drug policymaking. The Committee is currently composed of 50 members, which contribute by engaging in diverse activities, from lobbying to assisting NGOs in organizing side events and workshops on the sidelines of the sessions of the Commission on Narcotics Drugs.