AIDE MEMOIRE THEME: MAINSTREAMING DRUG CONTROL INTO SOCIO-ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IN AFRICA

Transcription

1 AFRICAN UNION UNION AFRICAINE UNIÃO AFRICANA Addis Ababa, ETHIOPIA P. O. Box 3243 Telephone Cables: OAU, ADDIS ABABA 2 nd AU MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE ON DRUG CONTROL IN AFRICA DECEMBER 2004 GRAND BAY, MAURITIUS AIDE MEMOIRE THEME: MAINSTREAMING DRUG CONTROL INTO SOCIO-ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IN AFRICA

2 AIDE MEMOIRE THEME: MAIN STREAMING DRUG CONTROL INTO SOCIO-ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IN AFRICA INTRODUCTION The 1 st Ministerial conference on Drug Control in Africa was held in Yamoussoukro, Cote D Ivoire from 7 to 12 May 2002, in response to a mandate given to the then OAU in Lusaka It was agreed at the meeting that the meeting should be held every two years. The Government of Mauritius offered to host the 2 nd Conference and it has been scheduled to be held in Grand Bay, Mauritius from 14 to 17 December 2004 BACKGROUND INFORMATION Drugs, historically used by selected regions, groups and in certain controlled conditions and settings, have come to be used more widely and abused. For example, a UNDCP study found that although historically cannabis consumption has been principally a male practice this is starting to change with consumption now reaching increasingly into different gender, age and religious groups as well as into various occupational groups e.g. physically taxing or dangerous occupations, occupations in the arts, low-income groups, young people from high-income families, university students. Increasing evidence recalls that drug use interacts with the socio-cultural, economic, political and physical context within which it is situated, and the apparent ineffectiveness of existing preventive efforts to stem the global rise in the level of drug use, accentuate the importance of innovative counter action. The global dimension of the drug problem is equally important: illicit drug markets do not respect borders and their transnational nature puts them beyond the reach of any single government, rich or poor. While the cross-border dimension of drug trafficking has long been understood and translated into a highly developed system of international cooperation, in recent years globalization has accentuated this trait. More than ever, a multilateral and coordinated response is needed. In the United Nations Millennium Declaration, Member States resolved to redouble efforts to provide such a response. The Governments reaffirmed the commitment, made at the special session of the UN General Assembly (UNGASS) in 1998, to make significant progress in countering the world s drug problem by the year They noted that the "shared responsibility" (namely, the involvement of countries of origin as well as of destination), could only be achieved by means of a "balanced approach" (giving demand as much attention as supply), balancing preventive measures and law enforcement interventions. African Heads of States and Governments also reaffirmed their conviction in 2002 that the implementation of the revised Plan of Action could make a significant contribution to poverty eradication and thereby would situate the Plan within the overall framework of NEPAD, as an integral programme of the African Union. Drugs and crime are illicit activities that have a debilitating impact and undermine prospects for sustainable growth and development. Therefore, African countries cannot afford to contend with major drugs and crime obstacles as they attempt to transform their countries. Africa is progressively becoming an important continent for the production, trafficking and abuse of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances. Cannabis as well as other illicit drugs from sources outside African countries are widely smuggled through and within the continent. Available seizure data clearly indicate continuing and rapidly increasing numbers of cases of drug trafficking involving in wider variety of substances and larger illicit consignment. The trafficking of heroin and methaqualone from South West and South East Asia

3 and cocaine from Latin America to Africa and en route to Europe and North America has witnessed a dramatic acceleration since the Mid 1980s and has resulted in the establishment of heroin and cocaine trafficking route through the African continent with the involvement of International Networks and drug Syndicate. Geographical location, soil composition, weather conditions, internal and external conflict, and recently, terrorism all favor the cultivation of the coca bush, opium poppy, as well as the manufacture cannabis resin. The African youth especially the unemployed are easily recruited into these drug trafficking networks. According to a UNODC Report to the 47 th Session of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs in March 2004 and the 13 th Session of Crime Commission in May 2004, Drug abuse and trafficking, organized crime, corruption, terrorism and the spread of HIV/AIDS have all impeded sustainable development in Africa. Levels of corruption remain high in many States; criminal justice agencies are often too poorly equipped to counter the problem effectively. The extent of human trafficking and corruption are not always well understood and measures to confront them are frequently inadequate. Drug trafficking has actually increased across Africa, and it is often linked to corruption, money-laundering and trafficking in precursors. Those trends have resulted in very high levels of interpersonal violence in major urban areas, where poor social conditions and high unemployment are key factors leading to an environment conducive to crime. In spite of these obvious challenges, for too long the Governments of most African countries, development agencies and the international financial institutions operating in Africa have addressed drug and crime issues in isolation rather than as part of mainstream development initiatives. This trend cannot be allowed to go on. It is therefore pertinent that AU Member States should continue to strengthen judicial capacity and promote the development of multisectoral programmes to combat drug trafficking and abuse, corruption, organized crime and terrorism. There ought to be improvement to the seaport and airport law enforcement capabilities in Africa, especially in several countries in Eastern and Southern Africa, with a view to putting a halt to trafficking in drugs and other commodities by organized crime. Specialized training for judges, prosecutors and investigators should be provided to improve the implementation of the international drug control conventions. In West Africa, the ECOWAS member States have adopted a Plan of Action for countering trafficking in human beings. Substance abuse and especially drug trafficking and other criminal activities in urban cities should form the focus of attention among the Member States, as the cities have more concentrations of the youth, particularly the unemployed. Actions have to be concentrated on the vulnerable group and on persons living in shantytowns and townships, especially in most cities of Africa. Another category of vulnerable groups, are those severely affected by war and conflict, such as child soldiers, forced into active conflict through violence and drug addiction. It is therefore time that the AUC consider the drawing up of an implementable Plan of Action for the demobilization, detoxification, Rehabilitation and Reintegration of Child Soldiers. In 2003, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime was asked to organize treatment facilities following a period of conflict. Drugs and crime, important they are, are often neglected factors in the evolution of the HIV/AIDS pandemic in Africa. The Drug Control and Crime Prevention Unit will focus on the four high-risk areas for HIV/AIDS: injecting drug use, prisons, trafficking in persons, and conflict and postconflict situations. Prisons are another area of concern. HIV/AIDS transmission rates in prisons are higher worldwide than in the surrounding community, and prison populations provide a strong bridge for the epidemic to move to the general population. Although figures for Africa could be very difficult to come by, Member States should raise awareness of the fact that drug use, needle sharing and sexual intercourse in prisons exists and needs to be addressed. The spread of HIV/AIDS in overcrowded prison is also of great concern, and prisons are filled with people detained for drug related offences and crimes.

4 1 ST MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE ON DRUG CONTROL IN AFRICA The 1 st Ministerial Conference on Drug Control in Africa was held in Yamoussoukro, Cote D Ivoire from 6 11 May The theme for the conference was DRUG CONTROL IN AFRICA: LEADERSHIP AND PARTNERSHIP CHALLENGE. Apart from the various topics handled, resource person also presented a paper on the theme at the ministerial segment, and it was roundtable discussion among the Ministers. Part of the decision was the theme suggested for the 8 th All Africa Games that was held in Abuja in October ND MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE ON DRUG CONTROL IN AFRICA This Conference will be the first after the transformation of the OAU into African Union. The challenges to the new African Union in the area of Drug Control and crime prevention are far greater than at any time in the history of the continent. Taking into consideration the Vision, Mission and Strategic Framework of the organization, the NEPAD programme and various goals set out by the United Nations with regards to making progress on drug control at all levels, the Conference is not only timely but a necessity. There is the need to refocus and synergize drug control and related crimes within the development framework of the continent, including the NEPAD Programme. It is also necessary and important to address these uncivil behaviours that are impediments to human security, growth and sustainable development in Africa Areas of focus of the Conference : Some of the areas that the conference will focus on shall include among the following: (a) Brief on the Vision and Mission and Strategic Framework of the African Union; (b) Follow-up on the conclusions of the 1 st Ministerial Conference on Drug Control; (c) The mid-term review of level of implementation of the revised Plan of Action on Drug Control in Africa ( ); (d) The consideration of Draft Africa s Common Position on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice. The AU was mandated by the Africa s Delegation to the Preparatory meeting that was held in March 1 to , in preparation for the 11 th United Nations Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice scheduled to be held in April 2004, as contained in the report para 53 thus,.. The African Regional Preparatory Meeting underlined the important role of the African Union as a regional body that should identify, coordinate and lead a common position of Africa on crime prevention and criminal justice. Accordingly, the Meeting recommended that the African Union also identify issues pertinent to Africa and present them to the Eleventh Congress for consideration; OBJECTIVES The objectives are primarily to promote, strengthen, and perpetuate cooperation, as well as foster joint strategies for the management of common and cross-border issues with regional implications. This will involve tackling the drug control problem in the broader context of human security and sustainable development. It will take more than counter-narcotics operations (necessary as they may be) to contain the drug problem - the whole of society must be involved. Responses to the drugs and crime nexus in Africa must become more integrated. Criminals expropriate huge sums of money from poor farmers and poor addicts alike. Drug control programmes in the continent must better attune themselves to the dynamics of global trends and make counter measures at addressing emerging trends. The secondary objective will be the creation of an enabling environment whereby best practices in the implementation of the AU Plan of Action on Drug Control in Africa shall be shared among the participants. EXPECTED OUTCOMES In order to overcome obstacles to growth and development represented by drugs and related crimes, there need to be changes in conceptual framework that has governed policy and practice at the

5 level of the AU Member States, the AU Commission and development partners. Drugs and crime are threats and impediments to sustainable development. Stakeholders will acknowledge that drugs and related crime pose a serious challenge to Africa and make commitments to tackle this at individual, community, national and international levels. At the end of the conference, it is expected that the level of implementation by Member States would have been reviewed, and challenges identified, and recommendations on a more effective way forward made. Moreover, experiences, best practices and lessons would be identified and shared among the regional participants, establishing common levels of understanding and identifying common challenges. Networking among Member States and Regions should also be consolidated. The Draft Africa s Common Position on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice will also be adopted. PARTICIPATION: AU Member States, International Organisations, relevant UN Bodies like UNODC and other relevant UN agencies, INTERPOL, Regional Economic Communities (RECs), CSOs, NGOs, Youth Representatives; LANGUAGE: AU Working Languages METHOD OF WORK: A 3-day meeting of Experts will precede the Ministerial Conference. The experts shall be composed of relevant professionals from Member States. It is expected that these experts shall include educationists, law enforcement and crime prevention officers, health workers, sociologists and members of the CSO, NGOs and development partners. DATES AND VENUE: 14 to 17 December 2004 Experts Meeting: 14-16December 2004 Ministerial Meeting: 17 December 2004