MINISTRY OF NATIONAL SECURITY P.O. BOX N - 3217 NASSAU ASSAU, THE BAHAMAS 57TH COMMONWEALTH PARLIAMENTARY CONFERENCE REINFORCING DEMOCRACY EMOCRACY 31 ST SMALL BRANCHES CONFERENCE PLENARY 2 DISCUSSION PAPER BY HON. TOMMY TURNQUEST, MP MINISTER OF NATIONAL SECURITY COUNTERING THREATS TO THE STABILITY OF SMALL DEMOCRACIES: PIRACY, DRUG TRAFFICKING, TERRORISM SATURDAY, 23 JULY 2011 23 2011 PARK PLAZA WESTMINSTER BRIDGE HOTEL LONDON, ENGLAND Please check against delivery
1 The task of Discussion Leader for the pivotal topic, Countering Threats to the Stability of Small Democracies: Piracy, Drug Trafficking and Terrorism in Plenary 2, is a privilege for me, and a task I am particularly honoured to accept. The three critical issues that we take up in this Plenary: piracy, drug trafficking and terrorism, are of serious concern to states large and small, developed and developing, worldwide. Their egregious nature makes them fitting topics for dialogue in this CPA Conference, focussed as it is on Reinforcing Democracy. In this discussion, we turn our particular attention to how small democracies such as that of my own country, The Bahamas, might counter treats to their stability resulting from piracy, drug trafficking and terrorism. The assumption is made in this topic that these phenomena constitute deleterious security threats, and indeed they do. Our dialogue should point us towards courses of action and best practices that might help small democracies counter serious threats to their stability, and how the CPA, in particular, might help. In proceeding in these matters, we are minded of the Commonwealth s demonstrated commitment to democracy and democratic governance, and the organization s record of support for the preponderance of small states among its membership. We know, in that regard, that the vulnerability of small states is a matter that has its place on the agenda of the Commonwealth and its related organizations. In matters of piracy, drug trafficking and terrorism, the inherent vulnerabilities of small states is patently obvious. This phenomenon can destabilize
2 small democracies at multiple levels, and particularly at the political, economic and social levels. Vulnerabilities, we know, result from limited resources, particularly human and financial resources, limited capacity, assets and technology, and peculiar geography and geographical factors. It is important to note that initiatives to counter these challenges are compounded by the slow recovery from the current global financial crisis. Sometimes the extent of the vulnerability of small democracies to international phenomenon is not readily apparent. For example piracy, a transnational crime involving the seizure of the sovereign territory of the Flag State, the ship, would appear to be a distant threat to small democracies. After all, acts of piracy constitute critical problems primarily in the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean. For The Bahamas, a small state more than a continent away, however, piracy constitutes a significant threat. The Bahamas is a major Flag Registry, concerned with the safety of its flagged ships, their crews and cargoes. As all states, The Bahamas must also be concerned with international efforts to bring peace, stability and the rule of law to Somalia, the fulcrum of piracy in and around the Gulf of Arden. Indeed, Article 100 of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea requires all states to cooperate to the fullest possible extent in the suppression of piracy. The havoc terrorism has wreaked around the world is only too well known, and reminders of the devastation, both in terms of human lives and property it continues to cause is a constant. We had a reminder of what can happen in a few tragic minutes or hours in a Commonwealth country, with the bombing in Mumbai.
3 The fact that our particular country may not have experienced a terrorist attack certainly does not blind us to the fact that terrorists do not discriminate and that all our countries are vulnerable to terrorism. The impact of a terrorist attack, particularly on a so called soft target in a small democracy, could no doubt precipitate an economic and social crisis, with all that this implies for growth and development. Drug abuse and illicit trafficking has also continued to be a major transnational problem affecting the stability of small democracies. In 2007, the World Drug Report of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) reported what many would have considered good news. The Report pointed to evidence that indicated that the world drug problem had been contained. Specific reference was made to the reduction of coca production in the Andean countries. The Report also indicated that there was a decrease in amphetamine-type stimulants (ATS), that the message against cannabis use was getting through, and that opium production was now more concentrated, primarily in the Southern Provinces of Afghanistan. Our optimism in this area, however, must be tempered by caution. The drug problem is evidently becoming especially complex by the minute. While cocaine trafficking and use may have stabilized, it has been our experience that attitudes to marijuana use, especially among young people, may be changing. The distinct impression given is that with increasing calls for its legalization, marijuana may no
4 longer be considered a dangerous drug in popular thinking, and its propensity for harm may be disregarded or ignored. The reality is that marijuana may be grown in a wide range of countries and conditions. The prospects of producing new chemical drugs are extensive. Drug trafficking is still a profitable enterprise for those willing to venture into it, as evidenced from the often violent confrontations on the United States-Mexican border. While production of certain natural narcotics may have stabilized, they are nevertheless still being produced and trafficked. In short, the drug problem is still very much with us, and is indeed a threat to the stability of small democracies. The real challenges of drug trafficking go beyond the production, trafficking and substance abuse to issues not specifically set out in our topic. On the drug trafficking platform we now have serious problems of cross-border arms trafficking, human smuggling, trafficking in persons, and at the national level, increase in violent crime, including murder. These are the matters capturing the headlines, with the propensity to create profound economic and social challenges for small democracies with tourism as their major industry. I believe it safe to say that even as the threats to the stability of small democracies occasioned by piracy, drug trafficking and terrorism are glaringly evident, so are the courses of action that have been and might be taken at all levels to counter such threats. There is, for example, a body of international treaties and instruments relating to all these phenomena, which provide norms and standards that may be followed, including in national legislation.
5 Where they have not yet done so, it is important for states to ratify and implement these instruments, including by enacting appropriate legislation. Speaking for my own country, we have ratified all the international drug control treaties, and were in fact the first country to ratify the 1988 Convention. We have also ratified important conventions of the terrorism regime, including that against terrorist financing. On the issue of piracy, The Bahamas has joined other Commonwealth countries including Cyprus, Singapore and the United Kingdom in signing the New York Declaration of 2009. In efforts to reduce threats to small democracies, Commonwealth Flag states might encourage their ships to take the self- protection measures permitted to reduce the risk of acts of piracy. In particular, flag ships should comply with the requirement to document protection measures in their Ship Registry Plans as pat of the International Ship and Port Facility Security (ISPS) Code compliance. We might also individually and collectively continue to give strong support to the UN Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia, the capacity building initiatives of UN Agencies within Somalia and encourage all states, and particularly Commonwealth states, to engage in United Nations and other initiatives to the maximum extent possible. Regarding terrorism and drug control, Commonwealth and regional initiatives ought to continue to advance the global consensus against these challenges. In the Americas, The Bahamas and other Commonwealth Caribbean countries, we continue to support, and to benefit from the two particularly active Organization of American States (OAS) bodies that provide support and
6 cooperation in the areas of terrorism and drug control, the Inter-American Committee against Terrorism (CICTE) and the Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission (CICAD).. The overall hemispheric initiative benefits significantly from the close partnerships these bodies have developed with United Nations agencies and programmes including the UN 1540 Committee, the United Nations Office for Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the Counter-Terrorism Committee, and in its assistance in the implementation of Security Council initiatives. These benefits are passed on to our small democracies and assist in our countering security threats. My final comment centres on Our shared responsibility to which the United Nations Secretary-General s High-level Panel on Threats, Challenges and Change referred in their 2004 Report. Small democracies are indeed taking the initiative to reduce threats to their security. If, however, they are to effectively counter threats to their stability, then shared responsibility dictates that appropriate technical assistance and international cooperation must become the norm. In the Americas, we have received considerable capacity building assistance from CICTE and CICAD in areas including maritime and air security. We have also received technical assistance in areas including legislative drafting, technology, and assets. CPA and Commonwealth advocacy would be helpful to small democracies in encouraging the international community to continue and expand technical assistance for capacity building in small democracies, to counter threats of piracy, drugs and terrorism.
7 From the Caribbean s perspective, it would be helpful for Commonwealth advocacy to also address technical assistance to counter threats related to or stemming from drug trafficking in particular, including crime and criminality, arms trafficking, human smuggling and trafficking in persons. What we need in all areas is long-term, sustained commitment, including requisite resources to counter longterm and significant challenges to the stability of our small democracies.