29 January 2015
Speakers at the regional conference ‘Drug-Free Society’ in Islamabad stressed that drug trafficking and abuse required ‘concerted effort and mutual cooperation’. Speakers from 18 states gathered to discuss the issue which affects 243 million people globally at this years’ conference organised by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). (more…)
Source: The Express Tribune | Drug free society: ‘Regional cooperation key to combat trafficking’
23 December 2014
Amid a proliferation of well-funded and well-organised transnational criminal activities in Africa, the Middle East and beyond, the UN Security Council adopted a resolution spotlighting its concern over the ties between cross-border crime and terrorism and called on UN member states to ramp up efforts in combatting the two activities. (more…)
Source: UN News Centre | Adopting resolution, Security Council urges fight against nexus of transnational crime, terrorism
16 April 2014
During an interview with CNBC News, Mexico’s finance minister, Luis Videgaray, stated that the US must ‘share responsibility’ for tackling the illegal drug trade between Mexico and the US. Videgaray stated that it is a challenge to have a neighbouring country with such a demand for illegal drugs and that the US needs to increase its efforts to reduce this demand for the illegal drugs.
Source: CNBC News | Mexico, US need to ‘collaborate’ on drug cartels
14 March 2014
At the 57th Session of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs, currently meeting in Vienna, countries from around the world are discussing ways to counter the global illicit drug trade. According to UN Deputy Secretary-General, Jan Eliasson, the fight against the global drug trade is the responsibility of all people. Mr. Eliasson stated, ‘[n]o nation can escape the impact of these criminal networks. We all share the responsibility to forge effective solutions.’
Source: United Nations Radio | Fighting global drugs trade is shared responsibility
28 January 2014
Honduras’ new president Juan Hernandez called the US drug policy a “double standard” and urged US President Barack Obama to recognise the joint effort required to end the region’s drug scourge. “We ask the government of Barack Obama and the U.S. Congress to recognize this shared responsibility … and that we truly work together to solve this problem, which is also their problem,” Hernandez said.
Weak institutions, corruption and gang warfare have made Honduras fertile ground for cartels to expand their operations in Honduras, using the country as a basis for United States-bound cocaine.
According to Hernandez, Central America was suffering as a result of US drug consumption. He said “[i]t strikes us as a double standard that while our people die and bleed, and we’re forced to fight the gangs with our own scarce resources, in North America drugs are just a public health issue … For Honduras and the rest of our Central American brothers it’s a case of life and death.” According to the United Nations, in 2012 Honduras had a murder rate of 85.5 per 100,000 people – the world’s highest.
Source: Swissinfo | New Honduras president takes helm, criticizes U.S. drug policy