Drug trafficking and security

Have you ever wondered how the United Nations deals with drug trafficking? How do they handle international peace and security in these situations or what is the UNODC?

Unfortunately, drugs seem to be a way of life for certain people because they become dependent on them, just like other people become dependent on caffeine or sugar. The difference is that neither caffeine nor sugar is illegal, so they are way more accessible. Not only are drugs more expensive, but they are also harder to find since you can’t simply go to the store to pick up a pack. However, even this way, people find methods of procuring these substances and even spend an arm and a leg on them. Did you know that around 360 billion dollars are being spent each year on illegal drugs?

Despite the evidence showing that these interventions are predominantly counterproductive, national governments and the international community still apply the same old methods when dealing with this problem. It is said that drug trafficking is undermining international security and it is evolving into major threats to political and social stability, human rights, the rule of law, and economic development. For instance, 10 percent of Afghanistan’s GDP represents the farm-gate value of drug production, especially opium, which not only provides funding to terrorism and the insurgency, but also fuels corruption.

Since illegal drugs have made key threats to international security that are more complex, durable, and acute, they should not be treated as another item on the Security Council’s agenda among others.

There's still hope!

Fortunately, UNODC promises to take care of these problems, using their partnerships with multiple United Nations entities, creating a “multidisciplinary response in such areas as piracy and drugs, illegal trade in small arms, corruption, illicit money flows, human trafficking and wildlife crime” as Yury Fedotov, UNODC’s ex-Executive Director has declared in 2011. They have also developed a series of regional programmes in Africa, Latin America, and Asia, which support an integrated approach.

However, in order to reduce the supply of drugs, we need to prevent and reduce drug addiction too. Therefore, UNODC recognizes the health issues of drug addiction, which must be addressed.

What is the UNODC?

Known as the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, UNODC aims to assist the Member States to respect the rule of law, as well as protect and ensure human legal rights under domestic and international law. Not only does it contribute to ensuring access to justice for all and preventing violence, but it also tries to make the world a safer place from drugs or crime and promotes health and wellbeing, as well as it increases the knowledge base to make informed decisions on how to effectively advance human rights.

When it comes to drugs, the UNODC is based on three main conventions, including the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs (of 1961), the Convention on Psychotropic Substances (of 1971) or the Convention Against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (of 1988).

How does the UNODC deal with drug trafficking?

They constantly collect analyzes and report data on drug trafficking trends including arrest, seizures, price and purity of illicit drugs submitted by the Member States through the Annual Reports Questionnaires. Also, it collects and reports data on significant individual drug seizures or supports Member States in developing the capacity to collect internationally comparable data regarding these crimes.

This Office supports countries in developing answers to the problematic use of drugs and health issues related to them, through the implementation of prevention actions and a network of integrated services of attention and assistance, based on scientific evidence, respect for human rights and ethical standards.

Ok, but what does it really do?

Well, it approaches the drugs issue through the most diverse aspects of it, with multiple actions in the areas of health, education, and public safety, among others. For instance, in order to reduce the situation as much as possible, the UNODC implements projects for prevention, treatment and rehabilitation of addicted people, as well as for preventing transmissions of the HIV virus associated with drug use. They help construct strategies directed towards information and knowledge, in order to allow people, especially the young ones, to develop their capabilities and to be able to make decisions that favor their quality of life. Using an approach that prioritizes respect to human rights, social and motivational aspects, it helps develop strategies of attention to drug use, based on scientific evidence. Regarding treatment, they seek to improve the quality of the responses to abuse and dependence on drugs through international cooperation and information exchange between multiple countries. Treatment, which aims to increase the level of knowledge and skills on substances abuse around the world, is one of the most important initiatives in this direction.

Also, they try to reduce supply, so they promote programmes to combat the money laundering, which is associated with the illegal drug market, to monitor illicit crops or to help governments to intercept and restrain drug trafficking.

On top of that, it promotes studies and analyses on drug production, traffic, and consumption. Plus, it offers legal assistance to countries for the implementation of UN’s conventions and treaties for drug control, with the necessary adaptions to national legislations.

The UNODC publishes the World Report Drug annually, where the main data and trends analyses on production, traffic, and consumption of illegal drugs worldwide, are gathered. This data is compiled from questionnaires sent to the Member States and it composes a reference document to guide global policies on drugs.

To sum up, drugs are a serious worldwide issue of our times, which might affect international peace and security, so they need to be seriously treated. Therefore, the UNODC is taking action regarding this problem. Not only does it try to reduce and prevent drug consumption, but it also recognizes this as a medical related problem, helping to treat the addicted people.