人权理事会就世界毒品问题对享有人权的影响召开小组讨论（部分翻译）

人权理事会
下午

2015年9月28日

人权理事会今日下午就世界毒品问题对享有人权的影响召开小组讨论。

人权事务副高级专员弗拉维亚•潘谢里（Flavia Pansieri）在她的开场发言中提及了高级专员关于世界毒品问题对人权影响的首份全面报告，报告中谈到了五个主要领域：健康权、刑事司法相关权利、禁止尤其是针对族裔少数群体和妇女的歧视、儿童权利以及土著人民权利。

瑞士联邦前总统、全球毒品政策委员会成员以及此次讨论会主持人露特•德莱富斯（Ruth Dreifuss）表示，此次讨论会旨在了解上述领域内国际公约是否得到落实以及通过的政策所起到的作用。有些国家通过了一些未能尊重人权的举措，因而它们无法为人民带来健康和社会福利。

哥伦比亚司法部毒品政策负责人哈维尔•安德雷斯•弗洛雷斯（Javier Andres Florez）称，没有什么可以证明对吸毒者的污名化和排斥以及对少数群体的歧视、酷刑或死刑是合理的。评估毒品政策不应以良好的意图，而应以有效性为依据。毒品贩运对哥伦比亚产生的破坏性影响也引发了武装冲突，损耗了本可以用于医疗、教育和发展事业的资源。

国际毒品政策联合会执行主任安•福德汉姆（Ann Fordham）表示，某些国家越来越多地对毒品犯罪者执行死刑这一情况十分令人担忧。毒品使用刑罪化的负面影响持续引起严重关切。对刑事制裁的恐惧将吸毒者驱离拯救生命的减害服务，导致本可避免的感染和过早死亡。对毒品犯罪量刑过高而产生的负担大部分是由妇女、种族或族裔少数群体等弱势群体承担。

日内瓦安全政策中心（Geneva Centre for Security Policy）副主任、日内瓦国际研究所（Graduate Institute in Geneva）教授、西非毒品委员会委员穆罕默德-马哈茂德•乌尔德•穆罕默杜（Mohammad-Mahmoud Ould Mohamedou）强调了毒品生产对社会和农户非常规非法农作物种植的宏观经济影响以及对个人权利的影响。大多数毒品制造者生活贫困，并未因生产毒品变得富有，同时，低收入、家庭环境恶劣的吸毒者也遭到社会的谴责。

世界卫生组织精神卫生和物质滥用部部长谢加•萨克西纳（Shekhar Saxena）表示，由于缺乏充分治疗、面临严重污名和偏见、非专业的医疗保健手段以及普遍缺乏针对其健康需求和权利的信息和培训，吸毒者和滥用药物者在获取适当的保健服务时会遭到歧视。药物滥用是健康方面的症状，受此影响的人群不应受到惩罚。

联合国毒品和犯罪问题办公室执行副主任阿尔多•拉勒-德莫斯（Aldo Lale-Demoz）表示，需要认识到毒品使用和相关并发症属于公共卫生问题，必须由受过培训、具有资质的人员解决。在这类情况下，监禁是无效的，并会导致监狱过度拥挤、艾滋病毒或其他疾病传播的加剧。联合国毒品和犯罪问题办公室提倡免费法律咨询和受管制药品的合理用量，并反对在任何情况下使用死刑。

泰国驻联合国维也纳办事处大使、麻醉药品委员会第五十八届会议主席阿萨育德•斯里萨穆特（Arthayudh Srisamoot）表示，委员会在2015年3月的最近一次会议上强调了人权在不同话题中的重要地位，如对药品使用障碍儿童的循证治疗和护理、毒品分析结果的平等和可信以及可替代发展。解决许多国家缺乏获取缓解疼痛药物途径的问题是国际社会的共同责任。

在讨论中，发言人指出毒品和毒品走私对公共卫生、安全和安保产生的负面影响，但也强调了通过全面的、基于人权的方针打击毒品的必要性，这样的方式保护了受害者和毒品使用者的健康、不歧视以及司法救助的权利。部分发言人坚决谴责了对毒品罪犯使用死刑的做法，并表示了对拘留等替代刑罚的支持，而另一些发言人则坚持在解决毒品问题方面使用强硬的镇压政策是必要的。发言人对于针对这一问题召开的大会特别会议表示欢迎，并强调了国际合作的重要性。一些发言人提出建立关于世界毒品问题和人权的特别程序。

以下各方做了发言：瑞士代表16个国家、沙特阿拉伯代表阿拉伯集团、欧盟、厄瓜多尔代表拉美和加勒比国家共同体、乌拉圭代表南美国家同盟、巴基斯坦代表伊斯兰会议组织、阿尔及利亚代表非洲集团、哥伦比亚代表一组国家、葡萄牙、塞拉利昂、新加坡、墨西哥、澳大利亚、法国、埃及、欧洲委员会、巴拉圭、突尼斯、吉尔吉斯斯坦、奥地利、尼加拉瓜、印度、瑞典、中国、玻利维亚、联合国艾滋病规划署、阿尔巴尼亚、希腊和萨尔瓦多。

以下非政府组织也做了发言：国际男女同性恋联合会（International Lesbian and Gay Association）、国际降低危害协会 （International Harm Reduction Association，联合声明）、人权与性别平等区域中心（Centro Regional de Derechos Humanos y Justicia de Genero）、刑法改革国际（Penal Reform International）、墨西哥人权促进保护委员会（Comisión Mexicana de Defensa y Promoción de los Derechos Humanos）以及国际教育发展会（International Educational Development）。

人权理事会将于今天上午9点至晚上9点全天工作。理事会将于晚上6点结束对《维也纳宣言和行动纲领》后续工作和落实的一般性辩论。随后理事会将与非洲人后裔问题专家工作组展开互动对话，并随即开展关于种族主义、种族歧视、仇外心理和相关的不容忍形式以及关于《德班宣言和行动纲领》后续工作和落实的一般性辩论。

开场发言

人权事务副高级专员弗拉维亚•潘谢里提及了人权事务高级专员关于世界毒品问题对人权影响的首份全面报告，报告中谈到了世界毒品问题在五个主要领域内产生的影响：健康权、刑事司法相关权利、禁止尤其是针对族裔少数群体和妇女的歧视、儿童权利以及土著人民权利。重要的受管制药物的获取存在过多限制，在发展中国家尤其如此。这些限制的产生原因往往是由于害怕药物的合法医疗用途被转换为非法目的。健康权问题特别报告员已在2010年递交给理事会的报告中呼吁毒品持有及使用的非刑罪化，世界卫生组织和联合国艾滋病规划署对此也持相同态度。这是因为毒品持有及使用的刑罪化已对实现健康权形成了极大的阻碍。关于刑事司法方面，据估计有33个国家或地区仍然在毒品犯罪中使用死刑，致使每年约1000人被处决。在一些国家的死刑判决中，毒品犯罪占了大多数。然而，根据人权事务委员会、联合国秘书长、人权事务高级专员、法外处决、即审即决或任意处决问题特别报告员以及酷刑问题特别报告员的调查结果显示，毒品犯罪并未达到“最严重罪行”的标准。

在一些国家内，毒品犯罪的定罪导致对相对较轻的罪行实行过于严苛的量刑，反而对一系列权利和福利产生了影响，如子女监护权、探视权、公共住房待遇、粮食援助、学生经济援助和从事某些职业的资质等等。我们应该考虑死刑以及对轻微、非暴力毒品罪犯执行监禁的替代刑罚。在执法过程中，因使用或持有毒品、或作为“微型分销商”的少数民族团体和妇女尤其可能受到歧视。我们不应对儿童提起刑事诉讼。相反，我们应该在健康、教育和医疗等方面给予儿童关注，包括减轻危害措施和重返社会。对于土著人民来说，他们有权遵循传统、文化或宗教习俗，若毒品使用是这些习俗的一部分，那么从原则上来讲应当给予允许。潘谢里女士表示有望通过一种包含人权的具体建设性方式，解决因世界毒品问题而产生的对人权的侵犯，并确保将人权保护更好地融入未来的国家法律和惯例中。

Statements by the Panel Moderator and the Panellists

RUTH DREIFUSS, former President of the Swiss Confederation and member of the Global Commission on Drug Policy and panel moderator, said that this event placed an emphasis on developing a far-reaching cooperation within the United Nations family and analysing the complexity of drug use. The aim of the panel was to understand whether the international conventions in this area were being implemented, and the role of adopted policies in the area. The contribution of the Human Rights Council and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights would allow the setting up of a general framework to provide consistency and show the path towards greater consistency and effectiveness of those policies. This was important because some countries had adopted measures which, because they fell short of respect for human rights, failed to provide health and social benefits for the population. Also, by now, it was obvious that national and international drug policies could have unintended consequences. The High Commissioner’s report drew attention to the consequences of drug use on the most vulnerable, including women and children.

JAVIER ANDRES FLOREZ, Director of Drug Policy of the Ministry of Justice of Colombia, welcomed the study by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights on the unwanted consequences of the use of drug policies. In the name of the fight against drugs, numerous rights had been violated, and yet nothing could justify stigmatization and exclusion of drug users, discrimination against minorities, torture or the death penalty. Drug policies should not be assessed on their good intentions, but on their effectiveness. Colombia found it unacceptable for hundreds of thousands of individuals to languish in prisons on life sentences or even death sentences for drug-related crimes, or that forced labour was imposed on drug users. The consequences of punitive measures on women and children could not be over-estimated. The devastating effect of drug trafficking in Colombia had also stoked the armed conflict and had sapped resources which could have otherwise been invested into health, education and development. Internationally, Colombia had proposed an agenda for the protection of rights and freedoms, aiming to eliminate the death penalty, decriminalize drug use, adopt harm reduction measures, and implement alternative measures to detention. It was important to recognize in the fight against drugs that the international system could not continue with using the same guidelines to address different realities; the problems had changed and it was not possible to use a universal approach with a focus on punishment. Public health, development and human rights could not be placed on the side lines in the fight against drugs.

ANN FORDHAM, Executive Director of the International Drug Policy Consortium, said the upcoming United Nations General Assembly Special Session on Drugs would be an important opportunity to have an open and honest debate regarding the challenges and shortcomings of the global response to drug control, and to acknowledge the widespread and devastating consequences of punitive laws and repressive law enforcement practices on human rights. It was encouraging that the links between drug policies and human rights were being increasingly addressed within the United Nations. It was deeply concerning that the right to life was frequently compromised by aggressive supply reduction activities that led to death sentences for drug offenders. The death penalty may under international law only be applied for the most serious crimes, and drug offences did not fall into this category. A number of States nevertheless executed drug offenders in ever-increasing numbers, while others had sought to reintroduce capital punishment for drug crimes. There were also serious concerns about extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions carried out in the name of drug control efforts. The negative impact of the criminalization of drug use also continued to be of grave concern. Individuals had a right to access lifesaving health services without fear of punishment or discrimination. But the fear of criminal sanctions drove people using drugs away from lifesaving harm reduction services, leading to avoidable infection and premature death from HIV and Hepatitis C. Such criminalization also served to justify harsh measures, including torture against drug users, denial of due process and compulsory drug detention centres for the supposed treatment and rehabilitation of people who used drugs. Finally, the burden of highly disproportionate sentences for drug offences had largely been borne by vulnerable groups, including women and racial or ethnic minorities. Incarceration fuelled poverty and social exclusion. The Council should create a Special Procedure on drug policies and human rights, and mandate other Special Procedures to produce a comprehensive joint report on the impacts of drug policies on their mandate.

MOHAMMAD-MAHMOUD OULD MOHAMEDOU, Deputy Director of the Geneva Centre for Security Policy, Professor at the Graduate Institute in Geneva, and Commissioner on the West African Commission on Drugs, explained that drug policies were generally lacking in most areas and were not as elaborate as they should be. Drug-related issues were understudied and there were new patterns of complexity, which called for more research and efficiency. Whereas previous initiatives focused on the external perspective of drug demand and neglected the local market demand, the West African Commission on Drugs launched in 2012 took into account the local demand. Mr. Ould Mohamedou highlighted the macro-economic impact of drug production on society and alternative illegal crop production by farmers, as well as the impact on the rights of individuals. The majority of those who produced drugs were poor and did not become rich due to that production. Such situation entailed the question of employment. Those who used drugs were socially stigmatized, of low income and from bad family environment. Drug policies focusing on wide arrests and harsh sentences exacerbated the issue and drove offenders further to the margins of the society. For example, female drug users were forced into abortion, whereas indigenous communities also suffered from misguided drug policies. Disregard for human rights had led to worse drug policies when in fact more intelligent policies were needed, Mr. Ould Mohamedou concluded.

SHEKHAR SAXENA, Director of the Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse, World Health Organization, said that drug users and people with drug use disorders experienced discrimination in accessing appropriate health care services, due to the lack of adequate treatment, the significant stigma they faced, prejudices, non-professionalism of medical health, and general lack of information and training on meeting their healthcare needs and rights. Drug use disorders were health conditions associated with substantial mortality, morbidity and social problems, and were both preventable and treatable. Harm reduction interventions such as needle exchange programmes for injecting drug users or outreach prevention services had proven to be effective in the prevention of drug-related blood-borne infections. People with drug dependence should not be punished for their drug-taking behaviour, which was a result of their disease, and as such should not be treated as a criminal behaviour and result in criminal sanctions and imprisonment. Female drug users often failed to receive appropriate care and support for their drug use disorder, in particular during pregnancy, because of stigma, lack of timely referrals and often discriminatory attitudes of health professionals and societies at large. It was sometimes said that the United Nations drug conventions were an obstacle to achieving the right to health; their ultimate goal was to protect the health and welfare of the humankind and there was nothing in those conventions that requested Member States to introduce policies that violated human rights of public health. The conventions envisaged the use of public health measures to reduce the health and social harm due to drug use. In conclusion, Mr. Saxena stressed that just because a person was a drug user or had a drug use disorder, the person should not lose the right to health and the right to appropriate, timely and effective health care.

ALDO LALE-DEMOZ, Deputy Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, said there was a need to recognize that drug use and related complications were public health issues that had to be addressed by qualified and trained personnel. Drug use required treatment, not punishment that led to violations of the drug users right to health. Member States should use alternatives to imprisonment for drug-related offenses of a non-violent nature. Imprisonment in these cases was ineffective, it led to prison overcrowding, and exacerbated the transmission of HIV and other diseases. Alternatives to detention increased recovery and reduced recidivism. Attention had to be paid to the particular vulnerability of women drug offenders. Women in prison for drug-related offenses were often those recruited or coerced to perform low-level and high risk tasks. The use of alternatives were particularly appropriate for women charged with minor drug-related offenses. Explicit measures were also required to protect children from the illicit use of drugs and to prevent the use of children in illicit drug production and trafficking. More protection among the health, child protection and justice systems were still required to promote the rights of children with substance abuse problems. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime also promoted the free provision of legal advice to those who had no means to afford their criminal defence, as well as the rational use of controlled medicines that was essential to the relief of pain related to health conditions. Finally, it opposed the death penalty in all circumstances and encouraged every country to join a moratorium on the use of the death penalty.

ARTHAYUDH SRISAMOOT, Ambassador of Thailand to the United Nations Office in Vienna and Chairperson of the fifty-eighth session of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs, said that full compliance with human rights law and with the international drug control framework went hand in hand. At its most recent session in March 2015, the Commission on Narcotic Drugs emphasized the importance of human rights in a number of resolutions on various topics, such as evidence-based treatment and care for children and young people with substance use disorders, the equality and reliability of drug analysis results, as well as alternative development. Respect for human rights was rightly identified as one of the cross-cutting issues in preparations for the Special Session of the United Nations General Assembly on Drugs, which included drugs and human rights, youth, women, children and communities. The health and welfare of mankind should be protected against risks associated with drug use through the implementation of scientific-based and health-oriented prevention, treatment, social rehabilitation and reintegration programmes. It was necessary to ensure access to treatment for people who used drugs, including those in prisons. Children were to be protected from the illicit use of drugs and psychotic substances, and they should not be used in the illicit production and trafficking of drugs. It was also the responsibility of the international community to address the situation in which three quarters of the world’s population lived in countries where access to medicines for pain relief was low or non-existent. Drug-related organized criminal activities and violence undermined legitimate economies, stability and security of people, Mr. Srisamoot concluded.

Discussion

Switzerland, speaking on behalf of 16 countries, said the question of the right to health was key and had to be guaranteed by the States for all without discrimination, including drug users, and underlined that public health strategies led to reduced HIV transmissions. Saudi Arabia, speaking on behalf of the Arab Group, underlined the negative impact of drugs and drug trafficking on peace, human rights, stability and security. European Union said the absolute priority was the universal abolition of the death penalty in all circumstances, including for drug-related crimes, and underlined the importance of ensuring access to health services, including safe and affordable medicines, for drug users. Ecuador, speaking on behalf of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean Countries, welcomed the United Nations General Assembly Special Session on Drugs and called for strengthened international cooperation to address the issue of drug-related crimes. Uruguay, speaking on behalf of the Union of South American Nations, said drug policies should respect all human rights, including access to health and justice and the principle of non-discrimination, and underlined the importance of proportionality, alternatives to imprisonment and the abolition of the death penalty.

Pakistan, speaking on behalf of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, stated that the world drug problem constituted a challenge to safety, national security, the health and well-being of populations, socio-economic and political stability and sustainable development, especially because of the illicit activities of criminal organizations connected to it. Algeria, speaking on behalf of the African Group, stated that drugs remained a problem for the African continent, which was a major drug transit. African countries were increasingly concerned about the interconnectedness between the narcotics traffic, organized crime and terrorism. Colombia, speaking on behalf of a group of countries, stated that in dealing with the drugs problem, policies should focus on the rights of individuals and their access to treatment and social services. The death penalty for drug-related crimes should be abolished. Portugal stated that drug use was harmful, but that the means to counter it were not equally effective, proportionate and legitimate. It therefore opposed the death penalty in all cases and under all circumstances. Sierra Leone stated that it was identified as one of the major of gateways in West Africa for cocaine trafficking, and due to the fact that traffickers were paid in drugs, there was an increased cocaine use.

Singapore said it was situated close to the Gold Triangle region, and reiterated its commitment to adopt a zero tolerance approach, with the use of the death penalty as an efficient deterrent for drug trafficking, and with a view to respect the rights of all, including drug abusers. Mexico underlined the importance of addressing the drug problem through a holistic and human-rights based approach, as well as of balancing the rights of all, including drug offenders.

International Lesbian and Gay Association, in a joint statement with, International Service for Human Rights, highlighted the vulnerability of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender persons, and particularly trans-women to drug related problems; they faced discrimination leading to lack of access to health services because States failed to recognize their gender identity. International Harm Reduction Association, in a joint statement, said people who injected drugs had a much higher risk of contracting HIV, and regretted that efforts did not focus on the protection of drug users and their access to health. Centro Regional de Derechos Humanos y Justicia de Genero, in a joint statement with, International Service for Human Rights; Centro de Estudios Legales y Sociales; Intercambios Asociación Civil; and Washington Office on Latin America; Comisión Mexicana de Defensa y Promoción de los Derechos Humanos, Asociación Civil; and Harm Reduction International, noted that drug control policies could lead to brutal outcomes and highlighted the particular vulnerability of women, children, indigenous people and human rights defenders, and supported calls for this issue to remain at the Council’s agenda, including through the creation of a new mandate.

Response by the Moderator and Panellists

RUTH DREIFUSS, former President of the Swiss Confederation and member of the Global Commission on Drug Policy and panel moderator, said that certain speakers had underlined regional differences when it came to designing drug policies. All countries were part of a chain in drug production and usage and thus shared responsibility. The African region, for example, had also become a consumer region. The world was, nonetheless, facing a situation with some regional nuances and differences. Ms. Dreifuss supported a scientific approach on the effect of drugs on individuals. The United Nations General Assembly Special Session on Drugs in six months would certainly be a consequential event.

ANDRES FLOREZ, Director of Drug Policy of the Ministry of Justice of Colombia, said that Colombia had done a lot to prepare for the 2016 United Nations General Assembly Special Session on Drugs, which had been proposed by the Colombian President with partners. Future challenges could lead to different approaches. Colombia had decided to spearhead the process in the Latin American region and had decided to work in as many international fora as it possibly could. The authorities had consulted a wide range of stakeholders with an interest in redefining the drug policy. An evidence-based public policy on drugs was something that Colombia was supporting.

ANN FORDHAM, Executive Director of the International Drug Policy Consortium, stated that it was crucial to ensure that the United Nations General Assembly Special Session on Drugs was an open debate that would consider all options. Member States should be open about challenges, processes and different paths to follow. It was also important that different parts of the United Nations system made their voices heard. Civil society taskforces would play an important role in collating opinions of the civil society worldwide. Ways needed to be found to have stakeholders meaningfully engaged.

MOHAMMAD-MAHMOUD OULD MOHAMEDOU, Deputy Director of the Geneva Centre for Security Policy, Professor at the Graduate Institute in Geneva, and Commissioner on the West African Commission on Drugs, said on engaging with West African region that it would be important to avoid the militarization of drug policy, and balance the need for security and public health considerations, particularly in the areas of harm reduction initiatives. There was no need to reinvent the wheel. Treating drug users as a public health issue and not as a criminal justice matter could be done and required again balancing between public health needs and security needs.

SHEKHAR SAXENA, Director of the Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse, World Health Organization, welcomed the emphasis in the discussion on the public health dimension of the drug problem and said that clear guidelines were needed on how to assist individual States. The Executive Board of the World Health Organization had accepted to deliberate the world drug problem in January 2016, and Member States should participate.

ALDO LALE-DEMOZ, Deputy Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, stressed the need to ensure that care was given to users, alternatives to incarceration should be provided, as well as free legal assistance to drug users. Further, powers should be given to judges to rule on the basis of extenuating circumstances.

Discussion

Australia said that more could be done to remove barriers in accessing medical drugs, if there was the political will for it. Persons convicted of drug offences should not be punished by the death penalty. France said that the scourge of drugs remained a major threat to the well-being of individuals and security. The death penalty contributed nothing to the extermination of drugs, and addiction was an illness, not a delinquency. Egypt said that the global drugs problem was a shared challenge. The principles of cutting both supply and demand needed to be reinforced, while the sovereignty of States had to be respected. Council of Europe said that the Pompidou Group was its main body fighting drug abuse. Human rights had been brought to the forefront of the drug policy. Was there evidence that different drugs policies could prevent undesirable situations? Paraguay considered that the scourge of drugs was one of the key issues on the regional and global agenda. The forthcoming Special Session of the General Assembly on Drugs would provide a great opportunity to define a holistic global response with people at its core. Tunisia supported the integration of human rights in national and international responses to the drugs problem, which was a globally shared challenge. The idea that illicit drugs could be consumed safely was dangerous. The rights of drug addicts had to be protected.

Kyrgyzstan said it was implementing a comprehensive and a balanced approach to the drugs problem, focused on reducing the demand for drugs, the supply of drugs and harm reduction. Austria said that more focus on science and evidence could assist in addressing critical issues without the ballast of ideological controversies and political disputes. Nicaragua said that drugs continued to undermine its society, they gained ground with ever increasing impunity, and warned that the public health-human rights nexus must not lead the world to be more permissive in their approach to drug control. India said it had a robust and effective legislative mechanism supported by targeted programmes to address the drug problem in the country, and a strong political will at the highest level to tackle the drug menace in a holistic and coordinated manner. Sweden asked how to ensure in the United Nations General Assembly Special Session process that drug policies were formulated in close cooperation with those affected, and how the important element of prevention could be integrated. China stressed that the international community should maintain the identity of the current drug-control regime and firmly oppose the legalization of drugs.

Penal Reform International said that the enforcement of overly punitive laws for drug offences had not proven effective in curbing the production, trafficking and consumption of illicit substances. Comisión Mexicana de Defensa y Promoción de los Derechos Humanos, Asociación Civil regretted that there was minimal acceptance in Mexico to admit civil society participation in the discussion and preparation of drug-related policies, which favoured an aggressive military approach. International Educational Development Inc, in a joint statement, voiced concern about the large number of executions for drug-related crimes in Iran, where more than 506 persons were executed in 2015 alone.

Bolivia stated that it was making a great deal of effort to strengthen its drug-related policies, on the basis of national sovereignty and without foreign interference, and taking into account the rights of indigenous peoples and their use of coca leaves. UNAIDS said that more than 1.5 million people who injected drugs lived with HIV and it called for the decriminalization of drug use in order to reach out to abusers and provide them with the necessary health services. Albania noted that the forthcoming discussion about the drug problem had to include an appropriate approach and accurate science-based information in order to prepare better and reality-based policies.

Greece said there should be an increased focus worldwide on public health, prevention, treatment and care, as well as on economic, social and cultural strategies when it came to drug policies. El Salvador stated that the discussion should focus on a common point in an open and transparent way in order to make a profound change in the current system.

Concluding Remarks

ANDRES FLOREZ, Director of Drug Policy of the Ministry of Justice of Colombia, answering the question posed by the delegation of Mexico, said that Colombia had made significant progress with regards to strengthening institutions. There had been consistent policy-making in the country, leading to positive examples.

ANN FORDHAM, Executive Director of the International Drug Policy Consortium, said that there was not enough time to discuss positive examples of criminal justice reforms in relation to drugs. Ms. Fordham noted a study which had shown that drug use was largely irrelevant to the policy response, but it was known that harm and human rights violations of drug users could be managed by policy. The global drug policy was heavily focused on harsh and punitive measures, so it was important for the United Nations General Assembly Special Session on Drugs to ensure that the global drug response was solidly built on human rights, public health and development principles. Further, the Special Session must ensure a system-wide coherence in the approach to drug use.

MOHAMMAD-MAHMOUD OULD MOHAMEDOU, Deputy Director of the Geneva Centre for Security Policy, Professor at the Graduate Institute in Geneva, and Commissioner on the West African Commission on Drugs, said that drug trafficking networks in many regions had established footholds by exploiting already weakened governance systems, and overworked and weak justice systems. The most difficult challenge was to balance between the sense of efficiency and the sense of justice, in order to achieve rights.

SHEKHAR SAXENA, Director of the Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse, World Health Organization, said that capacity-building workshops in India for health providers was a good example of dealing with drug users because it decreased the possibility of human rights violations. People should receive evidence-based treatment. Clean syringes would make a significant difference in the treatment of drug abuses. Health-care prevention was extremely important in improving the living conditions of people, Mr. Saxena concluded.

ALDO LALE-DEMOZ, Deputy Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, emphasized that access to medicines should be a major goal. As for Iran, there was a new country programme towards prevention and harm reduction in prisons. That programme was devised in cooperation with the Government of Iran and countries that had the best practices.

RUTH DREIFUSS, former President of the Swiss Confederation and member of the Global Commission on Drug Policy and panel moderator, noted that many delegations wished to assess measures to counter the drug problem. Tangible measures with tangible outcomes were sought. Importance had to be given to scientific evaluation and the scientific community had to be very closely involved in policy-making. Likewise, the effects of those policies had to be measured because the current range of indicators was insufficient. Pilot projects needed to be followed closely and carefully in order to see whether they could be more mindful of human rights. The proportionality of sentences for drug-related crimes and limiting of contamination and spread of diseases among drug users also had to be closely monitored. Flexibility and applicability of conventions in drug-related issues were therefore key to addressing the issue. The participation of civil society was essential, especially of those who were directly involved, in order to allow for better implementation of human rights approaches in drug-related policies. Drug policies had to be aligned with other policies and instruments of the United Nations.

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For use of the information media; not an official record

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