A/RES/45/149 69th plenary meeting 18 December 1990 International action to combat drug abuse and illicit trafficking The General Assembly, Deeply concerned that the illicit demand for, production of and traffic in narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances continue to pose a serious threat to all mankind, to affect adversely the socio-economic and political structures of affected societies and to endanger the stability, national security and sovereignty of States, Alarmed by the growing connection between drug trafficking and terrorism, Reaffirming the principle of the shared responsibility of the international community in combating drug abuse and illicit trafficking, Reaffirming also the importance of international co-operation in the immediate implementation of all mandates and courses of action contained in the Comprehensive Multidisciplinary Outline of Future Activities in Drug Abuse Control and the Global Programme of Action, Taking note with interest of the reports of the Secretary-General, Welcoming the work of the Intergovernmental Expert Group to Study the Economic and Social Consequences of Illicit Traffic in Drugs, convened under General Assembly resolution 44/142 of 15 December 1989, on the impact of the social and economic consequences of drug-money transfers and conversion, which have an adverse effect on national economic systems, Having in mind that the Intergovernmental Expert Group proposed a framework for a future in-depth study on the economic and social consequences of illicit traffic in drugs, for which reason the issue must be duly followed up, Keeping in mind that the Secretary-General has taken note of the recommendations addressed to him by the Intergovernmental Expert Group, which will be considered in the context of the proposed programme of drug-control activities for the biennium 1992-1993, Recognizing that the consideration by the Intergovernmental Expert Group of the financial aspects of its mandate was more extensive than that of the economic and social aspects, and that these latter areas require further and more detailed analysis, Welcoming the efforts made by those countries which produce narcotic drugs for scientific, medicinal and therapeutic uses to prevent the channelling of such substances to illicit markets and to maintain production at a level consistent with licit demands, Reiterating that the transit routes used by drug traffickers change constantly and that an ever-growing number of countries in all regions of the world, and even entire regions, are particularly vulnerable to illicit transit traffic on account, inter alia, of their geographical location, Noting with regret that the work of the secretariat of the International Narcotics Control Board and of the Division of Narcotic Drugs of the Secretariat is impeded by lack of human and financial resources and affirming that this problem must be given due consideration in the context of the restructuring of the United Nations drug control system, Reiterating its condemnation of criminal activities that involve children in the use, production and illicit distribution of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances, and appealing to the competent international agencies and the United Nations Fund for Drug Abuse Control to assign priority to measures designed to address this problem, Reaffirming that the Declaration adopted by the International Conference on Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, the Political Declaration adopted by the General Assembly at its seventeenth special session, the Declaration of the World Ministerial Summit to Reduce the Demand for Drugs and to Combat the Cocaine Threat, held in London from 9 to 11 April 1990, and the Comprehensive Multidisciplinary Outline of Future Activities in Drug Abuse Control and the Global Programme of Action, together with the international drug control treaties, provide a comprehensive framework for international co-operation in drug control, Noting that in the Global Programme of Action the United Nations Fund for Drug Abuse Control is invited to elaborate for consideration by States a subregional strategy covering all aspects of drug abuse control and concentrating on the most affected areas where the problems are most complex and grave, Noting with satisfaction that the regional meetings of heads of national drug law enforcement agencies and the Sub-Commission on Illicit Traffic and Related Matters in the Near and Middle East are sources of very useful recommendations for action at the regional level oriented towards solving specific problems of the various regions, I International action to combat drug abuse and illicit trafficking 1. Strongly condemns the crime of drug trafficking in all its forms and urges continued commitment and effective international action to combat it, in keeping with the principle of shared responsibility and with full respect for national sovereignty and the cultural identity of States; 2. Urges Governments and organizations to adhere to the principles set forth in the Declaration adopted by the International Conference on Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking and the Political Declaration adopted by the General Assembly at its seventeenth special session, and to implement the recommendations and mandates contained in the Comprehensive Multidisciplinary Outline of Future Activities in Drug Abuse Control and in the Global Programme of Action; 3. Also urges the immediate implementation of the mandates and recommendations contained in the Comprehensive Multidisciplinary Outline of Future Activities in Drug Abuse Control and the Global Programme of Action, particularly those pertaining to, inter alia, demand reduction, treatment and social rehabilitation of drug addicts, eradication and substitution of illicit crops, integrated rural development, establishment of complementary employment, health, housing and education programmes, expanded opportunities for trade and investment, including international co-operation to facilitate the marketing of substitute crops, elimination of illicit trafficking, interdiction, supervision and control of precursors and essential chemicals, money-laundering and problems of licit producers; 4. Welcomes the establishment under the Commission on Narcotic Drugs of a world-wide network of regional meetings of heads of national drug law enforcement agencies, which, together with the Sub-Commission on Illicit Traffic and Related Matters in the Near and Middle East, constitute co-operation mechanisms against illicit trafficking in narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances, and the convening in Moscow from 19 to 23 November 1990 of the First Meeting of Heads of National Drug Law Enforcement Agencies, European Region; 5. Emphasizes the connection between the illicit production and supply of, demand for, sale of and traffic in narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances and the economic, social and cultural conditions of the countries affected and that solutions to these problems must take into account the differences and diversity of the problem in each country; 6. Calls upon the international community to provide increased international economic and technical co-operation to Governments, at their request, in support of programmes for the substitution of illicit crops by means of integrated rural development programmes, respecting fully the jurisdiction and sovereignty of countries and the cultural traditions of peoples; 7. Considers that a system should be established to identify the methods and routes used for transit traffic of illicit narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances, in order to enhance the interdiction capability of States along such routes; 8. Encourages all countries to take action to prevent the illicit arms trade by which weapons are provided to drug traffickers; 9. Takes note of the recommendations and conclusions of the World Ministerial Summit to Reduce the Demand for Drugs and to Combat the Cocaine Threat, notes all efforts designed to reduce and prevent the illicit demand for narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances, and calls upon the United Nations and other relevant international organizations to devote greater attention to this aspect of the drug problem; 10. Urges Member States to increase substantially their voluntary contributions to the United Nations Fund for Drug Abuse Control to enable it to expand further its programmes; 11. Welcomes the initiatives of the United Nations Fund for Drug Abuse Control aimed at promoting and supporting subregional programmes as envisaged by the Global Programme of Action and urges the Governments concerned to increase their co-operation in support of such subregional strategies; 12. Strongly recommends that the necessary resources from within the regular budget and from extrabudgetary sources be made available for the implementation of the various activities for drug abuse control, and particularly for the implementation of the mandates and courses of action contained in the Comprehensive Multidisciplinary Outline of Future Activities in Drug Abuse Control and the Global Programme of Action; 13. Requests the Commission on Narcotic Drugs to study the mandates and recommendations contained in the Comprehensive Multidisciplinary Outline of Future Activities in Drug Abuse Control, the Global Programme of Action and other relevant documents, with a view to establishing a timetable for their implementation in the first five years of the United Nations Decade against Drug Abuse 1991-2000. II Economic and social consequences of illicit traffic in drugs and psychotropic substances 1. Requests the Secretary-General to issue the report of the Intergovernmental Expert Group to Study the Economic and Social Consequences of Illicit Traffic in Drugs as a document of the forty-fifth session of the General Assembly and to submit it to the Commission on Narcotic Drugs for consideration at its thirty-fifth session; 2. Invites the Commission on Narcotic Drugs to study the various recommendations and conclusions contained in the report of the Intergovernmental Expert Group, in particular those relative to the proposed framework for a future in-depth study on the economic and social consequences of illicit traffic in drugs, and to report thereon to the General Assembly at its forty-sixth session through the Economic and Social Council; 3. Requests the Secretary-General, in view of the provisional and preliminary nature of the study carried out by the Intergovernmental Expert Group to consider the possibility of convening a meeting of an expert group to conclude the analysis commenced pursuant to paragraph 9 (a) of resolution 44/142, and to give due consideration to any recommendations made by the Commission on Narcotic Drugs; 4. Notes with interest the observation made by the Intergovernmental Expert Group that it is important for the United Nations to develop an integrated and unified information system to provide reliable data and information on the illicit drug trafficking chain, especially illicit production, manufacture, processing and consumption; 5. Invites the Secretary-General to report to the General Assembly at its forty-sixth session on the measures to be adopted in implementation, in a timely manner, of the recommendations made by the Intergovernmental Expert Group, as well as the relevant recommendations made by the Commission on Narcotic Drugs; 6. Requests the Secretary-General to submit a report to the General Assembly at its forty-sixth session on the implementation of the present resolution; 7. Decides to include in the provisional agenda of its forty-sixth session the item entitled "International action to combat drug abuse and illicit trafficking". .