Mr. President, Distinguished
Delegates, Ladies and Gentlemen,
The purpose of this special session of
the United Nations General Assembly is to raise awareness and mobilise support to tackle
the World Drug Problem.
I have met boys and girls, not more than
20 years old, who have already been treated several times for their drug addiction. I have
heard girls tell their stories of falling in love with an older boy with drug problems,
dropping out of school, loosing a job, turning to crime etc. Boys from well to do families
have told me that they were just curious and wanted to experiment. I always try to keep
the faces of these young persons in mind when I discuss drug problems.
Let us talk to young people, not only
about them, and listen very carefully to what they have to say. As was done here yesterday
in the panel on "Children, Young People and Drug Abuse".
By international standards the drug
problems in Sweden are relatively limited. But, there is an increase in first-time
recruitment for drug abuse and a growing interest among young persons to test different
kinds of drugs. Certain groups of young people are very attracted by the promotion of new,
synthetic drugs.
Problems caused by illicit consumption of
narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances are increasing. Crimes related to illicit
production and distribution of drugs are getting worse.
At the same time, there is intense
international promotion of illicit drug use and of pro-drug messages. Such messages are
transmitted world-wide in a matter of seconds and tend to be embedded in a cultural
context, accompanied by music and fashion. The marketing is often aimed directly at young
persons, and promote the view that drugs are fun and exciting. Risks associated with drug
abuse are played down and - unbelievably - cannabis and some of the synthetic drugs are
portrayed as totally safe and harmless.
We need effective international
co-operation to counter this massive propaganda. It is vital to sustain consistent,
restrictive policies and make common cause against the legalisation movement.
As the INCB stated in its latest report,
we face a fundamental challenge to reverse those very dangerous trends that threaten the
structure of our societies and our basic cultural values. Our best insurance is to
maintain a negative attitude towards drug abuse among the general public. Solidarity with
disadvantaged, vulnerable groups and concern for our children and young people requires
that. It is also an issue of democracy and preservation of democratic rights.
Governments can legislate, provide
financial budgetary resources and adopt drug policies. But drug policy is implemented at
local level. The work done locally by public authorities, NGOs and, ultimately, by all
members of civic society determines the results. Coherent strategies, with everyone
pulling in the same direction, require strong political leadership at all levels.
Mr. President,
The objective of Swedish drug policy is
to create a drug-free society. It is supported by a wide consensus among the political
parties in our Parliament. It is also a vision based on a positive, humanistic approach.
Swedish drug policy has evolved over a
long period of time. It is integrated into our social policy, which provides everybody
with basic security through a system of general benefits. We believe that everyone is
entitled to a decent existence in a society which respects human rights and safeguards the
security of the individual. No person and no group should be marginalized or excluded. I
will not go into details here. We have produced a new booklet about the main lines of
Swedish drug policy which is available at the back of the room.
Mr. President,
This special session will adopt a
Declaration on Demand Reduction, that gives us a solid basis for cooperation on prevention
and other demand reduction measures among all members States of the United Nations. Sweden
welcomes that Declaration.
The Political Declaration and the other
documents that we will adopt at this special session are no less important. Together with
the three International Drug Control Conventions, they spell out our political commitments
and our obligations under international law.
The commitments that we will make at this
special session can be seen as a comprehensive global plan for action against the World
Drug Problem in all its aspects. Sweden welcomes and supports the visionary approach of
the Executive Director of the UNDCP. As one of the main donors to that UN body, we are
very concerned about the way the UN:s drug control activities are funded. I want to urge
all Member States to contribute to a more stable and predictable financial basis for the
UN drug control organs.
Finally, Mr. President, let me sum
up:
The World Drug Problem threatens our
States, our people and our communities. Governments will make very important commitments
at this session to meet this serious challenge. But that is not enough!
Strong political leadership will be
required to ensure that those commitments are fulfilled.
It may be difficult and it may be costly,
but we, the political leaders of the UN member States, must make it very clear that we
will not allow ourselves to be influenced by those who promote illicit drugs. I firmly
believe that giving in for such ideas will undermine our common effort. Let us not loose
sight of our goal - a drugfree society. That is a responsibility we have towards the
younger generations as we lead our countries into the next millennium.
I thank you Mr. President
Permanent
Mission of Sweden to the United Nations