TNI Briefing, June 1998
United Nations General Assembly Special Session on the World Drug Problem (UNGASS)
New York, 8-10 June 1998

The "United Nations General Assembly Special Session on the World Drug Problem" held from 8 to 10 June in New York, did not bring any surprises. The drug summit adopted a global strategy to reduce illicit drug supply and demand by 2008. In the General Assembly room, it was an uninterrupted three day sequence of political speeches. All countries could give their own emphasis to the agenda items and present in seven minutes their own more general view on the drugs issue and their policies to deal with it. But, all in all, it has been a lost opportunity, no evaluation of current drug policies took place whatsoever, it was devoted to (as a New York Times editorial phrased it) "recycling unrealistic pledges". 

Statement of the Transnational Institute

Commission on Narcotic Drugs 52nd Session, High-level Segment
Round Table D - 12 March 2009, 2.30-5.30 pm
Countering illicit drug traffic and supply, and alternative development.

In his statement Martin Jelsma of TNI expressed the disappointment with the agreed texts on alternative development in the Political Declaration and Plan of Action at the Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) dedicated to the 1998 UNGASS review. No consensus could be reached on the issue of drug control conditionality in development assistance, despite the outcomes of expert evaluations that recommended to "not make development assistance conditional on reductions in illicit drug crop cultivation”, and to "ensure that eradication is not undertaken until small-farmer households have adopted viable and sustainable livelihoods and that interventions are properly sequenced."

He further referred to the outcomes of the first World Forum of farmers of coca, cannabis and opium poppy from Latin America, Africa and Asia.

Read the full statement

Background on the United Nations General Assembly Special Session on Drug Control
Martin Jelsma
TNI Briefing, March 1998

The "Special Session of the General Assembly to Consider the Fight Against the Illicit Production, Sale, Demand, Traffic and Distribution of Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances and Related Activities and to Propose New Strategies, Methods, Practical Activities and Specific Measures to Strengthen International Cooperation in Addressing the Problem of Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking" (UNGASS from now on) will take place on 8, 9 and 10 June 1998 in New York. The original impetus for such a global meeting came from Mexico, who back in 1993 proposed to hold a real Summit on the drugs issue, like the ones in Rio (on environmental issues), Kopenhagen (on social issues) and Bejing (on women's issues). 

A Global Forum on the 1998-2008 Review of the United Nations General Assembly Special Session on Illicit Drugs

The Beyond 2008 Forum is an attempt to collect, analyse and disseminate the views and experience of civil society in relation to the achievements of the worldwide global drug control efforts based on the targets established by the UNGASS on Illicit Drugs in 1998. The end of this ten-year programme also presents an opportunity for the NGO community to reflect on its own achievements in drug control, exchange ideas on promising new approaches, reach agreements on ways to work together and make recommendations to multilateral agencies and UN member states on future directions for drug control. Moreover, this target date is a unique opportunity for NGOs to rethink current collaboration mechanisms with UN agencies with a view to establishing a more effective partnership.

Apart from the Member States' commitments and pledges adopted on at the 1998 UNGASS, the General Assembly, directly or indirectly, called upon NGOs to work closely with governments and others in assessing the drug problem, identifying viable solutions and implementing appropriate policies and programmes. The Vienna NGO Committee (VNGOC) is hosting a International NGO Forum to contribute to the 1998-2008 review and forward looking agenda setting exercise. Forum participants will be invited to attend and will represent a balanced cadre of ideological interests. This process will require a series of preparatory meetings on behalf of the Commission and others and these are likely to take place during 2008.  The Forum has, therefore, been timed to obtain the maximum and most timely impact on that process and has been set for 7-9 July 2008.

Read more:  Beyond 2008 Forum

To prepare for the NGO Forum a series of regional consultations the have been or are to be held. See: Beyond 2008 Regional Consultations for reports on the regional consultations.

Some reports of participants at the Regional NGO-Consultation “Beyond 2008” meetings:

Western Europe: Budapest, Hungary, January 24-25, 2008

• Report on the Regional NGO-Consultation meeting ”Beyond 2008” for Western Europe, by Fredrick Polak, M.D., psychiatrist, member of the ENCOD steering committee

• Beyond 2008 – Within and Beyond the Current Framework, by Peter Sarosi of the Hungarian Civil Liberties Union

North America: Vancouver, February 4-5, 2008

• Vancouver Conference Sends a Message to the UN, from Drug War Chronicle, February 8, 2008