International Cooperation to Address and Counter the World Drug Problem

A/RES/76/188View PDF

Who adopted this document and its mandates?

A Resolution of the General Assembly, under agenda item 110 International drug control, published in 2021.

What other versions does this mandate have?

6 versions · 2017–2022

Year	Symbol	Title	Word length	Text similarity
2022	A/RES/76/188	International cooperation to address and counter the world drug problem	11,510	73%Compare
2020	A/RES/75/198	International cooperation to address and counter the world drug problem	11,207	98%Compare
2020	A/RES/74/178	International cooperation to address and counter the world drug problem	11,231	91%Compare
2019	A/RES/73/192	International cooperation to address and counter the world drug problem	10,891	93%Compare
2018	A/RES/72/198	International cooperation to address and counter the world drug problem	10,261	89%Compare

Which reports were submitted under this mandate?

6 reports · 2017–2022

Year	Symbol	Title	Mandate resolution
2022	A/77/137	International cooperation against the world drug problem report of the Secretary-General	A/RES/76/188
2021	A/76/121	International cooperation against the world drug problem report of the Secretary-General	A/RES/75/198
2020	A/75/99	International cooperation against the world drug problem report of the Secretary-General	A/RES/74/178
2019	A/74/129	International cooperation against the world drug problem report of the Secretary-General	A/RES/73/192
2018	A/73/135	International cooperation against the world drug problem report of the Secretary-General	A/RES/72/198

What subjects does this mandate have?

5 subjects

Drug Control Drug Policy Drug Traffic International Cooperation Narcotic Drugs

What’s in this document?

116 operative paragraphs

Reaffirms the 2019 Ministerial Declaration on Strengthening Our Actions at the National, Regional and International Levels to Accelerate the Implementation of Our Joint Commitments to Address and Counter the World Drug Problem, and emphasizes that the 2009 Political Declaration and Plan of Action on International Cooperation towards an Integrated and Balanced Strategy to Counter the World Drug Problem, the Joint Ministerial Statement of the 2014 high-level review by the Commission on Narcotic Drugs of the implementation by Member States of the Political Declaration and Plan of Action and the outcome document of the thirtieth special session of the General Assembly, entitled “Our joint commitment to effectively addressing and countering the world drug problem”, represent the most recent commitments made by the international community to counter the world drug problem and address, in a balanced manner, all aspects of demand reduction and related measures, supply reduction and related measures, and international cooperation identified in the 2009 Political Declaration, as well as additional issues elaborated upon and identified in the outcome document of the thirtieth special session of the Assembly, held in 2016, and recognizes that those documents are complementary and mutually reinforcing;

Recalls the thirtieth special session of the General Assembly, held at United Nations Headquarters from 19 to 21 April 2016, at which the Assembly reviewed the progress in the implementation of the Political Declaration and Plan of Action on International Cooperation towards an Integrated and Balanced Strategy to Counter the World Drug Problem, including an assessment of the achievements and challenges in countering the world drug problem, within the framework of the three international drug control conventions and other relevant United Nations instruments, takes note of the discussions held during the session, and reaffirms in its entirety the outcome document entitled “Our joint commitment to effectively addressing and countering the world drug problem”;

Takes note of the resolutions and decisions adopted by the Commission on Narcotic Drugs at its sixty-fourth session,¹³ including the joint statement on the impact of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic on the implementation of Member States’ joint commitments to address and counter all aspects of the world drug problem;¹⁴

¹³See Official Records of the Economic and Social Council, 2021, Supplement No. 8 (E/2021/28), chap. I, sect. B.

¹⁴Ibid., resolution 64/1.

Welcomes the ongoing efforts to strengthen cooperation in addressing and countering the world drug problem and to seek effectiveness and comprehensiveness in the strategies and policies undertaken by regional and subregional organizations and transregional initiatives;

Reaffirms the shared commitment to effectively addressing and countering the world drug problem, which requires concerted and sustained action at the national and international levels, including accelerating the implementation of existing drug policy commitments;

Reiterates its call upon Member States to take, in a timely manner, the measures necessary to implement the actions and attain the goals and targets set out in the Political Declaration and Plan of Action on International Cooperation towards an Integrated and Balanced Strategy to Counter the World Drug Problem, adopted by the General Assembly at its sixty-fourth session, and to address the general challenges and priorities for action identified in the Joint Ministerial Statement of the 2014 high-level review by the Commission on Narcotic Drugs of the implementation by Member States of the Political Declaration and Plan of Action;

Reaffirms that addressing and countering the world drug problem is a common and shared responsibility that must be addressed in a multilateral setting, that it requires an integrated and balanced approach and that it must be carried out in full conformity with the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations and other provisions of international law, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action¹⁵ on human rights and, in particular, with full respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of States, for the principle of non-intervention in the internal affairs of States and for all human rights and fundamental freedoms, and on the basis of the principles of equal rights and mutual respect;

¹⁵A/CONF.157/24 (Part I), chap. III.

Reiterates that the efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals and to effectively address and counter the world drug problem are complementary and mutually reinforcing, recognizes the role of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs in contributing to the global follow-up and in supporting the thematic review of progress on the Goals related to its mandate, and in this regard encourages the Commission to continue to provide input to the high-level political forum on sustainable development, including by providing relevant data, as the implementation of the recommendations contained in the outcome document of the thirtieth special session of the General Assembly may contribute to the attainment of the related Goals;

Calls upon Member States to engage in effective cooperation and practical action, including North-South, South-South and triangular cooperation, in cooperation with the international development community and other key stakeholders, aimed at addressing and countering the world drug problem on the basis of the principle of common and shared responsibility;

Also calls upon Member States to promote bilateral, regional and international cooperation with and technical assistance to the States most affected by illicit crop cultivation and the illicit production, manufacture, transit, trafficking, distribution and abuse of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances, in developing and implementing comprehensive and integrated policies, including through intelligence-sharing and cross-border cooperation, and by reinforcing national programmes aimed at prevention, early intervention, treatment, care, rehabilitation and social reintegration;

Reiterates its commitment to promoting the health, welfare and well-being of all individuals, families, communities and society as a whole and to facilitating healthy lifestyles through effective, comprehensive, scientific evidence-based demand reduction initiatives at all levels, covering, in accordance with national legislation and the three international drug control conventions, prevention, early intervention, treatment, care, recovery, rehabilitation and social reintegration measures, as well as initiatives and measures aimed at minimizing the adverse public health and social consequences of drug abuse;

Also reiterates its commitment to protect the safety and assure the security of individuals, societies and communities by intensifying efforts to prevent and counter the illicit cultivation, production and manufacture of and trafficking in narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances, as well as drug-related crime and violence, through, inter alia, more effective drug-related crime prevention and law enforcement measures, as well as by addressing links with other forms of organized crime, including money-laundering, corruption and other criminal activities, mindful of their social and economic causes and consequences;

Underlines the need for Member States to cooperate closely with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, the World Health Organization, the International Narcotics Control Board and other international and regional organizations, as well as the scientific community, including academia, in contributing to the scientific assessment of drug demand and supply reduction policies, drug markets and drug-related crime;

Recognizes that transit States continue to face multifaceted challenges, and reaffirms the continuing need for cooperation and support, including the provision of technical assistance, to, inter alia, enhance their capacities to effectively address and counter the world drug problem, in conformity with the United Nations Convention against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances of 1988;

Urges Member States to address the relevant socioeconomic factors that relate to the world drug problem through a comprehensive, integrated and balanced approach that incorporates drug policies into a broader socioeconomic development agenda, in compliance with the three international drug control conventions;

Invites Member States to consider strengthening a development perspective as part of comprehensive, integrated and balanced national drug policies and programmes so as to tackle the related causes and consequences of the illicit cultivation, manufacture and production of and trafficking in drugs by, inter alia, addressing risk factors affecting individuals, communities and society, which may include a lack of services, infrastructure needs, drug-related violence, exclusion, marginalization and social disintegration, in order to contribute to the promotion of peaceful and inclusive societies;

Encourages the development of viable economic alternatives, particularly for communities affected by or at risk of illicit cultivation of drug crops and other illicit drug-related activities in urban and rural areas, including through comprehensive alternative development programmes, and to this end encourages Member States to consider development-oriented interventions, while ensuring that both men and women benefit equally from them, including through job opportunities, improved infrastructure and basic public services and, as appropriate, access and legal titles to land for farmers and local communities, which will also contribute to preventing, reducing or eliminating illicit cultivation and other drug-related activities;

Emphasizes the need to strengthen, including through the Commission on Narcotic Drugs and, as appropriate, its subsidiary bodies, the regular exchange of information, good practices and lessons learned among national practitioners from different fields and at all levels to effectively implement an integrated and balanced approach to the world drug problem and its various aspects and the need to consider additional measures to further facilitate meaningful discussion among those practitioners;

Reiterates its call to mainstream a gender perspective into and ensure the full and effective participation of women in all stages of the development, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of drug policies and programmes, to develop and disseminate gender-sensitive and age-appropriate measures that take into account the specific needs and circumstances faced by women and girls with regard to the world drug problem and, as States parties, implement the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women,¹⁶ and bearing in mind the importance of targeted interventions that are based on the collection and analysis of data, including age- and gender-related data;

¹⁶United Nations, Treaty Series, vol. 1249, No. 20378.

Requests the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime to continue to support Member States, upon request, in mainstreaming a gender perspective into their policies and programmes related to the world drug problem, and invites the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN-Women) and other relevant United Nations entities, within their mandates, to cooperate with the Office in this regard;

Urges Member States to increase the availability, coverage and quality of scientific evidence-based prevention measures and tools that target relevant age and risk groups in multiple settings, including in educational institutions, in both the public and private sectors, reaching youth in school as well as out of school, among others, including by providing children and youth with information on drug abuse and its harmful effects and consequences as well as drug use prevention programmes and public awareness-raising campaigns, including by using the Internet, social media and other online platforms, to develop and implement prevention curricula and early intervention programmes for use in the education system at all levels, as well as in vocational training, including in the workplace, and to enhance the capacity of teachers and other relevant professionals to provide or recommend counselling, prevention and care services, and opportunities to choose healthy lifestyles, and to promote safe and drug-free environments in educational settings;

Encourages Member States to identify and take advantage of opportunities to conduct collaborative research and continuously share the latest scientific research, taking into account the contributions of the national, regional and international scientific community, including academia, on the most effective demand and supply reduction strategies, and to develop improved best practices on interventions to reduce demand for drugs, in accordance with the three international drug control conventions and other drug policy commitments;

Invites Member States to consider enhancing cooperation among public health, education and law enforcement authorities when developing prevention initiatives;

Also invites Member States to promote and improve the systematic collection of information and gathering of evidence as well as the sharing, at the national and international levels, of reliable and comparable data on drug use and epidemiology, including on social, economic and other risk factors, to promote, as appropriate, through the Commission on Narcotic Drugs and the World Health Assembly, the use of internationally recognized standards, such as the International Standards on Drug Use Prevention, and the exchange of best practices, and to formulate effective drug use prevention strategies and programmes in cooperation with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, the World Health Organization and other relevant United Nations entities;

Encourages Member States, in their promotion and improvement of the systematic collection of information and gathering of evidence, to gather scientific data on any damage to health that may be caused by consuming drugs including in vaporized form, and to take appropriate steps to exchange best practices and formulate effective drug use prevention strategies and programmes, with a particular focus on children and youth;

Invites Member States to provide the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime with information on best practices and programmes recently implemented, consistent with the three international drug control conventions, in order to assess recent developments and current and future challenges;

Recognizes drug dependence as a complex, multifactorial health disorder characterized by a chronic and relapsing nature, with social causes and consequences, that can be prevented and treated through, inter alia, effective scientific evidence-based drug treatment, care and rehabilitation programmes, including community-based programmes, and also recognizes the need to strengthen capacity for aftercare for and the rehabilitation, recovery and social reintegration of individuals with substance use disorders, including mental health and psychosocial support services and, as appropriate, through assistance for effective reintegration into the labour market and other support services;

Encourages Member States to promote the prevention and treatment of drug use disorders, using scientific evidence-based practices, such as those outlined in the International Standards for the Treatment of Drug Use Disorders, that reflect respect for human rights and dignity, including the right to enjoy the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health and well-being, promoting, as appropriate, within national and regional contexts, non-stigmatizing attitudes in the development and implementation of scientific evidence-based policies;

Also encourages Member States to promote, improve and facilitate, in accordance with domestic legislation and applicable international law, access to scientific evidence-based, quality, affordable and comprehensive drug prevention, treatment, including for comorbidities, care, sustained recovery and related support services, on a voluntary basis, and to promote non-stigmatizing attitudes, with a view to reducing any possible discrimination, exclusion or prejudice;

Further encourages Member States, within their national legislation, to consider the impact of social marginalization on access to comprehensive, scientific evidence-based drug demand reduction and related measures, and to facilitate non-discriminatory and voluntary access to drug-related prevention, treatment, education, care, sustained recovery, rehabilitation, social reintegration and related support services for people who may face obstacles when accessing those services, including those impacted by social marginalization, while mainstreaming a gender perspective in the development and implementation of those services;

Encourages Member States to promote the inclusion in national drug policies, in accordance with national legislation and as appropriate, of elements for the prevention and treatment of drug overdose, in particular opioid overdose, including the use of opioid receptor antagonists, such as naloxone, to reduce drug-related mortality;

Encourages the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and the International Narcotics Control Board to continue to strengthen cooperation with the World Health Organization and other competent United Nations entities, within their respective mandates, as part of a comprehensive, integrated and balanced approach to strengthening health and social welfare measures in addressing the world drug problem, including through effective prevention, early intervention, treatment, care, recovery, rehabilitation and social reintegration, in cooperation, as appropriate, with civil society and the scientific community, and to keep the Commission on Narcotic Drugs appropriately updated;

Recalls the signing of the memorandum of understanding between the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and the World Health Organization, in order to facilitate increased collaboration and coordination between these two entities, within their mandates, in advancing efforts to address and counter the world drug problem, and encourages the Office to continue to strengthen its collaboration with the World Health Organization and to explore, as appropriate, cooperation arrangements with other relevant United Nations agencies and entities and to keep the Commission on Narcotic Drugs appropriately updated;

Encourages the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and the World Health Organization to continue their collaboration to address and counter the world drug problem in accordance with their relevant mandates, and takes note of the input of the World Health Organization, within its treaty-based mandate, in addressing and countering the world drug problem from a public health dimension;

Recognizes the continued efforts to promote coordination and cooperation on drug-related matters within the United Nations system, and in this regard calls upon the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, the Commission on Narcotic Drugs, as the central policymaking body of the United Nations system on drug-related matters, the International Narcotics Control Board, the World Health Organization and other United Nations entities with pertinent technical and operational expertise, within their mandates, to continue to provide, upon request, advice and assistance to States that are reviewing and updating their drug policies, in compliance with the three international drug control conventions, taking into account their national priorities and needs through, among other things, the promotion of the exchange of information and best practices on scientific evidence-based policies adopted by States;

Encourages Member States to involve, as appropriate, policymakers, parliamentarians, educators, civil society, the scientific community, academia, target populations, individuals in recovery from substance use disorders and their peer groups, families and other co-dependent people, as well as the private sector, in the development of prevention programmes aimed at raising public awareness of the dangers and risks associated with drug abuse, and involve, inter alia, parents, care services providers, teachers, peer groups, health professionals, religious communities, community leaders, social workers, sports associations, media professionals and entertainment industries, as appropriate, in their implementation;

Also encourages Member States to promote proportionate national sentencing policies, practices and guidelines for drug-related offences, whereby the severity of penalties is proportionate to the gravity of offences and both mitigating and aggravating factors are taken into account, including the circumstances enumerated in article 3 of the 1988 Convention and other relevant and applicable international law, and in accordance with national legislation;

Further encourages Member States to consider alternatives to incarceration, conviction and punishment, where appropriate and in accordance with the three international drug control conventions, noting that, in appropriate cases of a minor nature, States may provide, as alternatives to conviction or punishment, measures such as education, rehabilitation or social reintegration, as well as, when the offender has a drug use disorder, treatment and aftercare, as well as support for recovery;

Encourages the development, adoption and implementation, with due regard for national, constitutional, legal and administrative systems, of alternative or additional measures with regard to conviction or punishment in cases of an appropriate nature, in accordance with the three international drug control conventions and taking into account, as appropriate, relevant United Nations standards and norms in crime prevention and criminal justice, such as the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for Non-custodial Measures (the Tokyo Rules);¹⁷

¹⁷Resolution 45/110, annex.

Also encourages the consideration of the specific needs and possible multiple vulnerabilities of women drug offenders when imprisoned, in line with the United Nations Rules for the Treatment of Women Prisoners and Non-custodial Measures for Women Offenders (the Bangkok Rules);¹⁸

¹⁸Resolution 65/229, annex.

Calls upon Member States to enhance access to treatment for drug use disorders for those who are incarcerated and promote effective oversight and encourage, as appropriate, self-assessments of confinement facilities, taking into consideration the United Nations standards and norms in crime prevention and criminal justice, including the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners (the Nelson Mandela Rules),¹⁹ implement, where appropriate, measures aimed at addressing and eliminating prison overcrowding and violence, and provide capacity-building to relevant national authorities;

¹⁹Resolution 70/175, annex.

Urges Member States to ensure non-discriminatory access to health, care and social services in prevention, primary care and treatment programmes, including those offered to persons in prison or pretrial detention, which are to be on a level equal to those available in the community, and to ensure that women, including detained women, have access to adequate health services and counselling, including those particularly needed during pregnancy;

Invites Member States to consider reviewing their drug sentencing policies and practices in order to facilitate collaboration between justice, education and public health authorities in the development and implementation of initiatives that utilize alternative measures to conviction or punishment for appropriate drug-related offences of a minor nature, subject to the legal frameworks of Member States;

Emphasizes the need to enhance the knowledge of policymakers and the capacity, as appropriate, of relevant national authorities on various aspects of the world drug problem in order to ensure that national and domestic drug policies, as part of a comprehensive, integrated and balanced approach, fully respect all human rights and fundamental freedoms and protect the health, safety and well-being of individuals, families, vulnerable members of society, communities and society as a whole, and to that end encourages the cooperation of Member States with, and cooperation among, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, the International Narcotics Control Board, the World Health Organization and other relevant United Nations entities, within their respective mandates, including those relevant to the above-mentioned issues, and relevant regional and international organizations, as well as with civil society and the private sector, as appropriate;

Encourages Member States to promote the effective supervision of drug treatment and rehabilitation facilities by competent domestic authorities so as to ensure the adequate quality of drug treatment and rehabilitation services, promote non-stigmatizing attitudes and prevent any possible acts of cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, in accordance with domestic legislation and applicable international law;

Also encourages Member States to develop and implement, as appropriate, comprehensive policies and programmes that, by fostering social and sustainable development, are aimed at the prevention of crime and violence and that address the multiple factors that contribute to marginalization, crime and victimization, in close cooperation with relevant stakeholders, including civil society, and based on scientific evidence and taking into account good practices;

Reaffirms the need for Member States to review and, if necessary, strengthen coordinated measures, enhance capacity-building to counter money-laundering arising from drug trafficking and improve legal cooperation, including judicial cooperation, where appropriate, at the national, regional and international levels, to dismantle organized criminal groups involved in drug trafficking, in order to provide for the prevention, detection, investigation and prosecution of the perpetrators of such crimes, including cooperation to the fullest extent possible to suppress illicit traffic by sea in conformity with the international law of the sea;

Underlines the need to strengthen regional, subregional and international cooperation in criminal matters, as appropriate, including judicial cooperation in the areas of, inter alia, extradition, mutual legal assistance and transfer of proceedings, in accordance with the three international drug control conventions and other international legal instruments and national legislation, and to strive to provide appropriate resources to national competent authorities, including through the provision of targeted technical assistance to requesting countries;

Reaffirms the importance of an integrated approach in drug policies, including by strengthening partnerships between the public health, development, human rights, justice and law enforcement fields and by facilitating inter-agency cooperation and communication, where appropriate;

Encourages the promotion, where appropriate, in the framework of international cooperation, of the use of law enforcement techniques, consistent with national legislation and international law, including applicable human rights obligations, and the placement of appropriate focus within the respective jurisdictions of Member States on those responsible for illicit activities of a larger scale or more serious nature, in order to ensure that drug traffickers are brought to justice and that major criminal organizations are disrupted and dismantled;

Reiterates the strong commitment of Member States to improving access to controlled substances for medical and scientific purposes by appropriately addressing existing barriers in this regard, including those related to legislation, regulatory systems, health-care systems, affordability, the training of health-care professionals, education, awareness-raising, estimates, assessment and reporting, benchmarks for consumption of substances under control and international cooperation and coordination, while concurrently preventing the diversion and abuse of and trafficking in such substances;

Recalls the Political Declaration on HIV and AIDS: On the Fast Track to Accelerating the Fight against HIV and to Ending the AIDS Epidemic by 2030, adopted by the General Assembly on 8 June 2016,²⁰ and takes note of the Political Declaration on HIV and AIDS: Ending Inequalities and Getting on Track to End AIDS by 2030, adopted by the Assembly on 8 June 2021;²¹

²⁰Resolution 70/266, annex.

²¹Resolution 75/284, annex.

Invites relevant national authorities to consider, in accordance with their national legislation and the three international drug control conventions, including in national prevention, treatment, care, recovery, rehabilitation and social reintegration measures and programmes, in the context of comprehensive and balanced drug demand reduction efforts, effective measures aimed at minimizing the adverse public health and social consequences of drug abuse, including appropriate medication-assisted therapy programmes, injecting equipment programmes as well as antiretroviral therapy and other relevant interventions that prevent the transmission of HIV, viral hepatitis and other blood-borne diseases associated with drug use, and to consider ensuring access to such interventions, including in treatment and outreach services, prisons and other custodial settings, and promoting in that regard the use, as appropriate, of the technical guide for countries to set targets for universal access to HIV prevention, treatment and care for injecting drug users, issued by the World Health Organization, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS;

Urges Member States and other donors to continue to provide bilateral and other funding for the global drug problem response, including in particular the HIV/AIDS response, including to the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, and to strive to ensure that such funding contributes to addressing the growing HIV/AIDS epidemic among people who inject drugs, and HIV/AIDS in prison settings, in the spirit of the pledge made in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development to leave no one behind;

Acknowledges the continuing efforts made and the progress achieved in countering the world drug problem, and stresses the need to strengthen and intensify joint efforts at the national, regional and international levels to tackle the global challenges related to the world drug problem in a more comprehensive manner, in accordance with the principle of common and shared responsibility, including by means of enhanced and better-coordinated technical and financial assistance;

Takes note of the 2020 report of the International Narcotics Control Board²² and the supplementary reports thereto, and in this regard recalls Commission on Narcotic Drugs resolution 62/8 of 22 March 2019 on supporting the International Narcotics Control Board in fulfilling its treaty-mandated functions in cooperation with Member States and in collaboration with the Commission on Narcotic Drugs and the World Health Organization;²³

²²International Narcotics Control Board, document E/INCB/2020/1.

²³See Official Records of the Economic and Social Council, 2019, Supplement No. 8 (E/2019/28), chap. I, sect. B.

Invites Member States to strengthen, as appropriate, the proper functioning of national drug control systems and domestic assessment mechanisms and programmes, in cooperation with the International Narcotics Control Board, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, the World Health Organization and other relevant United Nations system agencies, to identify, analyse and remove impediments to the availability and accessibility of controlled substances for medical and scientific purposes, within appropriate control mechanisms, as required by the three international drug control conventions and taking into account the publication entitled Ensuring Balance in National Policies on Controlled Substances: Guidance for Availability and Accessibility of Controlled Medicines, and, for that purpose, to consider the provision of technical and financial assistance, upon request, to developing countries;

Urges all Member States to enact comprehensive measures aimed at stemming the abuse, diversion and misuse of prescription drugs, in particular through the establishment of awareness-raising initiatives targeting the general public and health-care providers;

Recognizes that it is necessary for Member States, under the three international drug control conventions and other international legal obligations, to consider, where appropriate:

Regularly reviewing and assessing their drug control policies, ensuring that they are effective, comprehensive, balanced and aimed at promoting the health and well-being of individuals, families, communities and society as a whole;

Providing, as appropriate, comprehensive, integrated drug demand reduction programmes, based on scientific evidence and covering a range of measures, including primary prevention, early intervention, treatment, care, rehabilitation, social reintegration and measures aimed at minimizing the negative public health and social impact of drug abuse, aimed at promoting health and social well-being among individuals, families and communities and reducing the adverse consequences of drug abuse for individuals and society as a whole;

Calls upon Member States to promote and strengthen the exchange of information and, as appropriate, drug-related criminal intelligence among law enforcement and border control agencies, including through the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime multilateral portals and regional information centres and networks, and to promote joint investigations and coordinate operations, in conformity with national legislation, and training programmes at all levels, in order to identify, disrupt and dismantle organized criminal groups operating transnationally that are involved in any activities related to the illicit production of and trafficking in narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances and the diversion of their precursors and related money-laundering;

Encourages Member States to enhance the capacity of law enforcement agencies to detect and identify new psychoactive substances and amphetamine-type stimulants, including methamphetamine, and promote cross-border cooperation and information-sharing to prevent their abuse and diversion, including through the use of existing International Narcotics Control Board and United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime tools and projects;

Also encourages Member States to strengthen coordinated border management strategies, as well as the capacity of border control and law enforcement and prosecutorial agencies, including through technical assistance, upon request, including, and where appropriate, the provision of equipment and technology, along with necessary training and maintenance support, in order to prevent, monitor and counter trafficking in drugs, trafficking in precursors and other drug-related crimes, such as trafficking in firearms, illicit financial flows, smuggling of bulk cash and money-laundering;

Reiterates the commitment of Member States to share relevant information with, as appropriate, and strengthen the capacity of the World Health Organization, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, the International Narcotics Control Board and other relevant international and regional organizations to prioritize the review of the most prevalent, persistent and harmful new psychoactive substances and to facilitate informed scheduling decisions by the Commission on Narcotic Drugs;

Encourages Member States to fully support the efforts of the World Health Organization to review substances, within its mandate under the three international drug control conventions, particularly through its Expert Committee on Drug Dependence;

Also encourages Member States to establish and strengthen partnerships and information exchange with industries, in particular with chemical and pharmaceutical industries and other relevant private sector entities, and encourage the use of the Guidelines for a Voluntary Code of Practice for the Chemical Industry, issued by the International Narcotics Control Board, and the Board’s model memorandum of understanding between Governments and private sector partners, as and where appropriate, bearing in mind the important role that these industries can play in addressing and countering the world drug problem;

Calls upon Member States to commit themselves to implementing timely, scientific evidence-based control or regulatory measures within national legislative and administrative systems to tackle and manage the challenge of new psychoactive substances, and to consider the use of interim steps while substances are under review, such as provisional measures of control, or to make public health announcements, as well as share information and expertise on those measures;

Also calls upon Member States to strengthen national and international action to address the emerging challenge of new psychoactive substances, including their adverse health consequences, and the evolving threat of amphetamine-type stimulants, including methamphetamine, underscores the importance of enhancing information-sharing and early warning networks, developing appropriate national legislative, prevention and treatment models and supporting scientific evidence-based review and scheduling of the most prevalent, persistent and harmful substances, and notes the importance of preventing the diversion and misuse of pharmaceuticals containing narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances and precursors, while ensuring their availability for legitimate purposes;

Invites Member States to support existing research, collection and scientific analysis of data related to amphetamine-type stimulants through the global Synthetics Monitoring: Analysis, Reporting and Trends (SMART) programme and relevant International Narcotics Control Board tools, such as Project Prism, and strengthen cooperation at all levels in tackling synthetic opioids and amphetamine-type stimulants, including methamphetamine;

Calls upon Member States to continue efforts to identify and monitor trends in the composition, production, prevalence and distribution of new psychoactive substances, as well as patterns of use and adverse consequences, and assess the risks to the health and safety of individuals and society as a whole and the potential uses of new psychoactive substances for medical and scientific purposes, and on that basis to develop and strengthen domestic and national legislative, regulatory, administrative and operational responses and practices by domestic and national legislative, law enforcement, judiciary, social and welfare, educational and health authorities;

Expresses concern that the illicit cultivation of crops and illicit manufacture, distribution and trafficking remain serious challenges in addressing and countering the world drug problem, and recognizes the need for strengthening sustainable crop control strategies that may include, inter alia, alternative development, eradication and law enforcement measures, for the purpose of preventing and significantly and measurably reducing the illicit cultivation of crops, and the need to intensify joint efforts at the national, regional and international levels in a more comprehensive manner, in accordance with the principle of common and shared responsibility, including by means of appropriate preventive tools and measures, enhanced and better-coordinated financial and technical assistance and action-oriented programmes, in order to tackle those challenges;

Invites Member States to target the illicit cultivation of crops used for the illicit production and manufacture of drugs and address related factors by implementing comprehensive strategies aimed at alleviating poverty and strengthening the rule of law, accountable, effective and inclusive institutions and public services and institutional frameworks, as appropriate, and by promoting sustainable development aimed at enhancing the welfare of the affected and vulnerable population through licit alternatives;

Reiterates its commitment to strengthen regional and international cooperation to support sustainable alternative development programmes, including, as appropriate, preventive alternative development, in close collaboration with all relevant stakeholders at the local, national and international levels, and to develop and share best practices towards implementing the United Nations Guiding Principles on Alternative Development,²⁴ taking into account all the lessons learned and good practices, in particular by countries with extensive expertise in alternative development, and in this regard recalls its resolution 72/197 of 19 December 2017;

²⁴Resolution 68/196, annex.

Encourages the promotion of inclusive economic growth and support for initiatives that contribute to poverty eradication and the sustainability of social and economic development, and encourages Member States to develop measures for rural development, improving infrastructure and social inclusion and protection, addressing the consequences of illicit crop cultivation and the manufacture and production of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances on the environment, with the incorporation and participation of local communities, and to consider taking voluntary measures to promote products stemming from alternative development, including preventive alternative development, as appropriate, to gain access to markets, consistent with applicable multilateral trade rules and with national and international law, within the framework of comprehensive and balanced drug control strategies;

Invites Member States to consider elaborating and implementing comprehensive and sustainable alternative development programmes, including preventive alternative development, as appropriate, that support sustainable crop control strategies to prevent and significantly, durably and measurably reduce illicit crop cultivation and other illicit drug-related activities, ensuring the empowerment, ownership and responsibility of affected local communities, including farmers and their cooperatives, by taking into account the vulnerabilities and specific needs of communities affected by or at risk of illicit cultivation, in cooperation with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the International Labour Organization, the United Nations Development Programme and other relevant international organizations, bearing in mind national and regional development policies and action plans, with a view to contributing to the building of peaceful, inclusive and just societies, consistent with the Sustainable Development Goals and in compliance with relevant and applicable international and national law;

Also invites Member States to strengthen subregional, regional and international cooperation to support comprehensive and sustainable alternative development programmes, including, as appropriate, preventive alternative development, as an essential part of successful prevention and crop control strategies to increase the positive outcome of such programmes, especially in the areas affected by and at risk of illicit cultivation of crops used for the production of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances, taking into account the United Nations Guiding Principles on Alternative Development;

Urges relevant international financial institutions, United Nations entities, non-governmental organizations and the private sector, as appropriate, to consider increasing their support, including through long-term and flexible funding, for the implementation of comprehensive and balanced development-oriented drug control programmes and viable economic alternatives, in particular alternative development, including, as appropriate, preventive alternative development programmes, based on identified needs and national priorities, for areas and populations affected by or vulnerable to the illicit cultivation of drug crops, with a view to its prevention, reduction and elimination, and encourages States to the extent possible to stay strongly committed to financing such programmes;

Urges Member States to promote partnerships and innovative cooperation initiatives with the private sector, civil society and international financial institutions to create conditions more conducive to productive investments targeted at job creation in areas and among communities affected by or at risk of illicit drug cultivation, production, manufacturing, trafficking and other illicit drug-related activities in order to prevent, reduce or eliminate them, and share best practices, lessons learned, expertise and skills in this regard;

Encourages Member States to ensure that measures to prevent the illicit cultivation of and to eradicate plants containing narcotic and psychotropic substances respect fundamental human rights, take due account of traditional licit uses, where there is historical evidence of such use, and of the protection of the environment, in accordance with the three international drug control conventions, and also take into account, as appropriate and in accordance with national legislation, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples;²⁵

²⁵Resolution 61/295, annex.

Urges Member States to increase cooperation at all levels and enhance measures to prevent and significantly and measurably reduce or eliminate the illicit cultivation of opium poppy, coca bush and cannabis plant used for the production of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances, including through eradication, within the framework of sustainable crop control strategies and measures;

Reiterates its commitment to strengthen specialized, targeted, effective and sustainable technical assistance, including, where appropriate, adequate financial assistance, training, capacity-building, equipment and technological know-how, to requesting countries, including transit countries, through and in cooperation with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, as well as the World Health Organization and other relevant United Nations entities and international and regional organizations, within their respective mandates, so as to help Member States to effectively address the health, socioeconomic, human rights, justice and law enforcement aspects of the world drug problem;

Encourages Member States to fully implement international commitments on the promotion of the rule of law at the national and international levels, health and respect for human rights in their drug policies;

Calls upon Member States to respond to the serious challenges posed by the increasing links between drug trafficking, corruption and other forms of organized crime, including trafficking in persons, trafficking in firearms, cybercrime and money-laundering, and, in some cases, terrorism, including money-laundering in connection with the financing of terrorism, by using an integrated and multidisciplinary approach to address illicit markets, such as through promoting and supporting reliable data collection, research and, as appropriate, intelligence- and analysis-sharing to ensure effective policymaking and interventions;

Encourages Member States to enhance national, regional, subregional, interregional and international capacity, and utilize existing and relevant regional and, as appropriate, subregional and international networks for the exchange of operational information to prevent and counter money-laundering and illicit financial flows stemming from drug trafficking and related crimes, including terrorist financing, and, as appropriate, through the detection, investigation and prosecution of such activities, with a view to effectively addressing safe havens, and to identify and mitigate money-laundering risks linked to new technologies, as well as emerging money-laundering methods and techniques, by using, inter alia, existing United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime technical assistance tools;

Also encourages Member States to use existing subregional, regional and international cooperation mechanisms to combat all forms of drug-related crime, wherever committed, including, in some cases, violent crimes related to gangs, including by enhancing international cooperation to successfully counter and dismantle organized criminal groups, including those operating transnationally;

Calls upon Member States to also consider, when developing comprehensive policies to tackle the world drug problem, measures, programmes and actions that address the needs of those affected by drug-related violence and crime;

Reaffirms the importance of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and its field offices in building capacity at the local level in the fight against transnational organized crime and drug trafficking, encourages the Office to maintain an effective level of support for national and regional efforts in countering and addressing the world drug problem, and requests the Office to continue to collaborate with relevant intergovernmental, international and regional organizations involved in addressing and countering the world drug problem, as appropriate, in order to share best practices and scientific standards and to maximize the benefits from their unique comparative advantage;

Requests the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, in close cooperation with Member States and pertinent United Nations entities, intergovernmental and regional organizations and, when appropriate, the scientific community and civil society, to continue to support Member States, upon request, in strengthening their capacity to develop their reporting mechanisms, including by identifying gaps in the current drug statistics and by exploring possibilities to strengthen existing data-collection and analysis tools at the national level;

Stresses the importance of the adoption of Commission on Narcotic Drugs decision 63/15 of 4 March 2020 on the improved and streamlined annual report questionnaire,²⁶ and invites Member States to further provide extrabudgetary resources for the purposes described in subparagraph (c) of that decision;

²⁶See Official Records of the Economic and Social Council, 2020, Supplement No. 8 (E/2020/28), chap. I, sect. B.

Recalls Statistical Commission decision 48/110 of 10 March 2017 on statistics on drugs and drug use,²⁷ encourages collaboration between the Statistical Commission and the Commission on Narcotic Drugs, within their mandates, to exchange information on the latest data trends on the world drug problem, stresses the need for national statistical capacity-building to support Member States in improving the quality and availability of drug statistics and to respond effectively to data-collection requests from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, and invites international and regional organizations to support Member States in this regard, upon their request;

²⁷Ibid., 2017, Supplement No. 4 (E/2017/24), chap. I, sect. C.

Invites Member States to invest, where necessary and taking into account specific needs and available resources, in capacity-building and quality-enhancing activities for the collection and reporting of information, to participate in joint cooperation efforts organized by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and by other national, regional or international organizations and bodies, aimed at the exchange of technical knowledge of experts in the area of data collection, analysis and evaluation and of practical experience in the area of drug data, and to regularly report data and information relating to all aspects of the world drug problem to the Office through the annual report questionnaires, and invites the Commission on Narcotic Drugs, as the central policymaking body of the United Nations system on drug-related matters, to strengthen the capacity of the Office to collect, analyse, use and disseminate accurate, reliable, objective and comparable data and to reflect such information in the World Drug Report;

Encourages Member States to promote data collection, research and the sharing of information, as well as the exchange of best practices on preventing and countering drug-related crime and on drug supply reduction measures and practices, in order to enhance the effectiveness of criminal justice responses, within the framework of applicable law;

Invites Member States to consider the need to review the set of national drug policy metrics and tools for the collection and analysis of accurate, reliable, disaggregated, comprehensive and comparable data to measure the effectiveness of programmes to address all relevant aspects of the world drug problem, including, as appropriate, as related to the 2030 Agenda;

Reiterates the commitment of Member States to improve the availability and quality of statistical information and analysis of illicit drug cultivation, production and manufacturing, drug trafficking, money-laundering and illicit financial flows, including for appropriate reflection in reports of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and the International Narcotics Control Board, in order to better measure and evaluate the impact of such crimes and to further enhance the effectiveness of criminal justice responses in that regard;

Encourages the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime to continue its efforts to support States in establishing, upon request, the operational frameworks essential for communication within and across national borders and to facilitate the exchange of information on and analysis of drug trafficking trends, with a view to increasing knowledge about the world drug problem at the national, regional and international levels, recognizes the importance of integrating laboratories and providing scientific support to drug control frameworks and of treating quality analytical data as a primary source of information worldwide, and urges coordination with other international entities, including the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL);

Expresses concern regarding the overall financial situation of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, emphasizes the need to provide the Office with adequate, predictable and stable resources and to ensure their cost-effective utilization, and requests the Secretary-General to continue to report, within existing reporting obligations, on the financial situation of the Office and to continue to ensure that the Office has sufficient resources to carry out its mandates fully and effectively;

Requests all Member States to provide the fullest possible financial and political support to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime by widening its donor base, as appropriate, and increasing voluntary contributions, in particular general-purpose contributions, so as to enable it to continue, expand, improve and strengthen, within its mandates, its operational and technical cooperation activities, including with a view to assisting Member States with the full implementation of the Political Declaration and Plan of Action on International Cooperation towards an Integrated and Balanced Strategy to Counter the World Drug Problem, relevant resolutions adopted by the Commission on Narcotic Drugs and the outcome document of the thirtieth special session of the General Assembly;

Encourages Member States and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime to continue to address the above-mentioned issues within the mandate of the standing open-ended intergovernmental working group on improving the governance and financial situation of the Office in order for the Office to fulfil its mandate effectively, efficiently and with the appropriate resources;

Encourages the Commission on Narcotic Drugs, as the principal policymaking organ of the United Nations on matters of international drug control and as the governing body of the drug programme of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, and the International Narcotics Control Board to continue to strengthen their work on the control of precursors and other chemicals used in the illicit manufacture of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances;

Urges States that have not done so to consider ratifying or acceding to, and States parties to implement, as a matter of priority, all the provisions of the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs of 1961 as amended by the 1972 Protocol, the Convention on Psychotropic Substances of 1971, the United Nations Convention against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances of 1988, the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime and the Protocols thereto²⁸ and the United Nations Convention against Corruption;²⁹

²⁸United Nations, Treaty Series, vols. 2225, 2237, 2241 and 2326, No. 39574.

²⁹Ibid., vol. 2349, No. 42146.

100

Requests the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime to continue to provide, in close collaboration with the International Narcotics Control Board, as appropriate, adequate support and technical assistance to Governments in all regions so as to enable them to implement and fully meet their obligations under conventions and give adequate follow-up to subsequent resolutions of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs, the Economic and Social Council and the General Assembly, including for the strengthening of regulatory authorities and controls, provision of information and fulfilment of reporting requirements, and urges donors to contribute to the Office for those purposes;

101

Urges Member States to continue to actively cooperate with the International Narcotics Control Board in the exercise of its mandate, and reiterates the need to ensure that an appropriate level of resources is made available to the Board to enable it to engage with Governments to effectively monitor compliance by States parties with the three international drug control conventions;

102

Takes note of the request of the Human Rights Council to the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, within its mandate, to prepare a study on arbitrary detention related to drug policies, through its resolution 42/22 of 26 September 2019;³⁰

³⁰See Official Records of the General Assembly, Seventy-fourth Session, Supplement No. 53A (A/74/53/Add.1), chap. III.

103

Encourages Member States to promote and implement effective criminal justice responses to drug-related offences that ensure legal guarantees and due process safeguards pertaining to criminal justice proceedings, including practical measures to uphold the prohibition of arbitrary arrest;

104

Calls upon Member States to strengthen international and regional cooperation and coordination to counter the threat to the international community caused by the illicit production of and trafficking in drugs, especially those in the opioid group, as well as other aspects of the world drug problem, and to continue to take concerted measures within the framework of the Paris Pact³¹ and other relevant regional and international initiatives and mechanisms, in order to strengthen cross-border cooperation and information exchange, with a view to countering drug trafficking, with the support of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and other international and regional organizations;

³¹See S/2003/641, annex.

105

Recognizes the continued contribution of the meetings of heads of national drug law enforcement agencies and of the Subcommission on Illicit Drug Traffic and Related Matters in the Near and Middle East of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs to the strengthening of regional and international cooperation, and in this regard welcomes the extraordinary sessions of the subsidiary bodies, held in hybrid format in September 2021;

106

Reiterates its call upon the relevant United Nations agencies and entities and other international organizations, and invites international financial institutions, including regional development banks, to mainstream efforts to address and counter the world drug problem into their programmes, and calls upon the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime to maintain its leading role by providing relevant information and technical assistance;

107

Calls upon Member States to take the steps necessary to accelerate the implementation of all the joint commitments to address and counter the world drug problem, consistent with the 2019 Ministerial Declaration on Strengthening Our Actions at the National, Regional and International Levels to Accelerate the Implementation of Our Joint Commitments to Address and Counter the World Drug Problem, and reiterates its call upon Member States to take the steps necessary to further implement the operational recommendations set out in the outcome document of the thirtieth special session of the General Assembly, in close partnership with the United Nations and other intergovernmental organizations and civil society, the scientific community, academia and the private sector, and to share with the Commission on Narcotic Drugs, as the policymaking body of the United Nations with prime responsibility for drug control matters, timely information on progress made in the implementation of the recommendations and international commitments;

108

Encourages all relevant United Nations bodies and specialized agencies to identify operational recommendations in the outcome document of the thirtieth special session of the General Assembly that fall within their area of specialization and to commence implementing the recommendations made in the outcome document that are within their existing mandates, in collaboration and cooperation with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and the International Narcotics Control Board, keeping the Commission on Narcotic Drugs informed of programmes and progress made to achieve goals set out in the outcome document, and requests the Office to include, within its existing reporting obligations, a chapter regarding collaboration and coordination across the United Nations system in the global efforts to implement the recommendations adopted at the thirtieth special session;

109

Encourages the Commission on Narcotic Drugs and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime to further increase cooperation and collaboration with all relevant United Nations entities and international financial institutions, within their respective mandates, when assisting Member States in designing and implementing comprehensive, integrated and balanced national drug strategies, policies and programmes;

110

Invites the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime to increase efforts to pursue joint initiatives at the policy and programmatic levels with other relevant United Nations agencies and entities, within their existing mandates, as well as regional organizations, and to update and report to the Commission on Narcotic Drugs on progress, including on joint initiatives, at its upcoming sessions;

111

Welcomes the follow-up to the implementation of all commitments to address and counter the world drug problem made since 2009, including the recommendations set out in the outcome document of the thirtieth special session of the General Assembly, through the intersessional process of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs, encourages the Commission to continue to work on and support Member States in their implementation and sharing of scientific and evidence-based best practices in addressing and countering the world drug problem, and invites the Commission to continue to examine how its subsidiary bodies can better contribute to the implementation of, inter alia, the outcome document by ensuring that the Commission is informed of regional and domestic concerns, developments and best practices arising from all stakeholders, including contributions from the scientific community, academia and civil society;

112

Encourages the Commission on Narcotic Drugs to keep the General Assembly informed of developments in the follow-up to the 2019 Ministerial Declaration on Strengthening Our Actions at the National, Regional and International Levels to Accelerate the Implementation of Our Joint Commitments to Address and Counter the World Drug Problem, and welcomes the briefings and updates provided by the Commission to Member States and all relevant stakeholders;

113

Calls upon all Member States to actively participate in the discussions of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs in preparation for its sixty-fifth session in 2022 to foster an in-depth exchange of information and expertise on efforts, achievements, challenges and best practices to address and counter the world drug problem, including the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, and encourages all other relevant stakeholders to make contributions in this regard;

114

Takes note of the report of the Secretary-General,³² and requests that he submit to the General Assembly at its seventy-seventh session a report on the implementation of the present resolution, including on efforts to address the world drug problem through a comprehensive and balanced approach.

³²A/76/121.

Who adopted this document and its mandates?

What other versions does this mandate have?

Which reports were submitted under this mandate?

What subjects does this mandate have?

What’s in this document?

Table of contents