Statement [Made on Behalf of the Security Council, at the 7090th Meeting, 18 Dec. 2013, in Connection with the Council's Consideration of the Item Entitled "Peace and Security in Africa"]

S/PRST/2013/22View PDF

Who adopted this document and its mandates?

A Presidential Statement of the Security Council, under agenda item 100 Peace and security in Africa, published in 2013.

What subjects does this mandate have?

3 subjects

Drug Traffic Sudano-Sahelian Region West Africa

What’s in this document?

19 paragraphs

At the 7090th meeting of the Security Council, held on 18 December 2013, in connection with the Council’s consideration of the item entitled “Peace and security in Africa”, the President of the Security Council made the following statement on behalf of the Council:

“The Security Council reaffirms its primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations.

“The Security Council expresses growing concern about the serious threats posed by drug trafficking and related transnational organized crime to international peace and stability in West Africa and the Sahel region as pointed out in the United Nations Integrated Strategy for the Sahel. It stresses that drug trafficking and transnational organized crime, particularly in the Sahel and West Africa, contribute to undermining the authority of States, their security and stability, governance, social and economic development and the rule of law.

“The Security Council expresses also deep concern over the increasing links, in some cases, between drug trafficking and other forms of transnational organized crime, including arms and human trafficking, in the region, and terrorism, as well as at the growing violence resulting from activities of criminal organizations involved in drug trafficking in the region. It emphasizes the need to enhance interregional cooperation and coordination in order to develop inclusive and effective strategies to combat in a comprehensive and integrated manner transnational organized crime, including drug and arms trafficking, and activities of terrorist groups.

“The Security Council takes note with appreciation of the report of the Secretary General S/2013/359 and welcomes his recommendations to combat Transnational Organized Crime and Drug Trafficking in West Africa and the Sahel, pursuant to its Presidential Statement 2012/2 and expresses concern that the region remains affected by the trafficking of cocaine, cannabis and heroin, the growing local consumption of drugs and the emerging production of synthetic drugs.

“The Security Council reaffirms its strong commitment to the sovereignty, territorial integrity, political independence and unity of countries of the region.

“The Security Council commends the initiatives and measures taken by the States of the Region to tackle the threat of drug trafficking, in particular the extension of the African Union Plan of Action on Drug Control (2013-2018) and of the ECOWAS Regional Action Plan to address the Growing Problem of Illicit Drug Trafficking, Organized Crime and Drug Abuse in West Africa (2008-2015), as well as the implementation of the UNODC Regional Programme for West Africa, underlining that combating drug-trafficking is the primary responsibility of States. It commends the enhanced cooperation between the Economic Community of West African States, the Economic Community of Central African States and the Gulf of Guinea Commission, as reflected in the Yaoundé declaration on maritime safety and security in the Gulf of Guinea, adopted in June 2013, pursuant to the Security Council’s resolution 2039 (2012). It also commends the initiatives to strengthen security and border control in the region of North Africa and the Sahel-Saharan region, with the adoption of the Action Plan on border security, during the first Regional Ministerial conference, held in Tripoli, in March 2012, and the creation of a regional training center to enhance border security, during the second Regional Ministerial conference, held in Rabat, in November 2013, as well as other sub-regional initiatives supported by the United Nations.

“The Security Council calls on States that have not yet ratified or implemented the relevant international conventions, such as 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 of 2000 and the Protocols thereto and the United Nations Convention against corruption of 2003, to do so.

“The Security Council recalls the Political Declaration and Plan of Action on International cooperation towards an Integrated and Balanced Strategy to Counter the World Drug Problem and reaffirms that responses to drug trafficking need to be addressed in full conformity with the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations, international law and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

“The Security Council stresses the importance of strengthening transregional and international cooperation on a basis of a common and shared responsibility to counter the world drug problem and related criminal activities, and underlines that it must be addressed in a comprehensive, balanced and multidisciplinary manner.

“The Security Council commends the decision of the States of the region to harmonize their national legal and institutional frameworks for maritime surveillance and to develop joint maritime operational procedures. It commends further the establishment of regional and interregional centers of information exchange and coordination on the Atlantic front, in order to facilitate maritime interdictions. The Council underlines the need to strengthen the transnational cooperation of law enforcement agencies, including through the inclusion of maritime security in Security Sector Reforms and through the adoption of bilateral and regional agreements to facilitate measures, in accordance with international law, against drug trafficking by sea and for the prosecution of suspects engaged in such trafficking, following maritime interdictions on the high seas. It calls for the continued support of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and other relevant international and regional organizations. In this regard, it welcomes the contribution by the European Union and Member States, and calls on further international support to ongoing regional and national efforts towards strengthening maritime security and surveillance against drug trafficking in the region. The Security Council also encourages further support to the UNODC/World Customs Organization Container Control Programme to enhance law enforcement responses at sea and dry ports.

“While reaffirming that securing their borders is the sovereign prerogative of Member States, the Security Council calls on Member States of West Africa and the Sahel region to strengthen border management to effectively constrain the spread of transnational threats, such as drug trafficking. To this aim, it encourages Member States and relevant organizations, as appropriate, to enhance cooperation and strategies to combat cross-border drug trafficking and to assist Member States of the region, as requested, to build the capacity to secure their borders against such illicit cross-border trafficking, including through the strengthening of national and regional systems to collect, analyze and disseminate criminal intelligence. It encourages further activities building on the conclusions of the United Nations Conference on Border Control and Cooperation in the Sahel and the Maghreb organized in Rabat. It commends the initiatives of the States of the Region to rehabilitate key border checkpoints and to undertake joint patrols. It commends further the capacity building activities undertaken by the European Union in Niger and Libya and calls for its continued support.

“The Security Council expresses concern with reports of the growing use of air transportation for drug-trafficking and encourages support to the Airport Communication Programme (AIRCOP) led by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, the World Customs Organization and Interpol, and encourages further measures to build drug-interdiction capacities.

“The Security Council calls upon States of the Region to continue to assist each other, to the maximum extent possible, in the prevention, investigation, prosecution and punishment of acts of drug trafficking and related transnational organized crime, and to bring to justice those who finance, plan, support or commit such acts, in accordance with international law. It calls on relevant entities of the United Nations, including the Peacebuilding Commission and other relevant international and regional organizations to support the development and strengthening of the capacities of national and regional institutions, in particular of the law enforcement agencies, including towards the strengthening of the West Africa Coast Initiative, and the judicial systems of the countries of the region, to prevent, investigate, prosecute, judge and punish those responsible for drug-trafficking related crimes and transnational criminal activities, as well as to provide mutual legal assistance. It stresses further the importance of fighting corruption, promoting transparency and increasing accountability in order to effectively and efficiently combat drug-trafficking and transnational organized crime in the region.

“The Security Council stresses the importance of good governance and the need to fight against corruption, money laundering and illicit financial flows, in particular through the implementation of the United Nations Convention against corruption and the comprehensive international standards embodied in the Financial Action Task Force’s (FATF) revised Forty Recommendations on Combating Money Laundering and the Financing of Terrorism and Proliferation, including by adopting legislative and regulatory measures, to enable the competent domestic authorities to freeze or seize, confiscate and manage criminal assets, in order to combat drug-trafficking in the region. It also encourages the States of the Region to further their engagement within the Inter-Governmental Action Group against Money Laundering in West Africa (GIABA).

“The Security Council calls upon States to assist in countering the drug problem in the region within the framework of national, regional and international strategies, to take effective measures to emphasize and facilitate healthy, productive and fulfilling alternatives to the illicit consumption of drugs and to promote, develop, review or strengthen effective, comprehensive, integrated drug demand reduction programs, based on scientific evidence, 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.

“The Security Council recognizes the support provided by bilateral and multilateral actors, including the European Union, the African Union, the sub-regional organizations, including ECOWAS, as well as Interpol, the World Customs Organization, the International Maritime Organization and the Maritime Organization for West and Central Africa, as well as the relevant United Nations entities, to efforts aimed at combating drug-trafficking in the region. The Council calls upon Member States, to increase international and regional cooperation, on the basis of a common and shared responsibility, as well as their cooperation with the United Nations Office on Drugs and crime and the International Narcotic Control Board, in order to counter the illicit production of, demand for and trafficking in drugs, and to identify emerging trends in drug trafficking.

“The Security Council encourages an enhanced collaboration between all relevant entities, including the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, the United Nations Office in West Africa and the United Nations Office for Central Africa, the Department of Peacekeeping Operations, including the UN Police Division, and the UN Development Program, in charge of establishing an effective and detailed coordination mechanism to prioritize activities and to ensure coordinated implementation of the United Nations Integrated Strategy for the Sahel, including on its security aspects. It encourages the inclusion of combating drug trafficking and transnational organized crime in the work of all relevant United Nations entities across the region, in accordance with their respective mandates and actively maximizing synergies.

“The Security Council invites the Secretary-General to consider these threats as a factor in conflict prevention strategies, conflict analysis, integrated missions’ assessments, planning and peacebuilding support and to consider including in his reports, analysis of the role played by these threats in situations on the Council’s agenda. It acknowledges the need for UNODC to keep the Security Council informed of the threats of drug-trafficking and related transnational crime on situations on the Council’s agenda, notably when examining the mandates of peace-keeping operations and political missions, and calls on the UNODC and the UN Department of Political Affairs to include, in their regular briefings to the Council, information on the work of the UN System Task Force on Transnational Organized Crime and Drug Trafficking as Threats to Security and Stability.”

Who adopted this document and its mandates?

What subjects does this mandate have?

What’s in this document?

Table of contents