AG/RES. 1457 (XXVII-O/97)

ANNUAL REPORT OF THE INTER-AMERICAN DRUG ABUSE CONTROL COMMISSION

(Resolution adopted at the sixth plenary session, held on June 4, 1997)

THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY,

HAVING SEEN:

The observations and recommendations of the Permanent Council on the annual reports of the organs, agencies, and entities of the Organization (AG/doc.3513/97);

The document "Anti-Drug Strategy in the Hemisphere," approved by the Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission (CICAD) at its twentieth regular session, in October 1996, and endorsed by the member states at a ministerial-level meeting held in Montevideo in December 1996; and

The draft amendments to the Statute of CICAD, which were adopted by the Commission at its twentieth regular session;

REAFFIRMING its commitment to the principles and purposes set forth by the Organization in the Inter-American Program of Action of Rio de Janeiro against the Illicit Use and Production of Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances and Traffic Therein, the Declaration and Program of Action of Ixtapa, and the Inter-American Program of Quito: Comprehensive Education to Prevent Drug Abuse;

RECALLING:

The Declaration of Principles and the Plan of Action of the Summit of the Americas held in December 1994;

The drug control initiatives in the Plan of Action of the Summit of the Americas and the activities undertaken by CICAD to implement them; and

Resolution AG/RES. 1396 (XXVI-O/96), "Combating Money Laundering";

CONSIDERING:

The increasing consumption of illicit drugs, which is of concern to member states;

The desirability of strengthening CICAD's policy leadership position in the Hemisphere and its increasingly specialized role in providing support to member states in all fields of drug control;

That the member states have as their common goal the elimination of the supply of and demand for illicit drugs;

That the Declaration of Principles of the Summit of the Americas held in 1994 recognizes the pernicious effects of organized crime and illegal narcotics on the economies, ethical values, public health, and social fabric of their countries;

That the Plan of Action of the Summit of the Americas states that the problems of illegal drugs and related criminal activities pose grave threats to the societies, free market economies, and democratic institutions of the Hemisphere; and

That, according to the same Plan of Action, a broad, coordinated hemispheric strategy is required to reduce illicit drug use and production, and that the member states agreed to work together to formulate such a strategy; and

RECOGNIZING the continuing excellence of the work carried out by CICAD and its assistance to member states to combat illicit drug trafficking throughout the Hemisphere,

RESOLVES:

1. To take note of, endorse, and transmit to the Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission (CICAD) the observations and recommendations made by the Permanent Council on its annual report.

2. To approve the amendments to the Statute adopted by CICAD at its twentieth regular session.

3. To take note, with thanks, of the progress that CICAD has made on money laundering control measures, through its Group of Experts, and in particular, its adoption, at its twentieth regular session, of an ongoing system of assessment of money laundering and measures to counter it under the Plan of Action of Buenos Aires adopted by a ministerial-level meeting held in December 1995. Further, to approve the ongoing nature of CICAD's commitment to this issue through the reconvening of its Group of Experts in 1997, and to urge member states that have not yet done so to complete the questionnaire on laws and other measures in force regarding control of money laundering within the framework of the Ministerial Plan of Action of Buenos Aires.

4. To instruct CICAD to report, through the Permanent Council, to the General Assembly at its twenty-eighth regular session on the outcome of the follow-up meeting of the Group of Experts on Money Laundering Control.

5. To approve the CICAD five-year initiative to expand its program of training, technology transfer, and international cooperation to combat money laundering, in accordance with the Ministerial Declaration and Plan of Action of Buenos Aires, and to urge the Inter-American Development Bank to cooperate in the financing of this very important initiative.

6. To note with satisfaction and commend CICAD’s support to member states, through their national drug control commissions, in their international coordination efforts, and to instruct CICAD to continue providing such assistance.

7. To recognize the work carried out by the Group of Experts on Arms and Explosives and urge it to persist in its endeavors, particularly with regard to the conclusion of Model Regulations for the control of illicit trafficking in firearms, in order to ensure that those regulations are applied as soon as possible.

8. To recommend to member states that have not yet done so that they institute a system of epidemiological surveillance of drug use, taking into account CICAD’s Inter-American Drug Use Data System (SIDUC) model, in order to determine trends in drug use over time.

9. To urge member states to give strong political and institutional support to school-based drug abuse prevention programs, and to the training of teachers and school administrators to enable them to become effective agents of prevention.

10. To recommend to member states that they consider the adoption of the World Health Organization's schedules for the assessment of standards of care in substance abuse treatment, as an aid to local evaluation of the adequacy and range of service provided for drug users, and to help bring about improvements in standards of care for drug abusers.

11. To invite member states to strengthen their drug abuse prevention programs to make sure that they include specific warnings about the dangers of the misuse of drugs.

12. To recommend to member states that they establish a method for evaluating drug abuse prevention programs, bearing in mind the recommendations of CICAD's First Inter-American Seminar on Evaluating the Impact of Drug Abuse Prevention Programs, held in Santiago from July 22 to 24, 1996.

13. To urge member states to continue lending support in the form of human resources and funds in order to enhance the use of telecommunications and other technologically advanced media through CICAD's Inter-American Drug Information System (IADIS).

14. To request CICAD to report, through the Permanent Council, to the General Assembly at its twenty-eighth regular session on progress made in the implementation of the above recommendations.