E-80/2000
Process To Evaluate Hemisphere’s Anti-Drug Efforts Underway
A new process to evaluate the progress of anti-drug efforts in every country of the Americas represents a "pioneering" step in the region’s united front against illegal drugs, the Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS), C�sar Gaviria, said Monday.
Speaking to government-appointed experts who will implement the Multilateral Evaluation Mechanism, Gaviria underscored that they were not judges or prosecutors who would impose sanctions, but "counselors" who would help guide the region toward more effective anti-drug policies. The new evaluation tool is based more than 60 indicators, or benchmarks, which 34 countries developed by consensus. It is designed to produce "a technical and objective evaluation applied to all the countries equally," Gaviria said.
"By its very nature, it is above all a vehicle to foster trust, promote an open dialogue and strengthen cooperation among authorities," he said at the opening of the week-long meeting of government experts.
This week the experts will organize their work ahead, which involves evaluating each country and the hemisphere as a whole by the end of the year. Governments have already provide initial data about their progress in stemming illegal drug consumption, production and trafficking.
Alberto Scavarelli of Uruguay, who chairs the OAS Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission (CICAD), reminded the experts that the evaluation mechanism grew out of a mandate from the presidents and prime ministers at the 1998 Summit of the Americas and that it represents the entire region’s "political will." He underscored that the process is based on international law, with respect for national sovereignty, and said that as a multilateral effort, it will help strengthen peace in the region.
In his remarks, CICAD Vice Chairman Lancelot Selman, of Trinidad and Tobago, noted that the illegal drug trade was thriving due to advances in technology and the dismantling of trade barriers. "The stark reality is that we are all inhabitants of a global village, and as such we are compelled to unite and harmonize our efforts against common threats, such as international drug trafficking and organized crime,""he said.
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