Dunne: United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs
Hon Peter Dunne
Associate Minister of Health
Address to
United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs
Vienna,
Austria
Thursday, 12 March
Madam Chair,
May I begin by congratulating you on your chairing of this high-level segment and express our confidence in your ability to achieve a successful outcome for our work.
This debate is the opportunity to critically and honestly review the lessons learnt and the progress made against the objectives that were collectively agreed upon at the UNGASS in 1998.
While we need to reflect on our achievements and shortcomings we also need to look forward. We face an ever-diversifying and multi-faceted drug problem. But we do so equipped with numerous and critical lessons from the past.
A rich body of knowledge and evidence is now available for us to draw on, presenting a timely opportunity to strengthen our collective actions and to use the wisdom of the past to build a new vision for the future.
Last month in New Zealand I was pleased to have the opportunity to open an international drug policy symposium attended by international experts from around the world for two days of discussions about dealing more effectively with the scourge of drugs in society today.
I mention
this because, as we gather here at this high-level segment
to chart a course for the next 10 years, it is important
that the decisions we make enable positive progress towards
our collective goals.
I was heartened that the
symposium provided overall support for New Zealand’s drug
policy and its three pillars of supply control; demand
reduction; and problem limitation. Our efforts to balance
these three pillars have, I believe, helped us considerably
in our fight against illegal drugs in New Zealand over the
past 10 years.
The ultimate aim for our work at this
Commission on Narcotic Drugs must be the elimination of
illegal drugs, and reducing the health and social
consequences of substance abuse.
In New Zealand we
want to foster a culture of abstinence but we also live in a
world where drug use is a reality, so governments also have
a responsibility to minimise the personal, social, and
economic costs associated with drug use.
When we
talk about limiting the problems of drug use we include not
only the treatment of drug users with a view to ultimate
abstinence but also activities such as needle exchange
schemes which are responsible, we believe, for New Zealand
having one of the lowest HIV/AIDS rates amongst intra-venous
drug users in the world.
This practical approach to
the consequences of illegal drug use stands alongside our
strong commitment to controlling the supply and spread of
illegal drugs in our country.
Madam Chair, I would
like to briefly outline some of the innovative activities
which New Zealand is developing.
Firstly we have
instituted a long overdue review of our misuse of drugs
legislation We want a framework that is generic and
principled and not one that makes decisions in an ad hoc way
about new substances.
We want a law that focuses on
complementary strategies to control supply, reduce demand,
and limit problems arising from use. New evidence based
approaches to public health initiatives are needed in order
to achieve a better balance between punishment,
rehabilitation and education.
We must focus on
policy outcomes which ultimately work, rather than just
leave a feel-good sense of “doing good”. The review will
take account of our international obligations as signatories
to the drug conventions.
Secondly we have already
introduced a restricted substances schedule within our
Misuse of Drugs Act which aims at controlling those
substances which have a low risk of harm but which
nevertheless should be subject to some form of control.
A restricted substance is still legally available but
we put restrictions on who it may be sold to (no one under
18), where it can be sold from, the way it can be sold and
how it can be advertised. There are also requirements for
warnings about possible harms and offences.
This
innovation is potentially an important step in controlling
substances which would otherwise be available freely and
without restriction.
Thirdly we have made funding
available to promote community action on youth and drugs
(CAYAD) projects which aim to harness community resources to
build community resilience to drug threats.
We now
have over 25 CAYAD projects operating throughout New Zealand
and evaluations have shown these to be a successful
approach.
In closing, Madam Chair, I would like to
make reference to two other principles that New Zealand
considers need to be highlighted and embedded in any
political declaration that emerges from this high-level
segment.
Firstly there needs to be strong and clear
language on the need for all drug control activities to
comply with human rights obligations, with specific
reference to the UN Charter.
New Zealand takes its
commitment to human rights seriously and we aim to ensure
that actions taken to reduce harm from drugs are
proportionate to our objectives and that punishment is
proportionate to the offence.
New Zealand is
fundamentally opposed to the death penalty, and we aim to
protect privacy and access to health for all. Secondly, New
Zealand congratulates the NGO movement for its efforts in
presenting the Beyond 2008 declaration.
While the
United Nations is based on co-operation by member states, it
is clear that no solution to international drug problems can
be achieved without the involvement of civil society in this
work.
This year New Zealand has included an NGO
representative as part of our delegation and we look forward
to a stronger relationship between civil society and the
work of the CND.
New Zealand looks forward to
continuing to play its part in international drug control
efforts for a better and healthier
society.
ENDS