28 October, 2008
UNIPSIL
Secretary-General's message to the ECOWAS Ministerial Conference on Drug
Trafficking as a Security Threat to West Africa
[delivered by Said Djinnit, Special Representative for West Africa]
It
is a pleasure to send greetings to all the participants in this important ministerial conference.
Like you, I am deeply concerned by the illicit drug trade that continues to gain ground
in West Africa. The related crimes of arms and human trafficking and money laundering are having a detrimental impact on many
countries in the sub region, inflicting violence on people's daily lives, distorting economic and commercial activity,
undermining respect for the rule of law and threatening peace and security and sustainable development.
Youth in particular suffer the damage. They are an invaluable resource
for the future, yet are already vulnerable owing to high unemployment. We must keep them from turning to crime, and protect
them from becoming victims of drug abuse and addiction. It is especially regrettable to see traditional values that have for
generations served as unifying and stabilizing forces become degraded, over-shadowed and undertaken by the easy attractions
of illegal drug profits.
The alarming surge in
drug trafficking and organized crime in West Africa comes at a particularly volatile juncture. The sub region has only recently
begun to register commendable, yet still fragile, progress in turning the page from the destructive conflicts of the past
to a more promising future of democratic governance. At the same time, many countries, like others around the world, face
the destabilizing impact of galloping increases in food and fuel prices and the effects of the global financial crisis. Against
the backdrop of those serious external challenges, the illegal drug trade, unless tackled promptly and vigorously, could further
weaken West Africa's prospects for consolidating peace and pursuing sustainable development.
The problem you will be examining over the next two days is not limited to West Africa.
That is why it is important for the international community as a whole to work together to find a comprehensive solution that
tackles all stages of the problem, from source through transit points to destinations. I urge the international community
to support the efforts that West African States have already initiated, as well as the proposals that you may agree upon at
the end of your conference, to put in place an effective sub regional strategy to eradicate this menace. Through its various
presences in the region, and in particular through the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, the United Nations will continue
to work closely with your countries and with ECOWAS to build and strengthen capacity, and help mobilize resources and other
assistance for the implementation of your regional strategy. In that spirit of partnership, please accept my best wishes for
the success of your deliberations.
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