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<html> <head> <meta name="Generator" content="Corel WordPerfect 8"> <title>KILGOUR TO TRAVEL TO LATIN AMERICA TO PROMOTE CANADA''S HEMISPHERIC DIALOGUE ON DRUGS INITIATIVE</title> </head> <body text="#000000" link="#0000ff" vlink="#551a8b" alink="#ff0000" bgcolor="#c0c0c0"> January 22, 1999 (7:15 p.m. EST) No. 7 KILGOUR TO TRAVEL TO LATIN AMERICA TO PROMOTE CANADA'S HEMISPHERIC DIALOGUE ON DRUGS INITIATIVE Secretary of State David Kilgour (Latin America and Africa) will visit Colombia, Peru, Bolivia and Ecuador, January 25 to 29, 1999, to meet with the foreign ministers of those countries to promote the Foreign Ministers' Dialogue Group on Drugs. The Dialogue Group, an initiative launched by Canada earlier this month, is designed to address the broad impact of illicit drugs on the hemisphere. "Canada launched this initiative in response to the effects of the trade and use of illicit drugs on society," said Mr. Kilgour. "We believe that dialogue among the countries of the Americas can be an effective mechanism to deal concretely with the problem of illicit drugs, which affects human security within the entire hemisphere." The intention to create the Foreign Ministers' Dialogue Group on Drugs was announced by Prime Minister Jean Chrétien during the April 1998 Summit of the Americas in Santiago, Chile. The Dialogue Group was launched officially by Foreign Affairs Minister Lloyd Axworthy in Jamaica on January 8, 1999. As a starting point, a working meeting will be held this spring, which will bring together participants from the hemisphere, including non-governmental organizations (NGOs), to discuss the effects of illicit drugs on key aspects of human welfare and security, such as education, health and governance. - 30 - A backgrounder summarizing Canada's approach is attached. For further information, media representatives may contact: Kelley Baker Office of the Secretary of State (Latin America and Africa) (613) 992-9404 Media Relations Office Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (613) 995-1874 This document is also available on the Department's Internet site: http://www.dfait-maeci.gc.ca Backgrounder DRUGS AND HUMAN SECURITY Illicit drugs pose formidable challenges to all the countries in the Americas. The consumption of synthetic and plant-based drugs is particularly alarming in North America but demand for these narcotics is growing in the rest of the hemisphere. Drug abuse has deleterious effects on individual consumers and on families. Abuse and production feed off rural poverty, criminality and urban decay; they also aggravate these social problems. Scarce public revenues are diverted from productive activities. Economies are distorted, democracy is threatened, and the relations between states are jeopardized by the frustrations of dealing with this transnational problem. A web of international instruments has been crafted, at the global and hemispheric levels, to confront the challenges posed by drugs. Many governments are investing resources to prevent drug abuse through education, to treat and rehabilitate addicts through health interventions, to eradicate illicit crops and foster alternative development. They are also acting to control the manufacture of synthetic drugs and the diversion of precursor chemicals, to interdict drugs trafficking within and across borders, and to reduce the money laundering, corruption and trafficking of small arms that buttress the illicit drugs industry. The private sector, research centres and NGOs are important partners in many of these areas, especially in education, health, development and governance. Multilateral institutions, particularly the Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission (CICAD) and the UN International Drug Control Program, have contributed enormously by facilitating dialogue, fostering new standards, providing technical assistance as well as financial support. The current development of a Multilateral Evaluation Mechanism, under the auspices of CICAD, should enhance the assessment of national anti-drug efforts, promote learning from experience, and facilitate the management of inter-governmental relations in this important but sensitive area. Yet from a human security perspective more can be done. Human security places the well-being of individuals and communities at the centre of our common search for security. It advocates holistic responses to multi-faceted problems like illicit drugs. It calls for the creation of dynamic partnerships between governments, international organizations and civil society. As such, a human security analysis leads us to conclude that five areas deserve greater attention: 1. Governance: How could we enhance the capacity of police and judicial institutions to enforce the law while guaranteeing justice and human rights, and how can we build on efforts to minimize corruption and curtail the political influence of drug-related criminal organizations? 2. Small arms and firearms: How could we work together to promote the ratification of the Inter-American Firearms Convention, the development of complementary global instruments and the strengthening of domestic institutions charged with implementing these standards? 3. Development and trade: How can we provide greater support for the development of legal productive activities as alternatives to illicit drug crops, and how could we enhance market access for these alternative goods? 4. Education and health: What can be done to generate greater international co-operation to promote preventative and curative approaches to drug abuse? How could we promote research on the effectiveness of demand reduction programs in different national settings? 5. Public engagement: How can we encourage public initiatives, and how might we involve sectors of the public in a dialogue on policy options, as appropriate? This list is not meant to be exhaustive; it is simply a starting point for dialogue with other governments in the hemisphere. Nor does the proposal displace the central role of CICAD and other multilateral bodies; rather, it aims to generate greater support for existing initiatives in areas like demand reduction and development, and nurture the will to innovate themes like public engagement, which are critical to the pursuit of human security in the Americas. Foreign Ministers will notice that there is considerable overlap between this list and the Santiago Summit Plan of Action. We believe that the human security perspective offers a useful bridge between the hemispheric anti-drug agenda and the broader summit process. As such, Canada proposes that these themes be explored by Foreign Ministers in mid-1999, on the occasion of the OAS General Assembly in Guatemala, and that this discussion be deepened in the lead-up to the next Summit of the Americas. Specifically, next steps for a dialogue among Foreign Ministers might include: <ul> <li> March 1999: Conference to present more in-depth research on the linkages between drugs and governance, small arms, alternative development and trade, education and health, and opportunities for public engagement in anti-drug efforts.</li> <li> June 1999: First Foreign Ministers Dialogue, at the margins of the OAS General Assembly in Guatemala, to review conclusions from the conference and mandate further research, dialogue and action. </li> <li> Mid-1999 to mid-2000: Possible meetings with broader stakeholders, to prepare the ground for deeper dialogue among Foreign Ministers.</li> <li> June 2000: Second Foreign Ministers Dialogue, at the margins of the OAS General Assembly. The aim could be to review actions taken on key issues at the intersection of drugs and human security in the hemisphere, to identify follow-up priorities before and beyond the next Summit of the Americas.</li> <li> 2000-2001: Foreign Ministers report on the results of their dialogue at the Summit of the Americas, in Canada. The aim of this report could be to obtain a mandate for further action, and possibly dialogue, on drugs and human security priorities. </li> Throughout this process, the Summit Implementation and Review Group should be kept fully informed about the results of the Foreign Ministers Dialogue. </ul> </body> </html>

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