United Nations, New York, USA, April 19 2016 – Enrique Pena Nieto, President of Mexico along with Claudia Ruiz Massieu, Mexico’s minister of foreign affairs and his delegation during the Thirtieth special session of the General Assembly on the World Drug Problem today at the UN Headquarters in New York.
Photo: Luiz Rampelotto/EuropaNewswire
United Nations, April 19 2016
In a special session on the world drug problem the United Nations (UN) General Assembly adopted an outcome document which reaffirmed its member’s determination to “tackle the world drug problem and actively promote a society free of drug abuse.”
The document, which was adopted without a vote, contains recommendations which address supply and demand reduction, human rights, the effects on children, women and communities, strengthening international cooperation and alternative development.
Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales said one of the most important changes that the current international drug policy needs “is that we give priority to demand reduction rather than focusing solely on supply reduction.” He said drug policies should be consistent with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, “placing people, not substances, at the center of these policies.” Morales added that he has faith “that the outcome document that we have adopted is just a first step that will lead us to a global policy with human beings at its core.”
United Nations, New York, USA, April 19 2016 – Enrique Pena Nieto – Photo: Luiz Rampelotto/EuropaNewswire
Enrique Pena Nieto, President of Mexico along with Claudia Ruiz Massieu, Mexico’s minister of foreign affairs and his delegation during the Thirtieth special session of the General Assembly on the World Drug Problem today at the UN Headquarters in New York.
Photo: Luiz Rampelotto/EuropaNewswire
Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto said the war on drugs which began in the 1970s, “has not reduced production, trafficking, and consumption of drugs in the world.” He said “in a globalized world, drugs are a global issue” which cannot be addressed by any one nation alone. He said “consumer countries” should increase their commitment to reduce demand and fight against transnational organized crime which is present within the borders of those countries.
Pena Nieto stressed that drug addiction must be addressed with comprehensive prevention mechanisms and therapeutic solutions and not “criminal instruments that criminalize consumers and damage the development of his personality.” He said, “As President of Mexico, in this Special Session, I want to give a voice here to those who wish to express the need to update the regulatory framework, to authorize the use of marijuana for medical and scientific purposes.”
United Nations, New York, USA, April 19 2016 – Enrique Pena Nieto, President of Mexico along with Claudia Ruiz Massieu, Mexico’s minister of foreign affairs and his delegation during the Thirtieth special session of the General Assembly on the World Drug Problem today at the UN Headquarters in New York. Photo: Luiz Rampelotto/EuropaNewswire
United Nations, New York, USA, April 19 2016 – Enrique Pena Nieto, President of Mexico along with Claudia Ruiz Massieu, Mexico’s minister of foreign affairs and his delegation during the Thirtieth special session of the General Assembly on the World Drug Problem today at the UN Headquarters in New York.
Photo: Luiz Rampelotto/EuropaNewswire
The Mexican President noted that the world drug problem is a phenomenon that “knows no borders” and the response by the international community has been “clearly inadequate,” adding that “working together we can find solutions. We must move beyond prohibition to effective prevention and effective regulation. Thousands of lives depend on it.”
Source: EuropaNewswire, UNTV