UNIS/NAR/915
16 September 2005

Fortieth Session of the Subcommission on Illicit Drug Traffic and Related Matters in the Near and Middle East Concludes its Deliberations

United Nations Drugs Subcommission Approves Baku Accord II

VIENNA, 16 September (UN Information Service) - The Subcommission on Illicit Drug Traffic and Related Matters in the Near and Middle East of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs today approved the Baku Accord II, setting out new actions to combat drug trafficking in Member States of the Subcommission, at its annual meeting in Baku, Azerbaijan.

The Subcommission is a subsidiary body of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs and meets annually in a country of the Near and Middle East region in order to discuss ways of enhancing drug control efforts and cooperation. The members of the Subcommission are Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Egypt, India, Islamic Republic of Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syrian Arab Republic, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan and Yemen.

The Subcommission's first Baku Accord addressed regional cooperation against illicit cultivation, production, trafficking, distribution and consumption of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances and their precursors, and was reflected in Economic and Social Council resolution 1997/39.

The Meeting was opened on Monday, 12 September by the Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the State Drug Control Commission of Azerbaijan, Ali Hasanov, who emphasized the need to sustain international drug control cooperation among United Nations Member States. Sumru Noyan, Deputy Executive Director, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), addressing the Meeting on behalf of Antonio Maria Costa, Executive Director UNODC, said that the Subcommission was an extremely important event as it provided a forum for members of the Subcommission to exchange experience, know-how and information leading to more effective drug control initiatives.

The Meeting was attended by delegations from 23 members and observers of the Subcommission as well as intergovernmental organizations.  It discussed matters of concern in relation to the combat of illicit drug trafficking in the region.  Among the issues considered were strengthening border controls, countering money-laundering and controlling non-institutional financial and value transfer arrangements, and measures taken to counteract new trends in the use of technology by drug trafficking and organized crime groups.  The Subcommission adopted a series of recommendations designed to improve national drug control capacities and drug law enforcement cooperation among countries members of the Subcommission.

The final session of the Subcommission was addressed by the Minister of Internal Affairs of Azerbaijan, Ramil Usubov, who chaired the session.  In his final statement, the Minister congratulated the participants on the commitment of their Governments to improving cooperation in the region and welcomed the recommendations adopted by the Subcommission, in particular those recommendations of the Subcommission that related to the improving drug control at border crossings and new measures to combat the use of technological advances by drug trafficking organizations.

For more information, contact:

Andres Finguerut,
Secretary, Commission on Narcotic Drugs and Subcommission on Illicit Drug Traffic
and Related Matters in the Near and Middle East, UNODC
Email: wafa.ayoub@unodc.org
Tel: +43 1 26060-4178

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