UNCND adopts groundbreaking resolution on drugs impact on environment tabled by Brazil, France, Morocco

The 68th session of the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs, held on March 10-14 in Vienna, adopted a groundbreaking resolution put forward by Morocco, France and Brazil on the impact of illicit drug-related activities on the environment.

The adoption of this resolution, named “Combating the environmental impact of illicit drug activities”, marks Morocco’s substantial contribution over the past decade, within the United Nations, to the international debate on the global drug problem.

In a statement on the occasion, Morocco’s Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the UN Office in Vienna Azzeddine Farhane thanked all members of the Commission for their support for this resolution, which was co-sponsored by several countries, and for their active, positive and constructive participation throughout the negotiation process.

The resolution encourages member states to take environmental protection into account in their drug policies, and to devise and implement international strategies to tackle the environmental impact of illicit drug activities, the diplomat explained.

In this context, he called for the promotion of international cooperation between judicial and law enforcement authorities, while respecting the national sovereignty and territorial integrity of States.

This initiative by Morocco, France and Brazil represents 3 continents and is part of the implementation of the 2019 ministerial declaration and the 2024 mid-term review, which recognized the need to combat root causes and harmful effects of illicit drug-related activities on the environment, Farhane recalled.

In this context, he noted that the resolution draws its substance from the outcome document of the 30th special session of the General Assembly, held in 2016, in which Member States reiterated “the importance of environmental protection in the context of combating illicit cultivation of drug crops and other drug-related activities”.

It also welcomed the research work carried out in recent years by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), notably for the 2022, 2023 and 2024 editions of the World Drug Report, which, among other things, provide an overview of the direct and indirect impact of illicit drug activities on the environment.

In addition, the resolution mandated the Commission on Narcotic Drugs to decide to pursue discussing the environmental impact of illicit drug activities as part of its 2029 review of progress in implementing all international drug policy commitments.

The Commission on Narcotic Drugs is a decision-making body within the United Nations system responsible for guiding international action in the fight against drugs and crime. It is a functional commission of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and a governing body of UNODC. Its decisions and resolutions provide guidelines for member states and for the UNODC.