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Speech

Mexico – 2019 – II

Delegate: Mr. Hernández Elotlán

15. Mr. Hernández Elotlán (Mexico), speaking as a youth delegate, said that his delegation welcomed the acknowledgement of the new realities surrounding the global drug problem, which had taken a profound toll on public health and human rights in his country. The Government favoured the inclusion of the views of civil society, regional organizations, academia and the scientific community in discussions on the issue.

16. Following the special session of the General Assembly of 2016, the focus of international debate on drugs had shifted to include the importance of prevention, human rights and the gender perspective, the principle of shared responsibilities and the need to both improve access to controlled substances for medical purposes and strengthen cooperation in the fight against transnational organized crime. Practical recommendations stemming from hard evidence and best practices were now available and must be gradually implemented, and the same efforts needed to be applied to reducing supply and demand through a cooperative and comprehensive global approach.

17. Welcoming the United Nations system common position on international drug control, which incorporated the perspectives of more than 30 system agencies, funds and programmes, he said that Member States must intensify their cooperation with all of those entities to find solutions that combined regulation with prevention, public health and human rights. Prohibition alone was insufficient to ensure the effective implementation of existing international instruments and mechanisms, given current realities. In that respect, he also acknowledged the work of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs and its political declaration of 2019.

18. Comprehensive approaches to crime prevention and criminal justice were needed to combat corruption, illicit financial flows and irresponsible trade and trafficking in firearms, rather than multilateral punitive action. Efforts by Mexico included study and work grants for over 900,000 young people. Potential benefits of such approaches included destigmatization and reduced inequality. It was also necessary to examine past experience and lessons learned through open and constructive dialogue, in particular within the Third Committee.

UN Doc.: A/C.3/74/SR.6

Original Records

Cite as:
UN Doc.: A/C.3/74/SR.6, 3 October 2019, p. 4, Youth Delegate Search: https://youthdelegatesearch.org/mexico-2019-ii/, doi: 10.17176/20221018-191126-0.

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