FNs kontor for narkotika og kriminalitet, UNODC og dets partnere fremlagde torsdag en plan for at bekæmpe stigende narkotikahandel og medfølgende kriminalitet i 16 vestafrikanske lande, skriver UN News Centre.
With drug traffickers in West Africa increasingly adjusting their tactics to avoid counter-narcotics efforts, the United Nations and partner organizations Thursday launched a comprehensive, integrated programme to combat drug trafficking and organized crime in the region.
The programme – the UN Office on Drugs and Crime Regional Programme for West Africa 2010-2014 – covers 16 countries and will respond to the needs of West African countries on the principle of shared responsibility, addressing the transcontinental nature of the challenge, in particular, the transatlantic route.
It will focus on peace building, security sector reform, and national and regional institution- and capacity-building; as well as strengthening action in the areas of organized crime, trafficking and terrorism, justice and integrity, drug prevention and health, and awareness raising and research.
The UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has often raised the alarm over narcotics trafficking in West Africa, noting that the problem has been compounded by widespread corruption and money-laundering.
In its 2009 report on transnational drug-smuggling, UNODC estimated that up to 100 tons of cocaine might have transited through West Africa that year. In some cases, the value of trafficking flows through the region surpasses the gross domestic products of the countries in West Africa, which are among the world’s poorest countries.
