VZCZCXYZ0009
OO RUEHWEB

DE RUEHC #5558 0510056
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 200053Z FEB 10
FM SECSTATE WASHDC
TO USMISSION USUN NEW YORK IMMEDIATE 0000

UNCLAS STATE 015558 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL UNSC XA XY UNCND UNIDCP SNAR
SUBJECT: UN SECURITY COUNCIL FEBRUARY 24 THEMATIC DEBATE 
ON DRUG TRAFFICKING 
 
 ¶1. This is an action request.  USUN may draw from the 
statement in paragraph 2 for the UN Security Council thematic 
debate on Drug Trafficking in West Africa on February 24. End 
action request. 
 
¶2. Begin Statement: 
 
Thank you, Mr. President. 
 
The United States would like to thank France for its 
leadership in drawing attention to the increasing threat to 
international peace and security posed by transnational 
organized crime and drug trafficking.  We also appreciate the 
update from Executive Director Costa.  His briefing today 
indicates the seriousness of the threats we face, and we look 
forward to his continued collaboration with the Council. 
 
Mr. President, international observers, including the UN 
Office on Drugs and Crime, have calculated that transnational 
organized crime and corruption may siphon up to 15% of the 
world,s gross domestic product, undermining key global 
industries and markets, and distorting the benefits of trade 
and commerce.   The scourge of drugs and drug trafficking 
undermine political stability and the rule of law.  Illegal 
drugs waste lives and devastate families, schools, and 
communities.  They overload our prisons, strain our law 
enforcement sectors, and tax our public health system. 
 
But this organized crime has taken on a new dimension.  Links 
between drug trafficking and terrorist and insurgent groups 
are well-documented and further endanger stability and 
economic development.  Criminal syndicates support terrorist 
groups by facilitating their clandestine trans-border 
movements, weapons smuggling, and forging of documents. 
 
At the same time, terrorist groups employ organized criminal 
activity as a means of self-financing, including extortion 
and drug dealing, as well as modern offenses such as credit 
card fraud and insurance scams.  Such growing 
terrorist-criminal cooperation is of particular concern to 
all of us.  This interdependence makes it much more difficult 
to prevent terrorist financing. 
 
As terrorist groups increasingly mimic the tactics of 
organized crime, our international response needs to 
incorporate more of the tools used by traditional law 
enforcement.  The United States is working with international 
partners to identify and dismantle these linkages wherever 
they exist, and to promote the comprehensive reforms to 
criminal justice and law enforcement institutions necessary 
for long-term prevention. 
 
 Mr. President,  the UN Convention against Transnational 
Organized Crime - the Palermo Convention and the UN 
Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) - created a new global 
template for international law enforcement cooperation.  They 
- along with the three UN conventions against illegal drugs 
* form the backbone of a common multilateral framework for 
protecting our publics against the threats of crime, drugs 
and corruption. 
 
Unfortunately, in the years since the Conventions were 
adopted, criminal networks have taken advantage of high 
technology tools such as the internet and electronic 
financial transactions, increased cross-border commercial 
activity, and globalization to expand internationally.  This 
type of criminal activity is harder to trace and prevent, 
particularly when applied in less developed or post-conflict 
regions.  We must work together to strengthen and make better 
use of the tools the Conventions provide us, and halt the 
destabilizing effect of transnational crime. 
 
Mr. President, allow me to emphasize the commitment of the 
United States to these widespread problems by outlining our 
efforts to help governments take responsibility as equal 
partners in this struggle to disrupt organized crime and 
other destabilizing groups.  For 2010, the Department of 
State has allocated approximately $2 billion on priority 
programs to support three inter-related objectives: 
 
--Institutionalize the rule of law by developing and 
expanding criminal justice systems to strengthen partner 
country law enforcement and judicial effectiveness, foster 
cooperation in legal affairs, and advance respect for human 
rights; 
 
--Disrupt the overseas production and trafficking of illicit 
drugs through targeted counternarcotics and 
institution-building assistance and coordination with foreign 
nations and international organizations; and 
 
--Minimize the impact of transnational crime and criminal 
networks on the United States and others through enhanced 
international cooperation and foreign assistance. 
 
Mr. President, one of the key components of the Palermo 
Convention is the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish 
Trafficking in Persons, especially Women and Children.  The 
trafficking of persons tears at a community,s social fabric. 
 During economic crises, persons desperate for work are 
especially vulnerable to the threats posed by trafficking 
organizations.  We must show continued and sustained efforts 
to counter this threat and to protect its victims.  It is not 
enough to simply pass a trafficking law or announce a 
national plan of action; we must act globally to actually 
implement trafficking laws, and ensure that these laws assist 
victims while prosecuting traffickers, in order to help end 
this form of modern slavery. 
 
The United States is working to build the capacity of foreign 
law enforcement agencies to combat complex transnational 
crimes such as trafficking-in-persons and migrant smuggling 
so that they are able to assist in multinational efforts to 
disrupt the global networks of transnational criminal 
organizations. 
 
As noted in our statement during the December session, these 
transnational issues often have an impact on the security of 
post-conflict states, where criminal justice sectors may have 
been destroyed or even hijacked by criminal organizations. 
Such regions can be breeding grounds for drug traffickers, 
terrorists, and other bad actors, who can undermine 
reconstruction efforts and threaten the security of 
neighboring states.   We believe that the Security Council 
should take these issues into consideration, as appropriate, 
when creating or reviewing mandates for peacekeeping 
operations.   Likewise, the Council should consider 
actionsunder relevant sanctions resolutions,as appropriate, 
to help counteract the impact of such transnational threats. 
 
In conclusion, Mr. President, let me highlight the 
contributions of international and regional organizations to 
the fight against transnational organized crime and drug 
trafficking.  Notably, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime 
(UNODC) is a critical partner for providing states with the 
necessary assistance to implement not only the Palermo 
Convention, but also the UN Convention Against Corruption and 
the drug control treaties.  We also applaud UNODC,s focus on 
providing member states with legislative and technical 
assistance and national capacity-building to counteract 
illicit drugs, crime and terrorism, as part of its overall 
strategic plan.  From 2008 through 2009, the United States 
provided approximately $36 million to support UNODC 
activities, and we are committed to continuing that support. 
The contributions and efforts of UNODC and other 
international and regional organizations act as a force 
multiplier and complement the work of bilateral programs. 
 
Thank you, Mr. President. 
CLINTON