Secretary Locsin Articulates PH's "Iron, Unwavering, and Total Commitment" Against Illegal Drugs at the United Nations in Vienna

15 March 2019 – Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro L. Locsin Jr. delivered the Philippine national statement at the Ministerial Segment of the 62nd Session of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) held in Vienna, Austria on 14 March 2019.

Speaking before the plenary, Secretary Locsin emphasized the Philippines’ zero-tolerance policy and whole of nation approach against illegal drugs, noting the gains achieved by the country, thus far, in such fight. In particular, the Secretary called attention to the more than 1.4 million Filipino drug users who have voluntarily presented themselves for rehabilitation and the corresponding 30 percent decline in the nation’s crime rate as a result of the Philippines’ sustained and relentless anti-illegal drug campaign.

Noting that the incidence of abuse is not an argument against the war on drugs but a “call to do better,” Secretary Locsin likewise underscored the robust democratic mechanisms within the country to ensure accountability and address impunity, such as the discipline and dismissal from service of erring law enforcers and the presence of human rights officers during legitimate police operations.

“With the war on drugs, the Philippines renews its commitment to the state responsibility to protect, first and foremost the law-abiding against the lawless by any means efficient, to achieve the defining purpose and expense of a state: defense of nation; extinction of threats to public welfare and safety. To that responsibility my President has made an iron, unwavering and total commitment,” said Secretary Locsin.

On the sidelines of the Ministerial Segment, Secretary Locsin also met with United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Executive Director Yury Fedotov to secure the latter’s commitment to continue and possibly expand the scope of capacity building and technical assistance projects in the Philippines in the field of demand and supply reduction.

The CND, the leading United Nations agency on drug policies, meets annually to bring together more than 3,000 delegates from governments, international organizations, civil society organizations, youth, and civil society. The 2019 CND Ministerial Segment is seen as a landmark gathering which was attended by 34 Cabinet Ministers, high level representatives of member states, and other key stakeholders, in order to take stock of the implementation of the commitments made in 2009 to jointly address and counter the world drug problem.

The Philippine delegation to the 62nd session of the CND was co-headed by Dangerous Drugs Board Chair Catalino S. Cuy and Ambassador and Permanent Representative Maria Cleofe R. Natividad. They were joined by representatives from the Philippine Permanent Missions in Vienna and New York and Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA). END