!
!
THE U.N. FUND for drug abuse CONTROL
The United Nations established the Fund for Drug Abuse Control on April 1, 1971. At the outset, the Secretary General indicated that member nations were expected to voluntarily contribute $5 million annually for the first few years and about $20 million thereafter.
The objective of the Fund is to furnish assistance to governments, international organizations, and specialized agencies in their efforts
to:
(1) Limit the supply of drugs to legitimate requirements by putting an end to their illegal or uncontrolled production, process- ing and manufacture, making use of crop substitution or other methods, as appropriate;
(2) Improve the administrative and technical capabilities of existing bodies concerned with the elimination of the illicit traffic in drugs;
(3) Develop measures to prevent drug abuse through programs of education and special campaigns, including the use of mass media; and
(4) Provide facilities and develop methods for treatment, re- habilitation, and social reintegration of drug dependent persons. The Fund intends to support the expansion of research and infor- mation facilities of United Nations drug control bodies: the planning and implementation of programs of technical assistance in pilot proj- ect for crop substitution purposes; the establishment and improvement of additional drug control admini-tration and enforcement munchinery, the training of personnel and the setting up or expanding of researchi and training centers which could serve national or regional needs; the enlargement of the capabilities and the extension of the operation of United Nations drug control boilies; the promotion of facilities for the treatment, rehabilitation and social reintegration of drug addicts; suitable and the development of educational material and programs for use on high-risk populations.
The first major country program to be financed under the U.N. Fund is in Thailand. A U.N.-Thai agreement approved in December, 1971, includes projects to replace opium poppy cultivation by substitute crops. The U.N. will also assist Thailand in the treatment and rehabil- itation of drug addicts, in the suppression of illicit drug tredie, and in creating drug education and information programs. The cost of the program to the U.N. Fund will be about $2 million. The U.N. Division of Narcotic Drugs is the executing organization, with technical assist- ance from the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO).
The Fund is exploring in cooperating with the U.X. Specialized Agencies comprehensive drug abuse control programs with other governments in critical areas, and is stationing representatives in major regions to provide advice and assistance to governments.
(57)