[Associated Press] UNODC - Cooperation and Divide at the UNODC’s press conference

On Sunday’s press conference held by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), delegations were able to inform the press of the progress of the debates on the illegal trafficking of drugs and weapons.

Overall, the atmosphere seemed oriented towards cooperation, with the United States declaring they were open to working with Saudi Arabia in response to the latter’s proposal to fund anti-trafficking measures in Global South countries. However, tensions arose with Mexico after the United States criticized its insufficient efforts towards border control, to which Mexico responded by rejecting U.S. military interference for sovereignty reasons, while emphasizing their commitment to cooperation through anti-corruption programs.

Divides between Global North and Global South were evident. Brazil emphasized the root issues of drug trafficking caused by “the countries of the Global North throughout history”, and demanded financial support from Western states, mainly Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States. Spain responded positively to Brazil’s comments, proposing funding and deployment of surveillance technology, including drones, though this raised privacy concerns among some delegations.

Myanmar cited its ongoing civil war as a major barrier to anti-trafficking measures and criticized the U.S. for withdrawing financial aid under the Trump administration. Meanwhile, the United States expressed concern over a general lack of transparency in some states: “The United States will not cooperate with any countries refusing to show commitment”, stated the delegation.

Russia was open to the sharing of cross-border information by the United States, as proposed by the latter, provided they can prove the security and validity of the information. The delegation of the USA refused to comment.