India has said there is a need for coordinated effort by the international community to cripple narcotics trade that feeds the global terror nexus.
Speaking at the UN General Assembly Third Committee meeting on 'Crime Prevention & Criminal Justice and International Drug Control', First Secretary in the Permanent Mission of India to the UN Paulomi Tripathi said Thursday that India is concerned that transnational crimes and illicit drug trade continue to spread their tentacles in countless forms.
"Despite international legal measures and framework for international cooperation in crime prevention and criminal justice, transnational organized crimes and drug problem continue to pose serious challenges to sustainable development, promotion and protection of human rights and rule of law," she said.
Tripathi said linkages between terrorism, violent extremism, drug production and trade, human trafficking and illegal exploitation of natural resources are well documented and there is need for a coordinated cross-sectoral global response to address these issues comprehensively.
She said nations must also strive to replicate the success of the international community against the Islamic State's illicit businesses, to cripple narcotics trade which feeds the global terror nexus, by using the existing templates for curbing illicit trade by terrorists.
She said while much has been done since the adoption of the Political Declaration and Plan of Action in 2009 to address the world drug problem, new challenges have emerged which call for a concerted and balanced response from the international community.
Tripathi pointed out that India strongly believes that to handle the new challenges whether it is from the threat of new psychoactive substances, sale of drugs on 'darknet' or emergence of new trafficking routes, strong mechanisms of international cooperation is of critical importance.
While India is working closely with neighbouring countries to address the drug problem, it has also initiated the process of formulating a new legislation on trafficking in persons, covering all aspects including prosecution, prevention and protection of victims, witnesses and complainants, as well as rehabilitation of victims.
She welcomed the establishment of the Office of Counter Terrorism (OCT) last year and the first-ever UN High Level Conference of Heads of Counter Terrorism Agencies in end-June 2018.
Tripathi however added that while there is a body of international legal instruments to prevent and control transnational organised crimes in specific sectors, there is still no common strategy at global level to curb spread of criminal activities in cyber space.
"The draft Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism (CCIT) has also seen little progress over the years due to lack of agreement on definitional issues," she said adding that the international community needs urgent progress in these areas.
"We cannot afford to create barriers through political boundaries or bureaucracy when criminal and terror networks are increasingly interconnected.