ECOWAS ADOPTS STRATEGIES AGAINST ILLICIT DRUGS

The Ministers of Justice and Interior from ECOWAS Member States on
October29, 2008 in Praia, Cape Verde adopted two main strategic
documents, which renewed the region's fight against illicit drugs and
organized crime.

The two documents would be presented for approval at the up-coming
Summit of ECOWAS Heads of State and Government in Abuja, Nigeria. The
documents are the region's Political Declaration on the Prevention of
Drug Abuse, Illicit Drug Trafficking and Organized Crime in West
Africa and the Regional Action Plan to Address the Growing Problem of
Illicit Drug Trafficking, Organized Crime and Drug Abuse in the region.

Broadly, the Political Declaration provides the political commitment
needed from Member States and its gives new impetus to the ECOWAS
Commission in the fight against the scourge while the Action Plan
provides the necessary framework for regional and national actions
against drug trafficking, with the support and cooperation of
development partners.

The declaration mandates the ECOWAS Commission to coordinate the
implementation of the Regional Action Plan, monitor and report to the
summits of Heads of State in 2009 and 2010 respectively, on the
progress made in the implementation of this Declaration and the ECOWAS
Response Action Plan.

In addition, it directs the Commission to establish a strong
coordination mechanism to forge close links with Member States, civil
institutions and organizations involved in drug control in order to
achieve better coordination in the control of drug trafficking and
abuse in the region.

In this regard, the Commission is to set up an ECOWAS Drug Control and
Crime Prevention Mechanism. It will also prepare an ECOWAS Convention
against illicit drug trafficking and abuse, which should be finalized
in 2009.

Summit of ECOWAS Heads of State and Government in Abuja,
Nigeria.

The documents are the region's Political Declaration on the Prevention
of Drug Abuse, Illicit Drug Trafficking and Organized Crime in West
Africa and the Regional Action Plan to Address the Growing Problem of
Illicit Drug Trafficking, Organized Crime and Drug Abuse in the region.

Broadly, the Political Declaration provides the political commitment
needed from Member States and its gives new impetus to the ECOWAS
Commission in the fight against the scourge while the Action Plan
provides the necessary framework for regional and national actions
against drug trafficking, with the support and cooperation of
development partners.

The declaration mandates the ECOWAS Commission to coordinate the
implementation of the Regional Action Plan, monitor and report to the
summits of Heads of State in 2009 and 2010 respectively, on the
progress made in the implementation of this Declaration and the ECOWAS
Response Action Plan.

In addition, it directs the Commission to establish a strong
coordination mechanism to forge close links with Member States, civil
institutions and organizations involved in drug control in order to
achieve better coordination in the control of drug trafficking and
abuse in the region.

In this regard, the Commission is to set up an ECOWAS Drug Control and
Crime Prevention Mechanism. It will also prepare an ECOWAS Convention
against illicit drug trafficking and abuse, which should be finalized
in 2009.

The ECOWAS Chairman, President Blaise Compaore of BurkinaFaso,
President Pedro Pires of Cape Verde, the President of the ECOWAS
Commission, Dr. Mohamed Ibn Chambas, the Executive Director of the
United Nations Office on drugs and Crime (UNODC), Mr. Antonio Mario
Costa and the Representative of the United Nations Office for West
Africa (UNOWA), Ambassador Said Djinnit, addressed the conference.

Some high level representatives of ECOWAS development partners,
including Austria, Italy, Portugal, Spain, the United Kingdom and the
European Union also made brief statements. They stated that drug
trafficking and organized crimes are threats to national and regional
security and stability and impede the development of the region.

While expressing concern over the alarming surge in drug trafficking
in the region and its consequences on the youth, they agreed that only
a holistic and global approach can lead to the eradication of the drug
menace in West Africa and called for a closer cooperation between
countries of origin, of transit and of destination to effectively
tackle the scourge.

In particular, the development partners reiterated their commitment
to work very closely with ECOWAS Member States and the Commission and
pledged to support the implementation of the Regional Action Plan.

At the closing ceremony on Wednesday, October 29, 2008, Dr Chambas
said a strong political engagement will be required from Member States
to push the response plan of action forward. He reiterated ECOWAS'
commitment to design "an implementation strategy which is time bound,
coasted with clearly defined performance indicators to enable us
assess our level of progress".

The President of the ECOWAS Commission also pledged to "devise a
validated monitoring and evaluation framework to enable us track
performance and deliver our strategies".