They agree on a plan for a regional consensus on drugs

Nineteen Latin American countries agreed this Saturday on Fr “Roadmap” in which they commit to a “regional consensus” in the world drug problem in a document adopted in the Colombian city of Cali as a conclusion Latin American and Caribbean Conference on Drugs.

“It is historic because we agreed to outline the path to the future and define the stages in which we will try to reach a consensus on our positions,” the Colombian foreign minister said at the closing of the conference. Alvaro Leyvaafter the announcement of the call “Santiago de Cali Final Document”.

It is a document with certain common positions and a way forward leading to a major summit meeting of heads of state and government of Latin America and the Caribbean, a “road map” that “helps to achieve a regional consensus to face the challenges that require solving the drug problem of our time”. , Leyva stated.

The goal is to “build common thinking and reach an international summit on drugs in 2025 with a common vision,” explained Mexico’s foreign minister, Alicia Barcenawho mentioned Bolivia’s proposal to “create a Latin American alliance against narcotics”.

The document has 17 points where, among other things, a number of obligations are stated and the need to “change the paradigm, to recognize the failure of the war against drugs” is discussed.

And that was agreed by the authorities Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Dominican Republic, Uruguay and Venezuela.

CHANGE THE PARADIGM

“There is a recurring need to comprehensively curb the world drug problem and the structural and primary causes of inequality, poverty, lack of opportunity and violence,” explained Bárcena.

Among those present at the closing of the conference, which he chaired the Colombian leader, Gustavo Petro, and the Mexican leader, Andrés Manuel López ObradorIn addition to Leyva and Bárcena, there are also the foreign ministers of Bolivia and Honduras, as well as the ministers and deputies of Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Cuba and Peru.

Despite admitting that “in some countries, the expected results in the fight against The world’s drug problem“, the document shows compliance with international conventions “without renouncing the international obligation to influence the illicit drug trade”.

However, there is a need to move forward and to think together, especially about specific aspects, such as revaluation of plants that were used by ancestors, reduction of supply, social and health damage or environmental protection.

These countries are seeking to change their collective voice to confront the world after what they see as decades of a failed war on drugs, with prospects for public health, prevention and decriminalization of farmers.

“We condemn the stigmatization of our farmers and migrants; they are not traffickers, they are workers in search of opportunities,” Bárcena asserts.

The conclusions were delivered to Pedro and López Obrador, who arrived on Friday at Cali precisely attending this conference, the first step towards this great world summit on which these two countries want to lead.