International conference on drug trafficking in Guinea-Bissau

Assisting Guinea-Bissau in tackling the threat of drug trafficking, was at the heart of a pledging conference organised in Lisbon under the Portuguese Presidency of the EU on 19 December. Attended by the Prime Minister and Minister for Justice and Home Affairs of Guinea-Bissau and the Portuguese Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, the event welcomed representatives of the European Commission, ECOWAS, the EMCDDA, Interpol and the World Bank as well as EU and African countries.

The Lisbon conference followed the signature in August 2007 of a Memorandum of Understanding to fight drug trafficking in Guinea-Bissau, in which Portugal and Guinea-Bissau recommended 'the adoption of the appropriate institutional and operational means' to fight drug trafficking, and the mobilisation of actions from the international community. (One of the priorities of the Portuguese Presidency was cooperation with West Africa, specifically tackling the cocaine flow into Europe from that region.)

Guinea-Bissau has become an important transit point for cocaine trafficking from South America via West Africa to Europe

In recent years, Guinea-Bissau has become an important transit point for cocaine trafficking from South America via West Africa to Europe. Reasons for this shift include the convenient location of West Africa between Andean cocaine suppliers and European consumers and the vulnerability of West African countries to organised crime. Poverty and destruction to the national infrastructure and legal system through decades of war exacerbate the problem.

The conference sought to obtain the necessary financing to put in practice an 'Operational plan to support the government of Guinea-Bissau in the fight against drugs', set up with the technical support of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) (¹). The conference was organised in two sessions: 'Drugs in Guinea-Bissau as a state weakening factor' and 'Perspectives for international cooperation'. In the first session the EMCDDA presented information on cocaine demand in Europe, based on the findings of its 2007 Annual report. As EMCDDA data show, there has been a strong increase in cocaine prevalence in Europe in recent years and demand may continue to grow, increasing the attractiveness of the European market for traffickers.

The total funding commitment made at the conference for the Operational Plan was $ 7 million, mainly to finance Phase II (2008). Contributions were announced by the European Commission and UNODC as well as by Germany, Italy, Portugal, the UK and the US. Other donors were encouraged to join this common effort.

Roland Simon