REGULAR SESSION OF CICAD

December 16, 2025 - Washington, DC

Director of the Office of National Drug and Money Laundering Control Policy of Antigua and Barbuda and Chair of CICAD, Colonel Edward Croft, Outgoing Chair,
National Secretary for Drug Policies and Asset Management of the Ministry of Justice and National Security of Brazil and Vice Chair of CICAD, Marta Rodriguez de Assis Machado, Incoming Chair,
Distinguished national authorities and experts,
Permanent Representatives, Permanent Observers,
Secretary for Multidimensional Security, Ivan Marques,
Acting Executive Secretary of CICAD, Angela Crowdy,
Representatives of international and regional institutions,
Civil society representatives, colleagues and guests,
Ladies and gentlemen,

May I first thank the Chair of the Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission (CICAD), Antigua and Barbuda, especially Colonel Edward Croft, for the excellent work undertaken over the past year, and express my congratulations to Brazil as incoming Chair.

I also take this opportunity to acknowledge the work carried out by the Executive Secretariat of the CICAD, represented today by its Acting Executive Secretary, Angela Crowdy, and her team, as well as the OAS Secretariat for Multidimensional Security as a whole.

Next year, CICAD will mark its 40th anniversary. That is four decades of this Commission working to address one of the most complex challenges facing our Hemisphere: drug trafficking as part of international and national organized crime and its wide-ranging implications for state resilience, institutional trust, public safety, and, above all, our youth.

Since its creation in 1986, this Commission has been, and continues to be, the most relevant forum for addressing the drug problem in our region, while also serving as a point of reference for regional and global debates. And the relevance of this multilateral framework demonstrates the value of the Organization of American States.

I witnessed this firsthand twelve years ago as Assistant Secretary General, when the OAS published the Report on the Drug Problem in the Americas, a report that served as both a starting point and a necessary document for the discussions that took place during the Special Session of the United Nations General Assembly of 2016.

This document included a ‘Scenarios Report’ that examined four possible paths the drug phenomenon could take in the Hemisphere, offering reflections and projections for the period from 2013 to this year, 2025. One of these scenarios was never intended as a model for action; it was a warning. It showed what might happen if our diversity of approaches turned into fragmentation, and if we lost the capacity to act together as a region. That warning remains as relevant today as it was in 2013. We must understand the need for adopting a common approach to collectively tackle this crime against humanity, as it is in the interest of the wellbeing of our societies and national security.

The problem persists and, in many places, has intensified. Criminal organizations have innovated and diversified their production, their routes, and their methods. Whenever possible, they attempt to penetrate state institutions and weaken the systems of accountability that sustain democratic life. More than a security problem alone, it is also a profound governance challenge. In some localities, drug-trafficking groups are developing state-like capabilities, with their own system of rules, ‘taxation’ and social assistance. The effect is the same everywhere: the legitimacy of the State is weakened, while citizens become more distant from public institutions and the social contract erodes.

The human cost is also severe. The region continues to experience high levels of violence associated with organized crime and drug trafficking. The exact numbers vary by country and year, but it is well established that drug-related violence and overdoses in the Americas have at times produced higher annual loss of life than some contemporary civil conflicts in other parts of the world.

While many are affected by drug trafficking, in a Hemisphere marked by inequality, those who suffer the most are consistently the most vulnerable. Families in marginalized communities bear the burden of violence and loss of opportunity. Young people confront limited prospects. Small farmers and local producers face coercion and instability.

The issue of drugs is a complex and transnational phenomenon. It crosses borders, adapts quickly, and exploits every weakness in our institutional and social fabric. For this reason, it must find the countries of the Americas united in with a Hemispheric strategy to confront it. No state, regardless of its size or capacity, can confront this threat alone.

Our hemispheric strategy must situate the drug problem within a broader multidimensional security approach. Because corruption, impunity, and institutional weakness do not occur in isolation. They feed one another, and organized crime reinforces all three whenever it can. This is why the OAS framework considers, alongside drugs, terrorism, transnational organized crime, and other threats to public and citizen security. We aim at supporting States in building the resilience needed to prevent, respond to, and recover from emerging risks, while safeguarding democratic governance and the well-being of societies, recognizing that security, legitimacy, and development are interdependent.

Recently I suggested that member states may want to embark on a discussion to create a legal framework in which law enforcement is afforded more tools and capabilities to tackle criminal organizations with due regard for human rights. Otherwise, I’m afraid this battle will remain an unequal one.

In the Americas, we are one society, and we need to work constructively together to overcome our shared challenges. So as we look toward CICAD’s 40th anniversary, I am confident that the work ahead will reaffirm what this Commission has always been: the Hemisphere’s essential forum for addressing the drug problem together. With a shared commitment to dialogue, to evidence, and to our citizens’ wellbeing, we will continue to build that path. The OAS stands ready to support you and to defend our democracies with all tools available.

I wish you a productiv