Foreign Secretary Bárcena calls on UN countries to combat drug trafficking and extremism

Foreign Secretary Bárcena calls on UN countries to combat drug trafficking and extremism

• Secretary Bárcena took part in the Summit of the Global Coalition to Address Synthetic Drug Threats, and in the high-level event "In Defence of Democracy: Fighting Against Extremism"
• She reaffirmed Mexico's commitment to fight drug and firearms trafficking
• She presented Mexico's experience in putting Mexican Humanism into practice, a development model that promotes a just, equal, and fraternal society

During the high-level week of the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), Foreign Secretary Alicia Bárcena, representing President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, took part in the Summit of the Global Coalition to Address Synthetic Drug Threats, organized by the United States, and in the high-level event "In Defence of Democracy: Fighting Against Extremism," convened by the Presidents of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, and Spain, Pedro Sánchez.

At the Summit, Foreign Secretary Bárcena explained that Mexico joined the Global Coalition to Address Synthetic Drug Threats in 2023 and has actively contributed to the working groups, leading Group 3: Mental Health and Addictions.

"We are strengthening public health frameworks to reduce consumption because it is a key part of the equation. We will continue to reinforce them across the continent and also in the trilateral coalition we have created with Canada [...] synthetic drugs are a problem of our era that we must face together," she said.

Foreign Secretary Bárcena highlighted three initiatives Mexico is pursuing in this area: a coalition for the traceability of chemical substances to prevent diversion to illicit drug manufacturing; the Integral System for Chemical Substances (SISUS); and the Interministerial Commission for National Security Laboratories, which collects and analyzes technical and scientific information to prevent the dual-use trafficking of chemical products illicitly used to produce synthetic drugs.

"Canada, the United States, and Mexico have been collaborating and meeting frequently to address these issues. We are very aware that the international fight against synthetic drugs must also address the illegal sale and trafficking of firearms, because this is the other side of the coin of international illegal drug trafficking, therefore, we must also fight against illicit arms trafficking," she added.

In her remarks during the high-level event on "In Defence of Democracy: Fighting Against Extremism," Secretary Bárcena emphasized that "democracies are growing weaker, while extremist movements and currents are gaining strength and ground. This is happening not through armed uprisings, but through the judicialization of politics and the spread of fake news [...] The form of democracy that is at risk is neoliberal democracy, and along with it, progressive ideals are facing a crisis."

The Foreign Secretary went on to present Mexico's experience in applying the Model of Mexican Humanism over the last six years, emphasizing that "democracy and equality are two sides of the same coin…Experience shows us that we must give new content and life to democracy, with the aim-as we have done in Mexico-of transforming the concentrating, extractivist, and unequal economic model, to achieve a revolution of consciousness."

"We must restore the State's role, ensuring that all government actions aim to guarantee rights and dismantle privileges that deny them," she said. "This is why in Mexico we advocate for Mexican Humanism as a path towards a just, equal, and fraternal society."

Foreign Secretary Bárcena further emphasized the need to "improve communication and dialogue between the Government and its people [...] As leaders draw closer to the sovereign-the people-we move closer to true democaracy…All is possible with the people; without the people, nothing is possible," she cocluded.

The event was attended by the heads of state of Brazil, Chile, Spain, France, and Canada, and by representatives from the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, Colombia, Denmark, Norway, Australia, Malaysia, Nepal, Kenya, South Africa, Tanzania, and Cape Verde.