Colombia’s fight against drug trafficking is failing and needs new proposals and UN guidance, declared former Colombian Foreign Minister Rodrigo Pardo Tuesday.
The introduction of new anti-drug initiatives as well as greater multilateralism were two of the conclusions identified at an American Foreign Relations Council on Organized Crime in the western hemisphere, at which Pardo was present. The council was held on Tuesday as an independent arena for discussion on international relations.
The former minister and current director of Cambio magazine signaled that he believed people have lost interest in Colombia’s drug problem, reported news site The Houston Chronicle.
“In Colombia we are tired of the drug strategy. This demonstrated that what we have done has not worked … We have put so much money and effort into it yet the statistics remain the same, depite success in security avenues,” insisted Pardo.
Pardo added that over the last decade Colombia has focused effort on the fight against terrorism and drug trafficking has taken something of a back-seat.
Experts stated that Colombia remained isolated after failing to secure free trade agreements with the U.S. nor can it rely completely on the UN or UNASUR.
Furthermore, public opinion polls suggest that drug trafficking is no longer at the forefront of Colombian’s priorites and they are more concerned with the trials of everyday life.
David Holiday, of the Latin American branch of the Open Society Institute warned that the solution to drug trafficking was not solely armed military response, “we need greater focus on judicial and police reformation, which have taken second place behind the mobilization of the military.”