HAVING CONSIDERED the general purpose of the Convention
on Facilitation of International Maritime Traffic, 1965, as amended,
in particular article III thereof,
RECALLING that the Conference of Contracting Governments
to the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea, 1974,
which was held in London between 9 and 13 December 2002 (the 2002
SOLAS Conference), adopted, inter alia, the “Special
measures to enhance maritime security” contained in chapter XI-2 of the International Convention
for the Safety of Life at Sea, 1974, as amended (SOLAS chapter XI-2)
and the International Ship and Port Facility Security (ISPS) Code,
RECALLING ALSO that the 2002 SOLAS Conference adopted resolution
3 on “Further work by the International Maritime Organization
pertaining to the enhancement of maritime security”, which,
in operative paragraph 1(h), invited the Organization to review resolution
A.872(20) on “Guidelines for the prevention and suppression
of the smuggling of drugs, psychotropic substances and precursor chemicals
on ships engaged in international traffic” and, if necessary,
to develop appropriate amendments thereto,
RECALLING FURTHER that the 2002 SOLAS Conference adopted
also resolution 8 on “Enhancement of security in co-operation
with the International Labour Organization (ILO)” and resolution
9 on “Enhancement of security in co-operation with the World
Customs Organization (WCO)” and that, in response, the ILO and
the Organization have developed the ILO/IMO Code of practice on security
in ports and the WCO has developed the “Framework of standards
to secure and facilitate trade”,
MINDFUL that United Nations Security Council resolutions
1373 (2001) and 1456 (2003) have, inter alia, noted
with concern the close connection between international terrorism
and transnational organized crime, illicit drugs, money laundering
and illegal arms trafficking; and have emphasized the need to enhance
co-ordination of efforts on national, subregional, regional and international
levels in order to strengthen a global response to these serious threats
to international security,
MINDFUL ALSO of the work conducted by other United Nations
agencies and international organizations, such as the United Nations
International Narcotics Control Board, the United Nations Office on
Drugs and Crime, the United Nations Interregional Criminal Justice
Research Institute, Interpol and the World Customs Organization, to
assist States to combat international terrorism and transnational
organized crime, illicit drugs, money-laundering and illegal arms-trafficking
through provision of guidance and capacity-building activities,
NOTING, in particular, that the Facilitation Committee at
its thirty-first and thirty-second sessions discussed the revision
of the “Guidelines for the prevention and suppression of the
smuggling of drugs, psychotropic substances and precursor chemicals
on ships engaged in international traffic” (“the Guidelines”)
and that, during the thirty-second session of the Facilitation Committee,
the delegation of Colombia made specific proposals on the revision
of the Guidelines which have been highly appreciated,
CONVINCED of the need to align the Guidelines with the provisions
of SOLAS chapter XI-2 and the ISPS Code and to revise them in a manner that reflects
the developments in the efforts undertaken to prevent and combat the
smuggling of drugs, psychotropic substances and precursor chemicals,
RECOGNIZING that the revision of the Guidelines should be
done in such a manner that the end result does not duplicate the existing
provisions of the ISPS Code but augments and
supplements them, in the context of preventing illicit drug trafficking
and controlling the diversion of precursor chemicals, where necessary,
ALSO RECOGNIZING that a comprehensive revision of the Guidelines
may entail their complete replacement and the need eventually to revoke
resolution A.872(20),
HAVING CONSIDERED the recommendation made by the Facilitation
Committee at its thirty-second session:
1 AGREES that there is a need to revise the Guidelines
as a matter of priority and, to that end, requests the Facilitation
Committee and the Maritime Safety Committee to work jointly and expeditiously
on the revision of the Guidelines;
2 AUTHORIZES the Facilitation Committee and the
Maritime Safety Committee to adopt jointly the necessary amendments
to the Guidelines and to promulgate them by appropriate means;
3 DECIDES that, as from the date of the joint
adoption by the Facilitation Committee and the Maritime Safety Committee
of the amendments to the Guidelines, resolution A.872(20) should be
deemed as revoked;
4 REQUESTS the Facilitation Committee and the
Maritime Safety Committee to report on action taken in accordance
with this resolution to the twenty-fifth regular session of the Assembly;
5 INVITES Member Governments and intergovernmental
organizations and non-governmental organizations in consultative status
to participate actively in the revision of the Guidelines.