Bolivia rejoins UN's single convention on narcotic drugs.
| Autor | Gaudin, Andres |
| Cargo | United Nations |
In an unprecedented recognition of the ancient culture of native peoples of the Americas, on Jan. 11, the UN accepted a demand from Bolivia, which had been working hard since mid-2011 for recognition of Bolivians' right to chew coca leaf (aculliar), a common practice among Andean communities. After the UN body refused to modify Article 49 of the 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs--which criminalizes coca-leaf chewing and classifies the plant as a narcotic--Bolivia withdrew from the agreement (NotiSur, March 14, 2008). After Bolivia modified its original demand, 169 of the 184 countries that signed the Single Convention agreed that, in Bolivia, chewing coca leaf is a cultural custom.
After withdrawing from the Single Convention, Bolivia tried to have several subparagraphs of Article 49 eliminated. When that proved to be a strategic error, it revised its position, ratified its membership in the convention, and asked for readmission but without agreeing to the ban on chewing coca leaf, which is also traditional in Peru, Colombia, and other Andean countries. The US, Great Britain, Germany, France, Italy, Holland, Russia, Canada, Ireland, Switzerland, Finland, Portugal, Israel, Japan, and Mexico opposed granting Bolivia the exception but could not block its readmission.
For the first time since Evo Morales became president in January 2006, the moderate opposition praised the administration's diplomacy in this specific case. However, indigenous groups allied with the extreme right--which in 2011 had organized public demonstrations and marches in support of coca-leaf chewing--did not join the rest of Bolivians in celebrating the global recognition of their own culture. Nor did the extreme right celebrate the country's success.
Former foreign minister Javier Murillo, a critic of the Morales administration, was the first to react and congratulate indigenous Foreign Minister David Choquehuanca. "This victory is the result of an important and successful diplomatic effort, in that coca-leaf chewing is a basic component of our national identity," said Murillo.
Defensor del Pueblo Rolando Villena Villagra, also a member of the opposition, lauded the reentry to the Single Convention with the exception of the ban on coca-leaf chewing and considered it "an enormous step toward revaluing the sacred coca leaf and the rights of indigenous nations. It is an achievement for the government, it is an important result for strengthening our sovereignty...
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