In several columns, I have emphasized the need to seek an international consensus on the drugs that have flooded the world and whose consequences have significantly worsened security in Ecuador and other countries.

If there is one issue that all Ecuadorians agree on, it is the need to confront the roots of the problem that is bleeding our society and preventing us from taking to the streets without putting our lives at risk. Fear prevails on every corner and in every neighborhood of Ecuador, its inhabitants panic when motorcycles and cars with attackers and killers appear. The solution is not in the hands of our brave police and army, but rather in the capitals of producing and consuming countries. Ecuador is neither of those two.

It is imperative that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ecuador leads a foreign policy initiative to confront this problem in all its magnitude. It’s not simple. International strategies must be designed to promote a global debate on the drug issue, which achieves consensus reflected in binding agreements and achieves concrete solutions.

It is not acceptable that while murders are taking place in our cities and fields, with almost total impunity, there is no awareness that this violence is the result of the expansion of coca cultivation in Colombia and Peru to meet the demand of millions of consumers in other countries, which they also teach us and teach us what should we do.

Colombia just broke the historic crop record by reaching 230,000 hectares in 2022, almost 13 percent more than in 2021. It is not only about the arable area, but also about the production record, which is close to 1800 tons. All these figures are estimates from the United Nations Integrated Illicit Crops Monitoring System.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs must act, regardless of the government ending or starting, with state initiatives, showing professional diplomatic leadership that builds consensus that goes beyond high-sounding statements without results, but allows creative, multi-system actions and that compromise of all state and multilateral actors to reach an agreement global scope.

This complex problem needs to be analyzed from all its perspectives, since it involves not only several countries, but also millions of consumers and hundreds of thousands of suppliers. It is imperative that the Ecuadorian Foreign Service leads the search for solutions, analyzing this global problem with all entities in the country and national and international society. Once the roadmap is understood and mapped out, it must require consultation with all states involved in binding negotiations that will be the only possible solution to the drug problem.

We can no longer think that the same solutions applied for decades will bring social peace and an end to violence. They have failed and will continue to fail. We need leadership and new initiatives. (OR)