UNODC Burma/Myanmar

expand all
collapse all

Individual Documents

Title: UNODC report: East and Southeast Asian synthetic drug supply remains at extreme levels and diversifies
Description: "A new report from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) warns that the synthetic drug market in East and Southeast Asia is diversifying. High volumes of methamphetamine continue to be produced and trafficked in and from the region while the production of ketamine and other synthetic drugs has expanded. Released today, the report, “Synthetic Drugs in East and Southeast Asia: latest developments and challenges 2023”, confirms an expansion and diversification of synthetic drug production and trafficking in East and Southeast Asia, while trafficking routes have shifted significantly. “Transnational organized crime groups anticipate, adapt and try to circumvent what governments do, and in 2022 we saw them work around Thai borders in the Golden Triangle more than in the past,” remarked Jeremy Douglas, UNODC Regional Representative for Southeast Asia and the Pacific. “Traffickers have continued to ship large volumes through Laos and northern Thailand, but at the same time they have pushed significant supply through central Myanmar to the Andaman Sea where it seems few were looking.” Douglas added, “Criminal groups from across the region also started moving and reconnecting after lengthy pandemic border closures, with late 2022 and early 2023 patterns starting to look similar to 2019.” Methamphetamine trafficking routes in East and Southeast Asia, South Asia, and Oceania Methamphetamine trafficking routes in East and Southeast Asia, South Asia, and Oceania Methamphetamine seizures in 2022 returned to pre-COVID-19 levels in East and SE Asia with nearly 151 tons seized in-part because land borders, particularly in the lower Mekong subregion, remain very vulnerable to the trafficking of related chemicals. At the same time, intensified law enforcement efforts in Yunnan China and along the Thai border with Myanmar resulted in a large drop in methamphetamine seizure levels in China and a slight decrease in Thailand, leading to an increase in use of maritime routes for large shipments. South Asia has also been further integrated into the Southeast Asian market, with methamphetamine trafficked in high volumes from Myanmar into Bangladesh and rising frequency into northeast India. Notably, wholesale and street prices of methamphetamine remained at, or fell to, record lows in 2022 across the region, indicating supply was uninterrupted. Beyond methamphetamine, the region seized a record 27.4 tons of ketamine in 2022, an increase of 167 per cent, with all countries and territories in the region reporting an increase except Hong Kong, China. Notably, large mixed shipments of methamphetamine and ketamine were seized by authorities across the region, indicating organized crime continue to push the two drugs as a package to grow ketamine demand. “The ketamine situation in the region in many ways mirrors the supply-driven approach used to expand the methamphetamine market in the mid-2010s” commented Inshik Sim, UNODC Regional Coordinator on Synthetic Drugs. “That being said, information on ketamine use is limited, and it is unclear how widespread it is – research is badly needed.” At the same time, synthetic drugs containing a mixture of substances and sometimes packaged alongside legal products continue to be found throughout East and Southeast Asia, with serious health consequences for those who knowingly, or unknowingly, consume the products. UNODC is working closely with countries in East and Southeast Asia to monitor the drug situation, identify drug trends, and provide advice on cooperation, detection, precursor chemical control and public health strategies, as well as help countries collaborate on joint and cross-border operations..."
Source/publisher: United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime
Date of publication: 2023-06-02
Date of entry/update: 2023-06-02
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language:
Format : pdf
Size: 12.53 MB (Original version) - 130 pages
more
Title: Myanmar Opium Survey 2022: Cultivation, Production and Implications
Description: "Key Takeaways: 2022 survey results point towards increased sophistication of farming practices and concentration of opium poppy cultivation Typically, most of the opium poppy cultivation detected in Myanmar in the past was small, poorly organized plots with relatively low cultivation density when compared to most other licit cash crops. Fields were often found outside of main agricultural areas, away from villages and roads. However, the evidence collected in 2022 points towards increasing sophistication in poppy cultivation practices. Newly sampled areas reveal greater opium poppy cultivation in high-density poppy cultivation hotspots. A general increase in poppy cultivation in some regions of the country is also evident with opium poppy fields becoming larger. In Shan State, field size increased by more than 30% compared to 2021 (from about 0.3 to 0.4 hectares on average). Additionally, field research observed very well organized and high yielding opium poppy plots that had not been identified before. This was most evident in East Shan where substantial and significant increases in both opium poppy capsule number and volume were observed (the average number of observed capsules per plot increased by 44% and their average volume more than doubled). This translated into higher overall yields. National yield estimates indicated an average of 19.8 kg of opium per hectare of poppy; levels that, while far below potential productivity in opium gum, are at the highest-ever estimated in Myanmar since UNODC started measuring. In the first full season opium survey after the military takeover, poppy cultivation is estimated to have increased by 33% compared to the previous season In 2022, the area under opium poppy cultivation in Myanmar was estimated at 40,100 (29,000 to 62,900) hectares. This estimate is 33% greater, or about 10,000 more hectares than in 2021, reversing the downward trend that started in 2014. The increase was recorded against the backdrop of significant social, economic, security and governance disruptions in the course of 2021. The increased estimate was likely due to two main factors: 1) increased size of fields; and 2) the detection of opium poppy hotspots. Together this translated into a higher overall area estimates under opium poppy cultivation. Furthermore eradication efforts appeared to have decreased substantially: 1,403 hectares were reported as eradicated in 2022, 70% less than in 2021..."
Source/publisher: UN Office on Drugs and Crime (Vienna) via Reliefweb (New York)
Date of publication: 2023-01-26
Date of entry/update: 2023-01-26
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language:
Format : pdf
Size: 5.86 MB (Original version) - 60 pages
more
Title: UN Contributing to Myanmar’s Drug Problem
Description: "A recent string of drug busts in Southeast Asia — 55 million methamphetamine pills and 1.5 tonnes of crystal meth in Laos in October, and this year at least a billion pills, 6 tonnes of heroin and 4.4 tonnes of crystal meth — have led some international agencies to conclude that the production of illicit narcotics in the region is booming. The reason, Jeremy Douglas from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in Bangkok told Reuters as far back as Oct. 28, is “the breakdown” of “security and governance” in Myanmar’s Shan State following the coup a year ago. Then, on Dec. 12, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation quoted Douglas as saying that “right now, the [Myanmar] police are fighting an insurgency or dealing with ethnic unrest, so they have other issues on their mind, and there is free space for others [drug smugglers] to do their business.” More recently, on Feb. 1, Douglas told Reuters: “Meth production increased last year from already extreme levels in northern Myanmar and there is no sign it will slow down.” Critics, however, see the problem in a completely different light. Apart from being disconcerted by Douglas’ offensive choice of words — “other issues on their mind” can only be interpreted as a reference to the police gunning down peaceful demonstrators — they are pointing out that there can be many reasons for the increase in drug busts, and that it does not necessarily mean that production is skyrocketing. The Transnational Institute (TNI), a Netherlands-based research and advocacy organization, stated in a report published in December: “Sweeping assertions that Myanmar has become one of the world’s largest ATS [Amphetamine-Type Stimulants] producers — if not the largest — and reports about sudden huge increases in production should…be treated with great caution. It is important to note that increases in seizures could be because of other reasons, and these do not automatically mean that there is an increased equivalent in production.” An obvious reason in today’s context would be that the COVID-19 pandemic has prompted border security forces in, for instance, Thailand and Laos, to step up surveillance of all movements across their respective borders. Another could be that new couriers have been recruited, and they are taking risks that more experienced smugglers would not. Or there is no particular reason. The number of seizures and the amounts of drugs confiscated always fluctuate regardless of the level of production. The TNI also points out that the production of ATS, among them methamphetamine, or ya ba (“madness medicine”), is entirely dependent on the availability of chemicals that have been diverted from legal markets, and does not require the cultivation of specific crops like the opium poppy (from which heroin can be made), which can be monitored via satellite imagery and field surveys. The ease with which ATS production can be concealed, therefore, makes production estimates extremely unreliable. A source familiar with the Golden Triangle drug trade stated quite bluntly in an interview with The Irrawaddy: “All those claims about large increases are based only on information gathered from police reports about seizures, and not on any real on-the-ground research.” The claim that Myanmar’s police resources have been diverted from drug suppression to performing “other issues” is equally problematic. In fact, there have been no credible reports of police units being sent away from the Golden Triangle to contain unrest in other parts of the country. Reflecting the same point of view as Douglas, Richard Horsey, Myanmar adviser to the International Crisis Group, told the Financial Times in an article published on Aug. 22: “What the [Feb. 1] coup has done is completely distract the police from anti-drug activities” and “created a perfect storm for these criminal organizations, who thrive in the gaps where justice authorities can’t easily get.” That, in turn, would mean that the same “justice authorities” that are now meting out stiff sentences, including the death penalty, to pro-democracy activists would otherwise be going after drug traffickers. The critics point out that similar misrepresentations of developments in the region’s drug production were made after the massive 1988 pro-democracy uprising. When Myanmar’s production of opium and its derivative heroin reached record levels in the late 1980s and early 1990s, Daniel O’Donahue, a former US ambassador to Thailand and Myanmar, said in an interview published in the July 14, 1989 issue of the Bangkok Post that “many Burma [Myanmar] Army troops, previously dedicated to anti-narcotics operations, were withdrawn from the field and redeployed to enforce martial law.” In reality, the forces that were used to quell the demonstrations in 1988 and then to hunt down pro-democracy activists in hiding came mainly from the 22nd and 44th Light Infantry Divisions from Karen State, where no poppies were grown. The problem with the UNODC, critics say, is that the organization has no choice but to cooperate with often corrupt authorities in countries where it operates and, therefore, has a long history of turning a blind eye to official complicity in the drug trade. In 2019, the UNODC released a report claiming that “the highest density of poppy cultivation took place [the year before] in areas under the control of…the Kachin Independence Army (KIA),” referring to an ethnic armed organization active in Kachin State. The KIA’s political wing, the Kachin Independence Organization, was the first to respond to the report, pointing out in a statement in March 2019 that even the UNODC’s own map in the report showed the state’s poppy cultivation was not in rebel-held areas, but rather where government-recognized militias and Border Guard Forces allied with the Myanmar military hold sway. On March 5, 2019, the TNI issued a statement saying “passing the blame for the drugs problems in Myanmar – in this case opium cultivation – has long been practised by different local and international actors. Such accusations serve as a distraction, ignore realties in the field, and allow high levels of corruption and a multi-million dollar drug trade to flourish in the region.” The UNODC actually has a long history of covering up official complicity in the drug trade and blaming it on Myanmar’s ethnic armed organizations. While referring to information provided by the UNODC, Reuters stated in its Feb. 1 report that drug production in the Golden Triangle is “run by Asian crime gangs in partnership with armed factions from some of Myanmar’s ethnic minorities” — and then not a word about the real culprits, the Myanmar military’s local, armed allies which are responsible for most of the Golden Triangle drug trade. Other misinterpretations of the Golden Triangle drug trade came in 2019, when the UNODC and some Western anti-narcotics officials claimed that the region had a new “kingpin”. His name was Tse Chi Lop, a Chinese-born Canadian citizen also known as Sam Gor, or Brother No. 3 in Cantonese, who was reputedly the leader of a gang that then controlled most of the region’s illegal and wide-reaching methamphetamine trade. In October 2019, Reuters published an in-depth investigation exposing Tse’s new “Asian meth syndicate”, which according to the report controls the bulk of the region’s rampant trade in the narcotic. The Reuters report referred to him as “Asia’s most-wanted man” who runs a “vast multinational drug trafficking syndicate” in alliance with “five of Asia’s triad groups.” The UNODC, the report said, estimated Tse’s syndicate’s 2018 revenues at US$8-17.7 billion, with Asian sales reaching from Japan to New Zealand. In the report, Douglas was quoted as saying: “Tse Chi Lop is in the league of El Chapo or maybe Pablo Escobar. The word kingpin often gets thrown around, but there is no doubt it applies here.” Other, more knowledgeable seasoned observers took issue with the Hollywood-like portrayal of Asia’s drug trade, which they argued is instead run by loosely and informally organized networks and not by an overarching, all-powerful “kingpin.” Ko-lin Chin and Sheldon X. Zhang, two of America’s most accomplished criminologists, have shown in seminal books like “The Chinese Heroin Trade” and “The Golden Triangle: Inside Southeast Asia’s Drug Trade” as well as numerous papers and articles that “Chinese [drug and crime] networks are horizontally structured, fluid, and opportunistic.” They have also argued that, in private conversations, “even US drug enforcement officials in the field have acknowledged that there are no drug kingpins, or at least they have not seen any in China or Southeast Asia.” Furthermore, Chin and Zhang state categorically in their books and research papers that they have never uncovered any evidence of significant triad involvement in the drug trade. Some triad members may deal in drugs but their main illicit income derives chiefly from enterprises such as construction, extortion, gambling, prostitution and fraud. Indeed, the use of the term “kingpin” is and has always been misleading when referring to narcotics suppression in the Golden Triangle and the term is often manufactured as a distractionary focal point while other actors — including supposedly legitimate businessmen and even state officials — wheel and deal narcotics under the radar. But naming and shaming such people could have diplomatic as well as legal consequences. Then, on Jan. 21 last year, Tse Chi Lop was arrested by Dutch police in Schiphol Airport when he — rather astonishingly if he was such a notorious criminal — was changing planes on his way to Canada from Taiwan. And during the year that has elapsed since the arrest of “Asia’s El Chapo”, drug production in the Golden Triangle has, apparently, increased rather than suffered any major blows. Recent UNODC claims about massive increases in narcotics production in Myanmar along with fanciful stories about kingpins may be questionable to say the least. But it is even more disturbing that the UNODC recently advertised on its website that it is looking for a new “drug control and crime prevention officer” to be based in Yangon. According to the announcement, the officer will “liaise with Government’s institutions (in line with the common UN position), civil society, regional and international aid agencies and financial institutions, and the media.” It is not specified which “Government” that might be, but because the office is located in Yangon, the reference is surely to the military regime’s current State Administration Council-appointed cabinet. That is also in line with inviting the junta’s deputy minister of home affairs, Lieutenant General Than Hlaing, to attend the 64th meeting of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) in Vienna in April last year. The CND is the UNODC’s governing body and the event was highly publicized in Myanmar’s now military-run media — but, predictably, drew criticism from civil society organizations. As a member of a ministry that controls both the police and the special branch, Lt-Gen Than Hlaing has since the coup played a central role in violent crackdowns on pro-democracy protests. The CND also overlooked the fact that he was, and still is, therefore officially blacklisted by both the European Union and the United States. Despite such blunders, there is no denying that drug abuse is a major social problem in the region. According to official statistics from the various Southeast Asian countries, in 2019 there were no less than 9.86 million users of ATS-type drugs, while 3.67 million people used ecstasy, and 3.29 million users were addicted to opium or heroin. That means tens of millions of dollars in income to the traffickers and substantial amounts of money to corrupt police officers and other officials while many users have had to resort to crime to finance their habits. The sad reality, though, is that the UNODC has become part of the problem rather than the solution..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: "The Irrawaddy" (Thailand)
Date of publication: 2022-02-07
Date of entry/update: 2022-02-07
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language:
more
Title: Myanmar general's speech at UN drug policy conference draws outrage
Topic: UNODC, Narcotic Drugs, Lt-Gen Than Hlaing, Central Committee for Drug Abuse Control
Sub-title: The inclusion of Lt-Gen Than Hlaing in the conference rejects the advice of the UN Secretary-General's own adviser not to legitimise or recognise the military coup regime
Topic: UNODC, Narcotic Drugs, Lt-Gen Than Hlaing, Central Committee for Drug Abuse Control
Description: "The staging of the 64th Session of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) from April 12-16 was the latest annual meeting for the Vienna, Austria-based United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), for which the CND serves as the governing body and provides policy guidance. It would probably have passed out without much notice, except that it served as a coming out of sorts for Myanmar's military junta. The conference appears to signify the first time that a senior figure in Myanmar’s regime—in this case, Lt-Gen Than Hlaing—has participated in a UN forum since the February 1 coup. As Myanmar's newly installed deputy minister for home affairs, a department that controls both the police and the Special Branch, Lt-Gen Than Hlaing has played a central role in the ongoing violent crackdown that has seen nearly 3,600 people arrested and more than 766 killed in the country’s blood-stained streets. In his remarks at the event, Lt-Gen Than Hlaing made no reference to the bloodshed carried out by the police under his command, preferring instead to focus on other things. “Myanmar has made various efforts to eradicate drugs as a national duty. Special anti-drug operations are being carried out annually,” he said in a speech that was delivered remotely. The fact that this year’s conference for the UNODC’s governing body was conducted online due to the Covid-19 pandemic spared the Austrian government the embarrassment of having to host a senior junta member officially blacklisted by both the European Union (EU) and the US for his role in the ongoing crackdown on anti-dictatorship protests. “[P]olice forces acting under the authority of Lieutenant General Than Hlaing have committed serious human rights violations since 1 February 2021, killing civilian and unarmed protesters, restricting freedom of assembly and of expression, arbitrary arrests and detention of opposition leaders and opponents of the coup,” the EU's sanctions announcement reads. It goes on to describe Lt-Gen Than Hlaing as “directly responsible for decision making concerning repressive policies and violent actions committed by police against peaceful demonstrators and is therefore responsible for serious human rights violations in Myanmar/Burma.”.....Dissonance within the UN interagency response: Despite what the EU, the British, Canadian and US governments—who have all sanctioned the senior junta figure—may think of Lt-Gen Than Hlaing, his participation at the CND was a victory for Myanmar military chief and coup leader Min Aung Hlaing in his ongoing effort to expel Ambassador Kyaw Moe Tun from his seat in New York as Myanmar's Permanent Representative to the UN. Kyaw Moe Tun has come out against the coup, much to the irritation of the junta, and refused to vacate his seat where he has continued to call on the UN and foreign governments to “consider the desire of the people.” Ambassador Kyaw Moe Tun has maintained that he continues to represent Myanmar's civilian government and that “the coup must fail,” triggering a diplomatic showdown that appears destined to be played out before the UN Credentials Committee, a nine-member body currently headed by Tanzania. Myanmar dissidents are concerned that by giving a platform to Lt-Gen Than Hlaing, the UN is signaling that it has already decided to recognise the new junta and disregard Ambassador Kyaw Moe Tun. Lt-Gen Than Hlaing's participation at the CND conference, which was highly publicised in Myanmar military-run media, has also been perceived by some as signifying a change in the stance of UN Secretary-General António Guterres. Although the Secretary-General had previously claimed he was “appalled” by the junta’s crackdown on the Myanmar public, he took part in the CND alongside Lt-Gen Than Hlaing. An April 29 statement released by the advocacy group Progressive Voice noted that 410 Myanmar civil society organisations and prominent activists denounced Lt-Gen Than Hlaing's inclusion at the CND. “The UN has not only failed to act as the brutal military junta commits crimes against humanity, it is now acting to legitimize and offer a platform to those who are murdering innocent people by the hundreds, including children,” read the statement. “It is disheartening to see such lack of respect for human rights displayed by the very institution that is mandated to protect and encourage respect for human rights. It is all the more shocking to see a UN institution with a mandate to prevent crime, corruption and terrorism feting an international criminal.” As the UNODC’s governing body, the CND reports to and is one of the functional commissions of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). The ECOSOC is itself under the UN General Assembly, where Kyaw Moe Tun continues to sit. It remains to be seen how the struggle between Kyaw Moe Tun and the Myanmar junta will play out across other UN agencies and departments. When reached for comment for this article, Jeremy Douglas, the UNODC's regional representative for Southeast Asia and the Pacific, explained that the UNODC was not responsible for the inclusion of Lt-Gen Than Hlaing at the CND. “Invitations to the 2021 CND were sent to all UN MSs [Member States] sometime in 2020 by UN HQ [headquarters] as they are for all other UN commissions,” Douglas wrote in an email. According to Douglas, Lt-Gen Than Hlaing and other Myanmar participants’ names were submitted by Myanmar’s ambassador to Vienna, Min Thein, who, in addition to being accredited to Austria, serves as Myanmar's representative to the UN offices based there. While invitations to states may have been sent last year, online registration for individuals representing those states at the conference appears to have taken place from late March until early April—well after Myanmar’s coup, and Lt-Gen Than Hlaing’s February 2 appointment to his position. “The composition of Myanmar’s delegation was known to the UN in New York HQ before the CND as they received confirmation of the nominations, as was the UN Resident Coordinator and UN system in Myanmar,” Douglas said. He noted that “the participation of the delegation does not in any way indicate a change in the position of the Secretary General or the UN in Myanmar, the region or globally, including UNODC, OHCHR etc.,” Douglas added. In his correspondence, Douglas did not elaborate on what this position entailed. Apart from ignoring the advice of Ambassador Kyaw Moe Tun, who has maintained that the military coup council is illegitimate, Lt-Gen Than Hlaing’s inclusion at the CND also defies the recommendations of the UN Secretary-General's own Special Envoy for Myanmar, Christine Schraner Burgener. She has called on the international community to “not lend legitimacy or recognition to this regime.” Schraner Burgener's comments were echoed by Progressive Voice, who have demanded that the UNODC and CND to “immediately end all ties with the illegitimate military junta and recognize and work with the National Unity Government, the legitimate governing body representing the people of Myanmar.”......No acknowledgment of the coup: Public comments by UNODC staff since Myanmar’s coup have largely overlooked the violence perpetrated against the public by the police and military forces. They have instead focused on what the UNODC believes are the ramifications of the situation in Myanmar for the global drug trade. The UNODC's Douglas explained to Channel News Asia, a Singaporean broadcaster, in a February 26 interview that the UN drug agency was concerned that what he referred to as the “redeployment” of security personnel could sideline anti-drug interdiction efforts. “What we do sense is that law enforcement redeployment, which is occurring within the country because of the emergency decree, may position the police to new places, meaning that they're not able to do what they would normally do. Search for drugs, follow-up investigations, so it could be a huge distraction which traffickers can take advantage of. So we're expecting that type of behaviour, opportunistic behaviour, to take place, which is very normal for organised crime,” he said. In another interview with AFP on March 26, Douglas predicted an increase in synthetic drug production due to the economic slowdown brought about by the coup. “The best way to make big money fast is the drug trade, and the pieces are in place to scale up," Douglas explained. Similarly, a UNODC press release issued on February 11 about Myanmar also made no mention of the military’s seizure of power. It was an omission that the agency's many Myanmar critics have attributed to UNODC's partnership with the very police reinforcing the coup. These critics have also suggested that the agency’s consistently dire predictions about surges in drug production and distribution are indicative of the UNODC's own struggle for relevance and renewed funding in a region where the agency’s police partners have been accused of rights abuses, incompetence and collaboration with the very drug traffickers they are supposed to be fighting against. According to an independent evaluation of the UNODC’s Myanmar Country Programme published in May 2020, the agency’s budget during a multi-year project period beginning in 2014 was listed US$42 million. It had reportedly managed to raise just over half of this amount. The evaluation also noted that at the time the Myanmar program was designed, it was “not developed within the framework of conflict-sensitive and ‘do no harm’ programming,” pointing out that this was “not common practice for UNODC programming.” This was a requirement only added by the UN in 2018 to meet the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.....Pro-military bias and major reporting errors: In early 2020, the office of military chief Min Aung Hlaing announced that during raids in northern Myanmar, security forces had seized over 143 million methamphetamine tablets, 441 kg of crystalline methamphetamine and vast amounts of chemicals and laboratory equipment used in drug production. The UNODC heralded the raids and described the operations as the largest ever methamphetamine manufacturing bust in the Golden Triangle. “What has been unearthed through this operation is truly off the charts,” the UNODC's Douglas said at the time of the bust, which took place in northern Shan State's Kutkai Township. Despite the headlines, it has been unclear how many people have been charged with crimes in connection with the raids, or whether the figures provided by Myanmar officials concerning the seizure were accurate. Unsurprisingly, in his remarks at the April conference in Vienna, Lt-Gen Than Hlaing did not provide updates on any outcomes related to the supposedly giant drug haul in Kutkai. He instead focused on the results of the latest annual joint opium survey conducted by the UNODC and Myanmar’s Central Committee for Drug Abuse Control. The committee is a government entity that, until the coup, was headed by Myanmar’s previous police chief, Pol Lt-Gen Aung Win Oo. The UNODC’s annual reports concerning Myanmar have come under criticism for demonstrating a pro-military bias that ignored realities on the ground and appeared to reinforce the military's agenda. For example, the UNODC claimed in its 2018 Myanmar Opium Survey that, “in Kachin State, the highest density of poppy cultivation took place in areas under the control or influence of the Kachin Independence Army (KIA).” This conclusion contradicted the actual data collected in the surveys, including the maps printed in the report which showed that Kachin State's opium fields were in territory controlled not by the KIA but by the Border Guard Force—units officially under the control of the Myanmar military. As the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO) pointed out in a strongly worded letter to the UNODC's Douglas rebutting the report, “It can be clearly seen that the very high opium density area in Sadung lies in the government-controlled BGF area, and not in the KIA area.” “Frankly, siding with the Myanmar government to cast unsubstantiated aspersions against the KIA will only hinder, not support, peace-seeking efforts,” the KIO warned the UN drug agency. The area that the KIO was referring to has long been the fiefdom of the Myanmar military-allied militia leader Zahkung Ting Ying, who originally split with the group in 1968. The veteran warlord was described by a US counter-narcotics official in 1997 Senate testimony as “someone associated with drug trafficking.” It is a view shared by members of the Kachin State-based anti-drug movement Pat Jasan who have protested in front of the former parliamentarian’s home and dispatched vigilantes to destroy poppies in BGF territory. As the Transnational Institute (TNI), an Amsterdam-based think tank that has criticised the KIO for being too heavy handed in its drug control efforts, noted, “Our local sources […] confirm the KIO claim that there is presently no substantial opium cultivation in KIO-controlled areas.” TNI went on to say that “it is unclear how the UNODC arrives at its completely opposite claims about Kachin State, but it seems to be based on wrong assumptions about who ‘controls’ which areas.” Thanks to Lt-Gen Than Hlaing's central role in the junta’s war on Myanmar's civil society, the next time the UNODC makes such errors in its reports there may be no one on the ground in Myanmar to point them out..."
Source/publisher: "Myanmar Now" (Myanmar)
Date of publication: 2021-05-04
Date of entry/update: 2021-05-04
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language:
more
Title: Myanmar civil society organizations condemn UNODC’s decision to invite brutal military representative, Lt-Gen Than Hlaing, to its 64th session of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs
Description: "410 Myanmar civil society organizations and four individuals condemn the UN Office of Drugs and Crime’s (UNODC) decision to allow Lieutenant-General Than Hlaing, who is sanctioned by Canada, US, UK and the EU, to represent Myanmar via video, at its 64th session of the Commission on Narcotics Drugs in April this year. The CSOs call for UNODC to immediately end all ties with the illegitimate military junta and recognize the National Unity Government as the legitimate governing body representing the people of Myanmar. Allowing the military to represent Myanmar at the UN conference held in Vienna, betrays the will of the people of Myanmar who continue to oppose the illegitimate and brutal military junta and further damages the confidence the people have in the UN to carry out its mandate enshrined in the UN Charter to promote and encourage “respect for human rights and for fundamental freedoms”. The 64th meeting of the Narcotics Drugs Commission was held in Vienna, Austria, from 12 to 16 April, and was organized by the UNODC. The annual conference to review and analyze the global drug situation, which hosted UN Member States from around the world, opened with a speech by the UN SecretaryGeneral, António Guterres. The UN has not only failed to act as the brutal military junta commits crimes against humanity, it is now acting to legitimize and offer a platform to those who are murdering innocent people by the hundreds, including children. It is disheartening to see such lack of respect for human rights displayed by the very institution that is mandated to protect and encourage respect for human rights. It is all the more shocking to see a UN institution with a mandate to prevent crime, corruption and terrorism feting an international criminal. Worse yet, Vienna, Austria - where the conference was held - is part of the EU which sanctioned Lieutenant-General Than Hlaing as part of its restrictive measures (asset freeze and travel ban) on 22 March, 2021. He would have been prevented from entering Vienna had he not been allowed to join by video conference. This is a grave circumvention of the EU sanctions, weakening their very purpose. On 2 February, the day after the coup, Lieutenant-General Than Hlaing was appointed Chief of the Myanmar Police Force and Deputy Home Affairs Minister by the illegitimate military junta. In his position as the Chief of the Myanmar Police Force, he commanded the commission of extreme brutality and acts of violence against peaceful protesters, members of the Civil Disobedience Movement, and other innocent individuals who have been killed, detained and tortured. 756 have been killed as of 28 April 2021 including at least 51 children. 3,449 people have been detained. 1,237 arrest warrants have been issued. Yet the people of Myanmar have opposed the military junta as it continues its brutal attempt at an already failing coup. As well as the EU, the US, UK and Canada have also imposed sanctions against Than Hlaing, who the UNODC shamefully decided to allow the illegal military junta a platform to speak to the world as the representative of Myanmar at its conference. This is not the first time that the UNODC has been criticized for legitimizing the Myanmar military’s narrative. UNODC has a long and troubled history of turning a blind eye to the complicity of the Myanmar military and other state backed groups in Myanmar’s profitable drug trade. In particular, UNODC’s annual opium survey which is published jointly with the Myanmar government, has come under heavy criticism for distorting the realities on the ground in favor of the Myanmar military and government. UNODC’s Myanmar Opium Survey 2013 indicated that opium production levels in Kachin State were down by 10%, however the survey failed to include Chipwe, which was controlled by the Border Guard Force, under the command of the Myanmar military. In its Myanmar Opium Survey 2018, UNODC once again provided contentious and incorrect information in its reporting, stating that highest density of poppy cultivation had taken placed under areas controlled by the ethnic armed organizations. Such statements, which were refuted by both civil society organizations and ethnic armed organizations, lent legitimacy to the Myanmar military and government’s facade that they were enforcers of drug eradication rather than address the rampant corruption and their culpability in one of the most profitable trades in Myanmar. UNODC has long failed to heed the calls from civil society organizations to accurately reflect the situation on the ground. Its invitation of a sanctioned military official who is responsible for the violence inflicted against the people of Myanmar to its annual conference is a part of a pattern indicating a systemic failure by the United Nations to ensure that all bodies of the UN reflect the human rights values enshrined in its Charter. Therefore, we call on: • The UNODC to immediately end all ties with the illegitimate military junta and recognize and work with the National Unity Government, the legitimate governing body representing the people of Myanmar; • The UN Secretary-General, the UN OHCHR and other bodies of the UN to ensure that UNODC act in compliance with the human rights principles enshrined in the UN Charter - the UN must ensure a coordinated approach that embodies the “do no harm” and conflict sensitivity principles; • The UN bodies to stop recognizing and hosting the Myanmar military junta at events and meetings and instead invite representatives of the legitimate government, the National Unity Government, as the official representative of Myanmar..."
Source/publisher: 410 Myanmar civil society organizations and four individuals via Progressive Voice (Thailand)
Date of publication: 2021-04-29
Date of entry/update: 2021-04-29
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language:
Format : pdf pdf
Size: 205.85 KB 215.76 KB
more
Title: Responding to COVID-19, UNODC equips frontline border officers across Myanmar with personal protective equipment
Description: "UNODC and the Myanmar Police Force (MPF) took an important step towards improving border security and mitigating the impacts of COVID-19 today, as UNODC handed over significant quantities of personal protective equipment (PPE) for use at border liaison offices (BLOs) across Myanmar. UNODC provided the MPF with 20,000 surgical masks, 200 pairs of goggles, 8,000 pairs of disposable gloves, 160 protective suits and 60 contactless temperature scanners, which will now be used by frontline border officers at 13 land border crossings. The equipment was supplied by China’s Ministry of Public Security, who donated the PPE to UNODC for distribution across the BLO network. “To ensure Myanmar’s border checkpoints are secure, frontline officers need to know they can carry out their job without unnecessary risk of contracting COVID-19,” said UNODC Officer in Charge for Myanmar, Marie Pegie-Cauchois. “Which is why UNODC has prioritized getting PPE and personal safety guides to those working in BLOs. It’s an essential step in preventing organized crime from taking advantage of the situation more than they already have. Human trafficking, migrant smuggling, wildlife and timber trafficking, and, particularly urgent given the situation in Myanmar, illicit drug flows, are at risk of increasing if border checkpoints are not operating as effectively as possible. We believe today’s handover of PPE is a significant step forward in mitigating these risks as we move forward.” he handover takes place at a crucial point, as discussions of reopening borders and increasing trade between Myanmar and its neighbours are ongoing. As borders reopen, increased trade flows are expected, particularly in the initial days following border openings, emphasizing the importance of preparing BLOs and frontline officers now. Alongside the equipment being handed over are personal safety guides developed by UNODC providing detailed information on officer safety, effectively using PPE, as well as how standard operating procedures can be effectively adapted to allow licit goods to cross borders with minimal friction in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic..."
Source/publisher: UNODC (Austria)
Date of publication: 2020-06-11
Date of entry/update: 2020-06-11
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language:
Format : pdf
Size: 164.48 KB
more
Title: South-east Asia's biggest synthetic drugs raid: 200m meth tablets found in Myanmar
Sub-title: Thousands of litres of methyl fentanyl point to ‘unprecedented’ production of opioids in so-called Golden Triangle area
Description: "Myanmar has made south-east Asia’s largest-ever seizure of synthetic drugs in raids that revealed “unprecedented” production of opioids in the area, the UN has said. Between February and April, authorities swooped on labs in the lawless Kutkai area of Shan state, seizing nearly 200m meth tablets, 500kg (1,100lbs) of crystal meth, 300kg of heroin, and 3,750 litres of methyl fentanyl. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) described the haul as one of the largest and most successful counter-narcotics operations in the history of the region. “What has been unearthed through this operation is truly off the charts,” Jeremy Douglas, the UNODC south-east Asia and Pacific representative said in a statement. The production network could have been possible only with the backing of serious transnational criminal groups, he added. The raids unearthed “unprecedented” methyl fentanyl, the sign of a new trend of synthetic opioid production emerging “on a scale nobody anticipated”, said Douglas. Fifty times stronger than heroin and up to 100 times more potent than morphine, fentanyl can be lethal from as little as two milligrams – the equivalent of a few grains of sand. It has fuelled an opioid crisis in the US that killed 32,000 people in 2018. Myanmar is under pressure to stem the deluge of drugs from its border regions. Shan state is part of the “Golden Triangle” – a wedge of land cutting into Myanmar, Laos, China and Thailand and virtually untroubled by authorities despite the multi-billion dollar trade..."
Source/publisher: "Agence France-Presse" (Paris) via "South China Morning Post" (Hong Kong)
Date of publication: 2020-05-19
Date of entry/update: 2020-05-19
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language:
more
Title: Opium poppy cultivation and sustainable development in Shan State, Myanmar 2019
Description: "Poppy‐growing villages face serious challenges to meet Sustainable Development Goals: About one in nine households in Shan State were directly involved in opium poppy cultivation in 2018, a similar situation to 2016. This means opium poppy continues to be an integral part of the state’s economy. The result is one of the findings from UNODC’s expanded data‐gathering operation in Myanmar. For the first time, this report can draw on more than 1,500 households interviewed, as well as interviews with the headmen in 599 villages. The extra information has enabled a socio‐economic analysis of opium cultivation in the context of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The research reveals that villages where opium poppy is cultivated have lower levels of development than other villages. Disparities are most noticeable with regards to security, environment, job opportunities and infrastructure. And there is a broad link between levels of development and poppy cultivation – East Shan is the least developed area and has the highest levels of engagement in poppy cultivation. However, a closer look shows that there are important variations within the region that are key to understanding drug control and development challenges. Non‐state groups control many poppy villages, suggesting a link between governance and opium poppy cultivation: Poppy villages were in general more likely than non‐poppy villages to be under the control of militias and other non‐state groups, according to surveys of village headmen. Some 18 per cent of poppy‐growing villages were beyond government control, compared with 9 per cent of non‐poppy villages. This link was strongest in North Shan, where reported conflicts between government and anti‐government forces were most frequent. In North Shan, more than half of poppy villages were controlled by militias or other forces, compared with 12 per cent of non‐poppy villages. There was no significant difference in the level of perceived safety between poppy and non‐poppy villages – less than half of village headmen said their village was ‘safe’ or ‘very safe’ regardless of the presence of opium poppy..."
Source/publisher: UN Office on Drugs and Crime ( Vienna) via Reliefweb (USA)
Date of publication: 2019-11-19
Date of entry/update: 2019-11-20
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language:
Format : pdf
Size: 11.85 MB (106 pages)
more
Title: KIO releases a drug survey to counter UNODC report
Sub-title: Opium cultivation in Kachin and Shan states is double the amount reported by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), and it is all in Tatmadaw (military)-controlled areas, according to a report released by the Kachin Independence Organisatio
Description: "The KIO’s Drug Eradication Committee unveiled the report on the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking on Wednesday. In its report, the KIO said that it had conducted surveys in 19 townships in Kachin and northern Shan during the 2018-2019 opium growing season, and it had found 6918 hectares of opium fields in Kachin, double the 3400 hectares estimated by the UNODC in its 2018 Myanmar Opium Survey. The KIO said it found some opium fields in Puta-o and Sumprabum, areas of Kachin that were not surveyed by UNODC. The UNODC report only mentions the Danai and Kanpaiti areas as opium-growing regions in Kachin, it said. The report also said there were 3192.4 hectares of opium fields in five townships in northern Shan. As in Kachin, all opium growing is taking place in areas controlled by the military, their Border Guard Force and allied militia, the KIO said..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: "Myanmar Times" (Myanmar)
Date of publication: 2019-07-01
Date of entry/update: 2019-10-12
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language:
more
Title: Shan group slams UN opium report
Sub-title: The Restoration Council of Shan State (RCSS) has rejected the findings of the UN opium survey for 2018, saying it contains errors and is demanding a correction.
Description: "The armed ethnic group based in northern Shan issued the demand in an open letter on Monday to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). “[The report] is wrong and seriously misleading,” Lt. Col Sai Harn, head of the RCSS’s drug eradication programme, said in the letter, a copy of which was provided to The Myanmar Times. The RCSS objected to the agency’s map of armed groups that shows a large presence of the government-allied militia in southern Shan State, including in areas where there is a lot of opium poppy cultivation. The report made no mention of opium poppy cultivation in areas controlled by the Tatmadaw (military) and allied militias. It said the area of opium poppy cultivation in Myanmar had dropped 10 percent to 37,300 hectares in 2018, down from 41,000 hectares in 2017 and that Shan continues to be a major grower, accounting for almost 90pc of the total. The southern, eastern and northern portions of the state accounted for 38pc, 27pc and 23pc of total cultivation, respectively. The RCSS insisted that the map of armed groups in Myanmar on page seven of the report wrongly designated areas under the government-allied Pa-O National Organisation in southwest Shan as belonging to the Pa-O National Liberation Army (PNLA). These areas are shown on the map on page six as having a lot of opium poppy cultivation..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: "Myanmar Times" (Myanmar)
Date of publication: 2019-03-20
Date of entry/update: 2019-10-12
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language:
more
Title: Myanmar cracking down on opium, but conflicts push drug trade
Sub-title: UN report shows less land being used to grow opium poppies, but conflicts hampering eradication programme.
Description: "The amount of land being used to grow opium poppies continues to decline in Myanmar, but ongoing conflicts are hampering efforts to stamp out the trade at a time when the illicit drug economy is becoming increasingly diverse, according to a new United Nations report. Some 37,300 hectares of land in the country was under poppy cultivation last year, down from 41,000 in 2017, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) said in its Myanmar Opium Survey 2018 on Friday. Nearly 90 percent of all the opium was grown in the northeastern Shan state, where government forces continue to battle ethnic rebels. "The biggest drops in cultivation have been seen in areas that have had relatively good security," the UNODC said..."
Source/publisher: "Al Jazeera" (Qatar)
Date of publication: 2019-01-11
Date of entry/update: 2019-09-23
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language:
more
Title: 2011 Patterns and Trends of Amphetamine-Type Stimulants and Other Drugs, Asia and the Pacific
Description: "The East and South-East Asia region, which is home to about one-third of the global population, has one of the most established amphetamine-type stimulants (ATS) markets in the world, primarily for methamphetamine. Since the late 1990s, the illicit manufacture, trafficking and use of ATS have expanded significantly in the region. These trends continued in 2010. The present report highlights the most current patterns and trends of amphetamine-type stimulants and other drugs of use in East and South-East Asia and provides overviews for the neighbouring regions of South Asia and the Pacific. This is the latest in a series of reports prepared under the Global Synthetics Monitoring: Analyses, Reporting and Trends (SMART) Programme. The objective of the Global SMART Programme is to enhance the capacity of Member States and relevant authorities to generate, manage, analyse, report and use synthetic drug information, in order to design effective, scientifically-sound and evidencebased policies and programmes. The findings of the report are based on primary information submitted by the drug control agencies and designated institutions in Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Viet Nam, via the Drug Use Information Network for Asia and the Pacific (DAINAP) established through the Global SMART Programme. Information from DAINAP is supplemented with data from other Government sources such as national reports, the Annual Reports Questionnaire, and through primary and secondary research. Australia, Japan, New Zealand and Republic of Korea also provided data to the Global SMART Programme for this report. All 15 countries that contributed to this report reported significant levels of ATS use. In several of those countries, ATS drugs, particularly methamphetamine (in pill or crystalline form), have emerged as the primary drug threat in recent years, in some cases displacing traditionally used plant-based drugs such as heroin, opium or cannabis. It is estimated that between 3.5 and 20.9 million persons in East and South-East Asia have used amphetamines in the past year..."
Source/publisher: UNODC (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime)
Date of publication: 2011-00-00
Date of entry/update: 2019-07-08
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language:
Format : pdf
Size: 9.34 MB
more
Title: Regional Programme for East Asia and the Pacific 2009 - 2012
Sub-title: Report on Operations in 2011 and Future Prospects
Description: Four new Border Liaison Offices (BLOs) were established on the border between Cambodia and Viet Nam, with an expanded mandate to deal with all forms of crossborder trafficking and smuggling (not just drugs). Twelve other existing BLOs have been identified for mandate expansion, in the same two countries, beyond their current focus on drug control. Multi-agency national committees were established in Cambodia and Viet Nam to oversee the work of the new-style BLOs, demonstrating national commitment to improving cooperation between agencies dealing with different types of cross-border crime (including drugs, smuggling of people, natural resources and hazardous goods). Collection and sharing of regional data concerning production, smuggling, and use of Amphetamine Type Stimulants (ATS) and other drugs through the SMART programme continues to improve year after year. There is clear evidence to show that the data is being used in the region to help inform policy making. New Global e-Learning products (also known as Computer Based Training) were developed. New training modules for Smuggling of Migrants, Trafficking in Persons, Wildlife Crime and Human Rights are now in production. Access to information on migrant smuggling in the region (in support of the Bali Process) continues to improve with UNODC support. Research papers have been produced and steady progress is being made towards establishing a regional voluntary reporting system on migrant smuggling. In Indonesia, capacities of stakeholder institutions, NGOs and communities have been strengthened in Papua Province to help combat illegal logging and the illicit trade in forest products. Background research on child-sex tourism in Cambodia, Lao PDR, Thailand and Viet Nam has been largely completed, in preparation for the implementation of ‘Project Childhood’ in collaboration with INTERPOL. This has included legislative review/gap analysis, institutional profiling and a review of current training programmes for law enforcement officials on combatting child-sex tourism. The need for improved national mechanisms and enhanced cross-border cooperation to support victims of human trafficking has been effectively advocated, based on preliminary research and dialogue with senior government officials in Cambodia and Thailand.
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: UNODC (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime)
Date of publication: 2012-04-00
Date of entry/update: 2019-07-08
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language:
Format : pdf
Size: 982.22 KB
more
Title: South-East Asia: Opium Survey 2011
Description: "The Lao PDR Opium Survey 2011 was undertaken and produced by the Government of Lao PDR and UNODC. From 2005 to 2011, the survey methodology has consisted of an aerial survey by helicopter covering sample sites in opium poppy producing provinces in northern Lao PDR. Like in 2010, the survey focused on four Provinces (Phongsaly, Houaphan Luang Namtha and Xieng Khouang). Observations show that the poppy cultivation was concentrated in two of these provinces, namely Phongsaly and Houaphan. Cultivation in Luang Namtha and Xieng Khouang had become marginal in the past years, however, in 2011 some large concentrations were spotted in Luang Namtha. Although no survey took place in Oudomxay province, the survey team received information that some poppy was growing again in the North of this province. Opium poppy cultivation In 2011, opium poppy cultivation was found in all of the four surveyed provinces. The total area under opium poppy cultivation in the Lao PDR expanded to 4,100 hectares in 2011 (an increase of 38% from 2010) with a confidence interval from 2,500 ha to 6,000 ha. In spite of this increase, the overall level of opium poppy cultivation in the country remains low compared to a decade ago. Following the trend noticed over the last two years, more fields are gathered in strings covering the mountainsides around the villages, which might indicate that cultivation is becoming more common..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: UNODC (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime)
Date of publication: 2011-00-00
Date of entry/update: 2019-07-08
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language:
Format : pdf
Size: 4.81 MB
more
Title: World Drug Report 2012
Description: "Chapter I of this year’s World Drug Report provides an overview of recent trends and the drug situation in terms of production, trafficking and consumption and the consequences of illicit drug use in terms of treatment, drugrelated diseases and drug-related deaths. Chapter II presents a long-term perspective on the characteristics and evolution of the drug problem and the main factors that shaped it. It starts with a discussion of the main characteristics of the contemporary drug problem, followed by an overview of the shifts observed over the last few de cades, before concluding with an analysis of the driving factors that shaped the evolution of the drug problem, including a brief outlook for its likely future direction. CHAPTER I. RECENT STATISTICS AND TREND ANALYSIS OF ILLICIT DRUG MARKETS Latest available data indicate that there has been no significant change in the global status quo regarding the use, production and health consequences of illicit drugs, other than the return to high levels of opium production in Afghanistan after a disease of the opium poppy and subsequent crop failure in 2010. But while the troubled waters of the world’s illicit drug markets may appear to be stagnant, shifts and changes in their flows and currents can be observed below the surface. These are significant and also worrying, not because of how they currently impact on the data but because they are proof of the resilience and adaptability of illicit drug suppliers and users and because of the potential future repercussions of those shifts and changes in the world’s major drug markets. The global picture The extent of global illicit drug use remained stable in the five years up to and including 2010, at between 3.4 and 6.6 per cent of the adult population (persons aged 15-64). However, some 10-13 per cent of drug users continue to be problem users with drug dependence and/or drug-use disorders, the prevalence of HIV (estimated at approximately 20 per cent), hepatitis C (46.7 per cent) and hepatitis B (14.6 per cent) among injecting drug users continues to add to the global burden of disease, and, last but not least, approximately 1 in every 100 deaths among adults is attributed to illicit drug use. Opioids continue to be the dominant drug type accounting for treatment demand in Asia and Europe and also contribute considerably to treatment demand in Africa, North America and Oceania. Treatment for cocaine use is mainly associated with the Americas, while cannabis is the main drug causing treatment demand in Africa. Demand for treatment relating to the use of amphetamine-type stimulants (ATS) is most common in Asia..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: UNODC (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime)
Date of publication: 2012-00-00
Date of entry/update: 2019-07-08
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language:
Format : pdf
Size: 12.33 MB
more
Title: 2012 Patterns and Trends of Amphetamine-Type Stimulants and Other Drugs: Asia and the Pacific
Description: "Amphetamine-type stimulants (ATS) are the second most widely used class of drugs worldwide, after cannabis. The East and South-East Asia region, which is home to about one-third of the global population, has some of the largest and most established ATS markets in the world. Methamphetamine in pill, powder and crystalline forms are the most widely used forms of ATS in the region. Demand for ecstasy remains high, although its use has declined. Since the late 1990s, the illicit manufacture, trafficking and use of ATS have expanded significantly in the region. These trends continued in 2011. The present report highlights the most current patterns and trends of amphetamine-type stimulants and other drugs of use in East and South-East Asia and provides overviews for the neighbouring regions of South Asia and the Pacific. This is the latest in a series of reports prepared under the Global Synthetics Monitoring: Analyses, Reporting and Trends (SMART) Programme. The objective of the Global SMART Programme is to enhance the capacity of Member States and relevant authorities to generate, manage, analyse, report and use synthetic drug information, in order to design effective, scientifically-sound and evidencebased policies and programmes. The findings of the report are based on primary information submitted by the drug control agencies and designated institutions in Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Viet Nam, via the Drug Abuse Information Network for Asia and the Pacific (DAINAP) established through the Global SMART Programme. Information from DAINAP is supplemented with data from other Government sources such as national reports, the Annual Reports Questionnaire, and through primary and secondary research. Australia, Japan, New Zealand and Republic of Korea also provided data to the Global SMART Programme for this report..."
Source/publisher: UNODC (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime)
Date of publication: 2012-12-00
Date of entry/update: 2019-07-07
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
Format : pdf
Size: 1.39 MB
more
Title: Migrant Smuggling in Asia: A Thematic Review of Literature
Description: "Migrant Smuggling in Asia: A !ematic Review of Literature and the accompanying annotated bibliography o#er a consolidation of !ndings contained in research literature that analyses migrant smuggling in Asia either directly or indirectly. !e review of the available body of empirical knowledge aimed to create an information base and identify the gaps in what is known about the smuggling of migrants around and out of the region. By consolidating the information currently accessible on migrant smuggling, the !ematic Review of Literature looks to stimulate and guide further research that will contribute to informing evidencebased policies to prevent and combat the smuggling of migrants while upholding and protecting the rights of those who are smuggled. "e United Nations O$ce on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) conducted the research in support of the Bali Process, which is a regional, multilateral process to improve cooperation against migrant smuggling, tra$cking in persons and related forms of transnational crime. !e systematic search for research literature in English, French and German covered an eight-year period (1 January 2004 to 31 March 2011) and 14 countries (Afghanistan, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Maldives, Myanmar, Pakistan, Singapore, Sri Lanka, "ailand and Viet Nam). Primary research, such as the collection of statistics from national authorities, was not part of the project. "e project began with a search of 44 databases, one meta-library catalogue, three institution-speci!c library catalogues and 39 websites of institutions that work on migrant smuggling. "is resulted in 845 documents that were then closely reviewed against a set of further elaborated criteria. Ultimately, 154 documents were critically reviewed and formed the basis of this report. Abstracts of those documents are provided in Migrant Smuggling in Asia: An Annotated Bibliography. "e systematic search also included literature regarding irregular migration and human tra$cking &ows not only because migrant smuggling takes place within irregular migration but to learn more about the relationship between migrant smuggling, irregular migration and human tra"cking. A highly fragmented information base: Knowledge gaps prevail Of the 154 documents reviewed, 75 of them provided information about migrant smuggling, 117 provided information about irregular migration and 66 provided information about human tra$cking. Keeping in mind that some countries within the research scope are major sources of migrant smuggling and irregular migration, these !gures illustrate that migrant smuggling has not attracted a critical amount of attention within the research community. Accurate data on the extent of migrant smuggling either rarely exists or could not be accessed by researchers. "e reviewed literature re&ects the paucity of and/or shortcomings in o$cial quantitative data in many countries and the di$culties in accessing data that would allow a better grasp of both the extent of irregular migration and to what extent irregular migration is facilitated by migrant smugglers. !e available research literature on irregular migration contributes only in a limited way to increasing the understanding of migrant smuggling due to a lack of clarity with the terminology. Common is the use of terms that are not further de!ned, such as “illegal migrant”, “broker”, “agent” and “recruiter”. "is ambiguity signi!cantly has limited the capacity of the literature on irregular migration to clarify to what extent migrant smugglers facilitate irregular migration and how..."
Source/publisher: UNODC (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime)
Date of publication: 2012-08-00
Date of entry/update: 2019-07-07
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
Format : pdf
Size: 2.15 MB
more
Title: Migrant Smuggling in Asia: Annotated Bibliography
Description: "This report integrates the reviewed literature on irregular migration and the working conditions of smuggled migrants with in-depth interviews with a group of Pakistanis working in London’s migrant economy. "e intent is to describe the speci!c forms of risk and “precarity” facing smuggled migrants in this particular context. "e report begins with a discussion of the methodology issues that ensued when dealing with a population reluctant to be identi- !ed. Despite the problems, 21 semi-structured interviews were carried out during the course of the study, although this number included several regular migrants as well as employers. "e inclusion of the latter two groups allowed for comparisons and different perspectives in the analysis. Findings from the study delineate both similarities and di#erences in the conditions endured by regular and irregular migrants. Both migrant groups experience long hours, poor working conditions and a certain amount of insecurity, but irregular migrants must adapt to ever-changing circumstances, given the instability of life in their enclave. Although both types of migrants experience similar di$culties, irregular migrants’ problems are exacerbated due to their status. For example, they need to pay o# smugglers who facilitated their journeys as well as escape notice of authorities empowered to deport them. "ese burdens are both psychological and material. In essence, they become “prisoners of monetized time”, which impedes the hope of upward mobility..."
Source/publisher: UNODC (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime)
Date of publication: 2012-08-00
Date of entry/update: 2019-07-07
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
Format : pdf
Size: 1.26 MB
more
Title: Patterns and Trends of Amphetamine-Type Stimulants and Other Drugs: Challenges for Asia and the Pacific
Description: "The market for amphetamine-type stimulants (ATS) in the Asia and the Pacific region continued to expand in 2012. Seizures of methamphetamine in pill and crystalline forms reached record highs while methamphetamine use increased in most countries in East and Southeast Asia, according to government expert perception. Illicit methamphetamine manufacture continued to spread throughout the region and new markets emerged for a variety of other synthetic substances. Ecstasy use, which had been in decline over the past several years, increased in a number of countries in 2012 while ecstasy seizures more than tripled compared with the previous year. Moreover, the range of new psychoactive substances (NPS) found in the region continued to increase. This report highlights the most current patterns and trends of amphetamine-type stimulants and other drugs of use in East and Southeast Asia and provides overviews for the neighbouring regions of South Asia and the Pacific Island States and Territories. This is the latest in a series of reports prepared under the Global Synthetics Monitoring: Analyses, Reporting and Trends (SMART) Programme. The Programme seeks to enhance the capacity of Member States and authorities in priority regions to generate, manage, analyse and report synthetic drug information, and to apply this scientific evidence-based knowledge to design effective responses. A primary objective of this report is to help in improving the ability of states to respond to the growing human security and public health threats posed by the illicit manufacture, trafficking and use of synthetic drugs in the Asia and the Pacific region. The findings of this report are based on primary information submitted by the drug control agencies and designated institutions in Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Viet Nam, via the Drug Abuse Information Network for Asia and the Pacific (DAINAP) established through the Global SMART Programme. Information from DAINAP is supplemented with data from other government sources such as national reports, the UNODC Annual Reports Questionnaire, and through primary and secondary research. Australia, Japan, New Zealand and the Republic of Korea also provided data to the Global SMART Programme for this report..."
Source/publisher: UNODC (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime)
Date of publication: 2013-11-00
Date of entry/update: 2019-07-07
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
Format : pdf
Size: 4.6 MB
more
Title: Regional Programme for Southeast Asia 2014 - 2017
Sub-title: Promoting the rule of law and health to address drugs and crime in Southeast Asia
Description: "This Regional Programme (RP) document outlines the proposed scope and focus of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) work in Southeast Asia2 from 2014 to 2017, to be carried out by UNODC, under the lead of the Regional Office for Southeast Asia and the Pacific based in Bangkok (ROSEAP), making effective use of expertise and infrastructure available in UNODC Headquarters, as well as the UNODC field office network in Southeast Asia3 . A strong emphasis will be placed on pursuing cooperation with relevant regional partnership mechanisms and frameworks such as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the Greater Mekong Sub-region Memorandum of Understanding on Drug Control. The RP outlines the framework for delivering a coherent programme of work, and aims to:  Give clear focus to supporting Member States in achieving priority drugs and crime outcomes in the region; and  Increase the responsiveness, efficiency and effectiveness of UNODC’s support to the region. The proposed programme of work has been developed in close consultation with countries of the region and other regional partners, and the situation analysis includes:  A profile of UNODC’s global strategy, governing bodies and mandates  A brief description of the broad regional development context  An overview of the key drugs and crime challenges facing the region. Particular attention is given to: (i) transnational organised crime and illicit trafficking; (ii) anti-corruption; (iii) terrorism prevention; (iv) criminal justice; and (v) drugs and health, and alternative development  A profile of regional institutions and initiatives relevant to UNODC’s mandates and work  A profile of UNODC in the region, including past and current activities, key partners and lessons learned from implementation of the previous UNODC Regional Progamme Framework..."
Source/publisher: UNODC (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime)
Date of publication: 2013-11-06
Date of entry/update: 2019-07-07
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
Format : pdf
Size: 979.8 KB
more
Title: Southeast Asia Opium Survey 2013
Description: "While the area under poppy cultivation in Myanmar increased by 13% in 2013, the number of households growing poppy remained roughly the same, as farmers on average dedicated a larger portion of their land to poppy cultivation than in 2012. The average area of poppy per opium growing household more than doubled from 0.17 hectares in 2002/2003 to 0.43 hectares in 2013. This implies a larger dependency of those households on opium. Furthermore, the Myanmar survey found that many households not only earn income from the cultivation of opium poppy on their own land, but also by labouring in the poppy fields of other farmers. Alternative development projects thus need to address both of these groups, as a reduction in poppy cultivation for many households means the loss of an opportunity to generate income from poppy-related wage labour. There is a strong link between poverty and poppy cultivation. In poppy-growing villages in Myanmar, significantly higher proportions of households are in debt and are exposed to food insecurity than in non-poppy-growing villages. Furthermore, households in poppy-growing villages on average suffer longer from food insecurity than households in non-growing villages. Thus, in poppy-growing villages, opium cultivation seems to be a means to earn cash income in order to purchase food in months when households’ food resources have been depleted. In other words, poppy farmers try to compensate for a lack of alternatives in their opportunities for earning income in order to subsist. Income patterns in poppy-growing and non-poppy growing villages in Myanmar are complex and differ in much more than just poppy cultivation. Despite indicators of greater vulnerability (as seen in higher levels of debt, food insecurity and drug use), households in poppy-growing villages in all regions, with the exception of East Shan, had a higher average income than those in nonpoppy-growing villages. On the other hand, households in non-poppy-growing villages had better access to salaried jobs and petty trade. In Lao PDR, no socio-economic survey of poppy-growing villages was conducted in recent years. The data from the helicopter flights and satellite image analysis indicated that poppy cultivation continued to be a phenomenon linked to villages in peripheral, difficult to access locations, far from population and market centres. Risks and opportunities associated with different income patterns in poppy-growing and nonpoppy growing villages need to be investigated in more detail in Myanmar but also in Lao PDR to understand how livelihood risks can be reduced and the resilience of households can be improved in the context of efforts to contain and reduce households’ dependence on poppy cultivation..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: UNODC (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime)
Date of publication: 2013-06-12
Date of entry/update: 2019-07-07
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
Format : pdf
Size: 6.94 MB
more
Title: The Challenge of Synthetic Drugs in East and South-East Asia and Oceania
Sub-title: Trends and Patterns of Amphetamine-type Stimulants and New Psychoactive Substances
Description: "This report analyses recent trends and developments of the synthetic drugs market in East and South-East Asia and Oceania, comprising both amphetamine-type stimulants (ATS) and new psychoactive substances (NPS). NPS are substances of abuse that are not controlled by the International Drug Conventions but which may pose a public health threat. In this context, the term ‘new’ does not necessarily refer to new inventions but to substances that have recently become available.1 East and South-East Asia and Oceania has the largest ATS market in the world and in recent years the scope and availability of NPS has rapidly expanded. Moreover, this synthetic drugs market is becoming more complex and interconnected with other regions. These developments warrant an in-depth study to understand the current threat and impact of ATS and NPS in East and South-East Asia and Oceania within a global context. The analysis of the synthetic drug problem in the region is essential to complement the understanding of the illicit market for synthetic drugs called for in the 2009 Political Declaration and Plan of Action on International Cooperation towards an Integrated and Balanced Strategy to Counter the World Drug Problem. The availability of quality data and information-sharing in the region has improved with the support of the Drug Abuse Information Network for Asia and the Pacific (DAINAP), which offers a regional control mechanism for drug monitoring.2 However, the quality of data and information on some aspects of the synthetic drugs market remains limited. Particularly, demand-related data on the extent and pattern of use, and treatment remains scarce. And yet, methamphetamine and other synthetic drugs that pose a serious health threat to users seem to become increasingly available and are a challenge for health care providers and drug control authorities. Challenges in reducing the supply and demand for synthetic drugs Methamphetamine continues to dominate the synthetic drugs market in East and South-East Asia and is mainly available in two forms: methamphetamine tablets and crystalline methamphetamine. Increasing methamphetamine seizures and expert perception of high levels of methamphetamine tablet and crystalline methamphetamine use indicate the presence of a large and possibly expanding market in East and South-East Asia.3 For some years, the “ecstasy”4 market has been concentrated in parts of Oceania. Recently, according to expert perception, there is an emerging “ecstasy” market in parts of East and South-East Asia with use reported in Indonesia and countries in the Mekong sub-region.5 Addressing the trafficking of synthetic drugs in East and South-East Asia involves a number of difficulties. Over the last several years, countries in East and South-East Asia and Oceania have experienced rapid economic expansion. For instance, the share of the regions’ global Gross Domestic Product (GDP) based on purchasingpower-parity (PPP), is estimated to have increased from about 10 per cent in 2000 to over 30 per cent in 2014 at a value of more than US$ 28 trillion.6 Except for a sharp drop in 2009, exports and imports to and from countries in East and South-East Asia and Oceania have also significantly increased over the years. Between 2002 and 2013, imports and exports more than tripled to more than US$ 6.5 trillion and 6.9 US$ trillion respectively..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: UNODC (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime)
Date of publication: 2015-05-00
Date of entry/update: 2019-07-06
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
Format : pdf pdf
Size: 9.34 MB 2.78 MB
more
Title: Partnership, Cooperation and Action in the Greater Mekong Sub-region
Sub-title: The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Drug Control
Description: "The Mekong Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Drug Control brings together six countries in East and Southeast Asia – Cambodia, China, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Thailand and Viet Nam – to address the threat of illicit drug production, trafficking and use. As a non-state signatory and the seventh partner to the MOU, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) provides secretariat and technical support to the MOU process. UNODC’s Regional Programme for Southeast Asia is carefully designed to ensure effective support for the Mekong MOU mechanism. With support from the international community and UNODC, the Mekong MOU Governments have worked together on issues related to illicit drugs for over 25 years..."
Source/publisher: UNODC (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime)
Date of publication: 2017-00-00
Date of entry/update: 2019-07-06
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
Format : pdf
Size: 4.14 MB
more
Title: Protecting peace and prosperity in Southeast Asia: synchronizing economic and security agendas
Description: "This report outlines the need to strengthen links between Southeast Asia’s economic integration agenda and its security agenda. The region is committed to rapidly developing economic connections but attention is lagging towards the security impacts that accompany these developments. Regional integration expands licit economic opportunities, but illicit markets tend to develop at the same time. Where cross-border infrastructure and trade facilitation initiatives are expanding, organised crime groups have demonstrated the capacity to seize new opportunities to expand cross-border crime. ASEAN member states have committed to expand the regional economic market through far-reaching fast moving integration. Physical and non-physical barriers are being removed to ensure more practical and efficient border crossings for people, goods and money. This process is accompanied by a number of infrastructure initiatives that will enhance connectivity between trading partners and increase access to previously remote areas. For trade and infrastructure planners, the dominant concept of border management is shifting from ‘control’ to ‘facilitation’. However, the positive effects of economic growth need to be safeguarded by making trade, migration, and sensitive areas more secure. The expected growth of cross-border trade and migration calls for novel measures to monitor and secure the people and goods moving internationally. This requires robust and streamlined procedures; law enforcement and security agencies will need to work closely with trade and infrastructure planners and developers. Currently, the ASEAN institutional agenda for countering transnational crime is not moving at the same speed as the trade and migration side of the integration agenda.1 This report provides a brief overview of economic integration and infrastructure plans and initiatives intended to connect the ASEAN region internally and with other regions, particularly neighbouring India and China. It begins by analysing relevant trade agreements and progress in expanding transport networks around the region and connections to other regions. The analysis includes observations on where the risks for negative social and environmental impacts are high. Following that, there are four sections that provide a non-exhaustive overview of sub-regions with pronounced transnational crime challenges. Recent increases in the trafficking of drugs and precursor chemicals, humans, and counterfeit goods, as well as environmental crimes, warrant special attention in managing international flows in these geographic areas. Projections of future threats underline the importance of taking action now..."
Source/publisher: UNODC (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime)
Date of publication: 2016-02-00
Date of entry/update: 2019-07-06
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
Format : pdf
Size: 1.94 MB
more
Title: Supporting Regional Integration with Effective Border Management: Border Liaison Offices
Topic: The Need for Border Liaison Offices in Southeast Asia
Sub-title: UNODC Regional Programme for Southeast Asia
Topic: The Need for Border Liaison Offices in Southeast Asia
Description: "The region is undergoing a process of integration that includes far-reaching change in the management of its borders. The regional roadmap for connectivity, such as the ASEAN Community 2015 and Greater Mekong Sub-Region Transport Master Plan, includes major upgrades in infrastructure and initiatives to promote a freer movement of people and goods. Entry and exit points at border crossings will be increasingly pressed by the need to ensure timely and efficient movements while guaranteeing the legality of these movements and the respect of trade regulations. Pan-regional infrastructure programmes seek to cross-reference one another and form an interlocking plan for a highly connected region. This includes large scale projects such as the Asian Highway and the Trans-Asian Railway Network, as well as sub-regional initiatives in the Greater Mekong Sub-Region to upgrade roads, rail and ports while re-organizing border management processes to facilitate increasing flows of goods and people..."
Source/publisher: UNODC (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime)
Date of publication: 2015-00-00
Date of entry/update: 2019-07-06
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
Format : pdf
Size: 3.78 MB
more
Title: Transnational Organized Crime in the Pacific: A Threat Assessment
Description: "This report presents major threats posed by transnational organized crime in the Pacific region, mainly focusing on the Pacific Island Countries and Territories (PICTs). Based on consultations with the Pacific Island Forum Secretariat (PIFS) and information obtained from desk reviews conducted by UNODC, this report focuses on four major types of transnational organized crime affecting the Pacific region: • Drug and precursor trafficking; • Trafficking in persons & smuggling of migrants; • Environmental crimes (fishery crime and other wildlife trafficking & illegal logging and timber trafficking); and • Small arms trafficking. In addition to the major four types of transnational crime, the report also includes some information on the trafficking of counterfeit goods, including fraudulent medicines, and cybercrime to shed light on emerging threats in the region. The four major illicit flows discussed in the report are different sorts of illicit activities, yet they all pose immense challenges to the region. There are strong indications that the PICTs are increasingly targeted by transnational organized crime groups due to their susceptibility to illicit flows driven by several factors. These include (a) the geographical location of the PICTs situated between major sources and destinations of illicit commodities; (b) extensive and porous jurisdictional boundaries; and (c) differences in governance and heterogeneity in general law enforcement capacity across numerous PICTs and the region in general. These complexities also underscore the inherent difficulties in detecting, monitoring, preventing and responding to transnational organized crimes in the region. In this context, transnational criminal activities continue to increase throughout the Pacific and have detrimental impacts on communities, sustainable economic development and regional security. At a regional level and across all transnational organized crime types discussed in this report, a fundamental problem is the significant gaps in data and information related to transnational crime among the PICTs. This is a major hindrance in developing effective and evidence-based responses to transnational organized crime..."
Source/publisher: UNODC (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime)
Date of publication: 2016-09-00
Date of entry/update: 2019-07-06
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
Format : pdf
Size: 4.1 MB
more
Title: Working Paper: Reframing Alternative Development in the Greater Mekong Subregion (2015)
Description: "This working paper (the Paper) aims to contribute to greater consistency in the approaches to alternative development (AD) and related practices in Southeast Asia, and particularly, among the countries of the 1993 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Drug Control in the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS). Although some reviews of alternative development in the GMS have been written, most have been countryspecific with a focus on Thailand. Accordingly, there have been very limited comparative studies of alternative development processes across all the countries in the GMS. Similarly, there is a shortage of studies and analysis that delineate what practices, methods and approaches have worked best in the region. At the MOU Senior Official Committee (SOC) and Ministerial meetings held in Ha Noi, Viet Nam from 19 to 21 May 2015, the MOU countries identified this as a critical gap. It was also highlighted that there were differing approaches, with subsequently varying practices, to alternative development currently being implemented in the GMS and this was hampering collective efforts. The MOU countries agreed that in order to better address persistent challenges related to illicit crop cultivation, there was a need to achieve greater consistency and regional synergy in alternative development approaches in the Subregion. This could be achieved through the sharing of best practices and experiences, and identification of what works..."
Source/publisher: UNODC (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime)
Date of publication: 2015-00-00
Date of entry/update: 2019-07-06
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
Format : pdf
Size: 4.24 MB
more
Title: World Drug Report 2014
Description: "The World Drug Report provides an annual overview of the major developments in drug markets for the various drug categories, ranging from production to trafficking, including development of new routes and modalities, as well as consumption. Chapter 1 of the World Drug Report 2014 provides a global overview of the latest developments with respect to opiates, cocaine, cannabis and amphetamines (including “ecstasy”) and the health impact of drug use. Chapter 2 zeroes in on the control of precursor chemicals used in the manufacture of illicit drugs. On the basis of comprehensive information on supply, as well as the relatively limited new information on demand, it can be concluded that overall the global situation with regard to the prevalence of illicit drug use and problem drug use1 is generally stable, with the total global number of drug users increasingly commensurate with the growth of the world population. That said, each region exhibits its own peculiarities with respect to specific drugs. Polydrug use, which is generally understood as the use of two or more substances at the same time or sequentially, remains a major concern, both from a public health and a drug control perspective. remains stable at between 16 million and 39 million people. However, there continues to be a gap in service provision, as in recent years, only one in six problem drug users globally have had access to or received drug dependence treatment services each year. Although the general public may perceive cannabis to be the least harmful illicit drug, there has been a noticeable increase in the number of persons seeking treatment for cannabis use disorders over the past decade, particularly in the Americas, Oceania and Europe. Nonetheless, opiates remained the most prevalent primary drug of abuse among those seeking treatment in Asia and in Europe, as did cocaine in the Americas. With regard to injecting drug use, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), the World Bank and the World Health Organization (WHO), drawing on the most recent data available, jointly estimate that the number of people who inject drugs is 12.7 million (range: 8.9 million-22.4 million). That corresponds to a prevalence of 0.27 per cent (range: 0.19-0.48 per cent) of the population aged 15-64.2 The problem is particularly stark in Eastern and South-Eastern Europe, where the rate of injecting drug use is 4.6 times higher than the global average..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: UNODC (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime)
Date of entry/update: 2019-07-06
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
Format : pdf
Size: 6.84 MB
more
Title: 2016 Annual Summary Monitoring Report – Regional Programme for Southeast Asia
Description: "DRUG AND PRECURSOR TRAFFICKING | Threat assessments undertaken help improve understanding of the flow of drugs and precursors and designing effective solutions. Enhanced understanding of the regional context and strengthened capacities are required to address the challenge of synthetic drug production in Southeast Asia and the Pacific region. HUMAN TRAFFICKING | MIGRANT SMUGGLING | Regional and inter-agency cooperation and information sharing are vital to address human trafficking and migrant smuggling across the region. Law enforcement agencies often lack sufficient knowledge to correctly identify human trafficking and migrant smuggling cases, and legal frameworks to prosecute cases are not always adequate. FOREST AND WILDLIFE CRIME | The designation of wildlife and timber trafficking as serious transnational crimes requiring regional action by the ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Transnational Crime has moved wildlife and forest crime up on the regional agenda. UNODC will continue supporting Member States to address environmental crimes. BORDER MANAGEMENT AND CROSS BORDER COOPERATION | Aiming to bring together counterparts from different countries, jurisdictions, and agencies with a focus on sharing information. Communication through the border liaison office network is the key element in UNODC’s approach to strengthening border control in the region. ANTI CORRUPTION | The first round of the implementation review mechanism of the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) was conducted throughout the region. Effective anti-corruption efforts require a wholeof-government and society approach, including different sectors and branches of the government, civil society groups and the private sector. TERRORISM PREVENTION | A growing number of attacks in the region placed terrorism high on the agenda throughout 2016. UNODC will continue supporting Member States to strengthen national capacities to counter terrorism and address regional threats such as foreign terrorist fighters returning to the region. CRIMINAL JUSTICE | Criminal justice provides the foundation to counter organized crime and protect vulnerable groups through the rule of law. UNODC will continue to support Member States to address key criminal justice challenges, and to drive criminal justice reform in the region. DRUGS AND HEALTH, AND ALTERNATIVE DEVELOPMENT | UNODC continues to offer support to Member States in Southeast Asia in transitioning from compulsory treatment centers for drug users, towards a voluntary community based treatment approach. At the same time, UNODC will continue to advance its principles on alternative development and assist with research on the opium economy..."
Source/publisher: UNODC (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime)
Date of publication: 2016-00-00
Date of entry/update: 2019-07-05
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
Format : pdf
Size: 2.91 MB
more
Title: The Challenge of Synthetic Drugs in East and South-East Asia
Topic: Trends and Patterns of Amphetamine-type Stimulants and New Psychoactive Substances
Sub-title: A Report from the Global SMART Programme June 2017
Topic: Trends and Patterns of Amphetamine-type Stimulants and New Psychoactive Substances
Description: "There is no sign of respite in the expansion of the methamphetamine market in East and South-East Asia. Seizures of both forms of methamphetamine - tablets and crystalline - reached record highs in 2015, and most countries in the region noted increasing use of methamphetamine. • Both the number and the scale of illicit methamphetamine manufacture facilities continue to increase to meet the rapidly rising demand for methamphetamine in the region. In 2015, approximately 630 illicit synthetic drug manufacturing facilities were dismantled in the region. Of these, the majority were methamphetamine manufacturing facilities. • The retail prices of crystalline methamphetamine in countries in East and South-East Asia are high, and might be a key driver for intensified intra-regional and inter-regional methamphetamine trafficking. • Substantial quantities of precursor chemicals, which can be used for manufacture of methamphetamine, have been seized in the region with recent trends indicating a diversification of precursors and methods used. • Tablets sold as “ecstasy” in the region contain various substances other than MDMA, including new psychoactive substances (NPS). • The production of opiates in the region has been relatively stable between 2013 and 2015 but remains at a comparatively high level. Heroin trafficking and use remains a key concern in the region. • A wide range of new psychoactive substances have been identified in East and South-East Asia. These include potent synthetic opioids, such as derivatives of fentanyl , which have been implicated in the ongoing opioid overdose crisis in North America..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: UNODC (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime)
Date of publication: 2017-06-00
Date of entry/update: 2019-07-05
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
Format : pdf
Size: 2.9 MB
more
Title: Evidence for enhancing resilience to opium poppy cultivation in Shan State, Myanmar
Sub-title: Implications for alternative development, peace, and stability
Description: "In 2016, the annual village survey was conducted in 591 villages in Shan state, the main opium poppy cultivating area in Myanmar. An independent area estimation was not part of the survey this year; however, UNODC expanded largely on the socio‐economic analysis of opium cultivation in the context of the UN Guiding Principles on Alternative Development and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. Opium poppy continues to be an important part of the Shan State economy About 1 in 10 households in the villages surveyed in Shan State are directly involved in opium poppy cultivation. The share of villages that cultivate opium poppy and the share of households within these villages that participate have both decreased over the past year. However, opium poppy is still integral to the state’s economy, and there are many households who depend on poppy cultivation for their livelihood. Figure 1: Change in the share of surveyed villages in Shan State that cultivate opium poppy, and the share of households in opium cultivating villages that are involved in cultivation, 2015‐2016. Fewer villages and farmers are growing opium poppy There has been a reduction in the number of villages and households involved in opium poppy cultivation; however, accompanied by an increase in the average area under cultivation per household. The average area under opium poppy cultivation increased from 0.4 hectares per household in 2015 to 0.6 hectares in 2016. This concentration of cultivation confirms earlier observations. The average income in opium poppy villages is higher, but the positive impact on household finances is largely offset by higher costs of living The average annual household income is higher in villages where opium poppy is cultivated (US$2,261) than in non‐opium poppy villages (US$1,839). Farmers in opium poppy villages, however, were primarily buying food with the income from poppy cultivation. Moreover, there are several indications that people living in villages where opium poppy is grown face higher living costs than their peers in non‐opium poppy villages. Many opium poppy villages in East and North Shan are located in remote or highly inaccessible areas with low infrastructure coverage. For example, very few opium poppy villages have asphalt roads, and somewhat fewer of these villages have clinics than non‐growing villages (although village clinics are rare throughout East and North Shan, with such facilities operating in less than one in five villages). The nearest outside clinic also took twice as long to reach from opium poppy villages. The lack of clinics and roads means that health and transportation costs are higher for farmers in opium poppy villages in East and North Shan..."
Source/publisher: UNODC (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime)
Date of publication: 2017-03-00
Date of entry/update: 2019-07-05
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
Format : pdf
Size: 2.99 MB
more
Title: Improving cross-border criminal justice cooperation in the ASEAN region: conference outcome report and recommendations
Description: "While recent political and economic integration within Southeast Asia has accelerated growth and sustainable development, it has also increased the level of transnational crime and security challenges faced by ASEAN members. Combined with an increase in internet use and technology access, these challenges continue to grow in significance. Despite this, most governments in the region are not able to respond effectively, with criminal justice and law enforcement agencies possessing varying levels of capacity to engage in cross-border legal cooperation. As a result, officials knowledge of, and trust in, international legal assistance remains low, at a time when the need to utilise it is increasingly rapidly. The reasons for this vary, ranging from a lack of capacity and knowledge of ILA and how it functions to outdated legal frameworks. In response, ASEAN and Member States have taken steps to address these issues. For instance, the ASEAN Treaty on Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters was signed in 2004 and subsequently ratified by all Member States, and certain countries have recently introduced domestic MLA or extradition legislation or are currently in the process of doing so. However, the need to improve the capacity of countries in Southeast Asia to engage in ILA within the region and with international partners remains and is of growing urgency. In line with ongoing work in the area of rule of law and criminal justice reform in support of Southeast Asia and ASEAN sectoral bodies under its RP, UNODC convened a regional conference on “Improving Cross-Border Criminal Justice Cooperation in the ASEAN Region” in Bangkok, Thailand from 22 to 23 March 2017. The conference was attended by all ASEAN Member States and Timor-Leste. Other representatives included officials from the ASEAN Senior Law Officials Meeting (ASLOM), the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL), the Thailand Institute of Justice (TIJ), and the Coordinated Mekong Ministerial Initiative against Trafficking (COMMIT) Task Force, and subject matter experts from Canada and the United States of America. Representatives from Botswana, China, France, the Freeland Foundation, Germany, the European Union (EU), Kenya, New Zealand, Tanzania, and Uganda also observed and participated in the conference. Conference delegates discussed ILA in the ASEAN region and how they could improve their capacity to work together. In doing so, they identifies 5 common challenges and 5 related solutions to address, and a series of recommendations to implement. In addition, they took advantage of the opportunity to build and further relationships. The outcome of the conference will help guide UNODC, ASEAN Member States and other partners to provide assistance in the area of ILA in Southeast Asia..."
Source/publisher: UNODC (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime)
Date of publication: 2017-04-00
Date of entry/update: 2019-07-05
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
Format : pdf
Size: 642.39 KB
more
Title: Myanmar Opium Survey 2017
Description: "In 2017, the Central Committee for Drug Abuse Control (CCDAC) of the Myanmar Police Force of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar collaborated for the 15th time with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) to implement an opium survey. 2016 and 2017 surveys focused on different aspects of opium production: in 2016, the survey focused on the socio‐economic conditions of farmers in opium growing areas (https://www.unodc.org/ documents/crop‐monitoring/sea/2016_Myanmar_Shan_Opium_Poppy_web.pdf)1 , and in 2017 on estimating the extent of poppy cultivation and opium production. The area and production survey in 2017 has focused on major opium producing states, Shan and Kachin2 . In addition, a selective sampling rate has been applied for the collection of the satellite imagery, using an approach that guarantees comparability with 2015 results. The 2017 opium survey estimates that 41,000 ha of opium poppy has been cultivated in Shan and Kachin States. Compared to the 2015 estimate, this represents a 25% decrease. Reductions have taken place in East and South Shan (‐37% and ‐29% respectively), whereas in North Shan and Kachin States the cultivation remained practically stable (‐3% and ‐7%). Continued turmoil in North Shan and Kachin appear to be linked to the steady cultivation levels. The reported amount of eradication has also been very low in these two states (less than 130 ha), whereas the large majority (85%) of the total eradication (3,533 ha) has been reported from South Shan. In terms of opium production, part of the area reduction has been offset by an increase in yields per hectare in South Shan, which have risen by 43% to 14.2 kg/ha. Combined with the reduced cultivation areas, this resulted in a 14% decrease of potential dry opium production in Shan and Kachin states. In 2017, South Shan state remains the largest opium producer supplying almost half (43%) of the total estimated potential production of 550 metric tons. Cultivation, eradication and drug seizure figures showed similar trends in the past eight years, showing increases from 2010 to 2012‐2014 and decreasing slightly since then. These trends, in combination with declining opium prices and anecdotal evidence of reduced trafficking suggest that the demand for opium and heroin has decreased. These trends will be further researched in the upcoming remote sensing survey and a new village survey, which the Government of the Union of Myanmar and UNODC are currently preparing for the 2018 opium poppy season..."
Source/publisher: UNODC (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime)
Date of publication: 2017-12-00
Date of entry/update: 2019-07-05
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
Format : pdf
Size: 4.33 MB
more
Title: Trafficking in persons from Cambodia, Lao PDR and Myanmar to Thailand
Description: "The present report, “Trafficking in persons from Cambodia, Lao PDR and Myanmar to Thailand” is the result of a partnership between the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the Thailand Institute of Justice (TIJ). In 2016, TIJ invited UNODC to collaboratively develop an extensive research report on trafficking in persons from Cambodia, Lao PDR and Myanmar to Thailand with the objectives of increasing evidence-based information relating to trafficking in persons, reviewing the current state of knowledge, identifying existing information gaps and enhancing the capacity of States to generate, access and use information on trafficking in persons. This report is the first of its kind and marks the launch of an ongoing research and strategic policy partnership between UNODC and TIJ. Previous UNODC reports on trafficking in persons have covered the subject of trafficking to Thailand as one important flow in a region rife with trafficking cases. Previous reports have explored trafficking primarily from a law enforcement perspective and highlighted the need for strengthened legal frameworks, law enforcement responses, including the need for proactive investigations, and stronger criminal justice frameworks. This report, while emphasising the way forward in preventing and combating trafficking to Thailand, also explores the many facets of the trafficking phenomenon itself, including the profiles of victims and traffickers, the contemporary push and pull factors for trafficking, the routes taken by regular and irregular migrants to Thailand, the fees paid to smugglers and traffickers and the modi operandi of traffickers and their networks. Drawing on the available literature and qualitative data collected through interviews with experts in the four target countries (Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar and Thailand) the report presents in detail the current picture of trafficking in persons to Thailand and highlights challenges and opportunities for combating trafficking. While gaps in information remain and the overall picture remains incomplete, the findings presented in this report rely on a solid evidence base and may be useful for researchers, policy makers, governments and others interested in improving the response to combating trafficking, as well as approaches to identifying and supporting victims. The report consists of six chapters. The introduction (Chapter I) presents information on the topic covered, the background and context of the study, the study’s purpose and goals, and methodology. Chapters II to IV examine the levels and characteristics of trafficking in persons in Cambodia (Chapter II), Lao PDR (III), and Myanmar (IV). Each of these chapters follows an identical structure by (1) summarising the available data, (2) exploring the causes of trafficking in persons, (3) examining the different types of trafficking and the profile of victims, (4) documenting the means and routes used for trafficking to Thailand, (5) analysing the exploitation of victims by their traffickers and (6) exploring the profile of the traffickers and trafficking networks..."
Source/publisher: UNODC (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime)
Date of publication: 2017-08-00
Date of entry/update: 2019-07-05
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
Format : pdf
Size: 3.93 MB
more
Title: Trafficking in persons from Cambodia, Lao PDR and Myanmar to Thailand
Description: "The present report, “Trafficking in persons from Cambodia, Lao PDR and Myanmar to Thailand” is the result of a partnership between the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the Thailand Institute of Justice (TIJ). In 2016, TIJ invited UNODC to collaboratively develop an extensive research report on trafficking in persons from Cambodia, Lao PDR and Myanmar to Thailand with the objectives of increasing evidence-based information relating to trafficking in persons, reviewing the current state of knowledge, identifying existing information gaps and enhancing the capacity of States to generate, access and use information on trafficking in persons. This report is the first of its kind and marks the launch of an ongoing research and strategic policy partnership between UNODC and TIJ. Previous UNODC reports on trafficking in persons have covered the subject of trafficking to Thailand as one important flow in a region rife with trafficking cases. Previous reports have explored trafficking primarily from a law enforcement perspective and highlighted the need for strengthened legal frameworks, law enforcement responses, including the need for proactive investigations, and stronger criminal justice frameworks. This report, while emphasising the way forward in preventing and combating trafficking to Thailand, also explores the many facets of the trafficking phenomenon itself, including the profiles of victims and traffickers, the contemporary push and pull factors for trafficking, the routes taken by regular and irregular migrants to Thailand, the fees paid to smugglers and traffickers and the modi operandi of traffickers and their networks. Drawing on the available literature and qualitative data collected through interviews with experts in the four target countries (Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar and Thailand) the report presents in detail the current picture of trafficking in persons to Thailand and highlights challenges and opportunities for combating trafficking. While gaps in information remain and the overall picture remains incomplete, the findings presented in this report rely on a solid evidence base and may be useful for researchers, policy makers, governments and others interested in improving the response to combating trafficking, as well as approaches to identifying and supporting victims. The report consists of six chapters. The introduction (Chapter I) presents information on the topic covered, the background and context of the study, the study’s purpose and goals, and methodology. Chapters II to IV examine the levels and characteristics of trafficking in persons in Cambodia (Chapter II), Lao PDR (III), and Myanmar (IV). Each of these chapters follows an identical structure by (1) summarising the available data, (2) exploring the causes of trafficking in persons, (3) examining the different types of trafficking and the profile of victims, (4) documenting the means and routes used for trafficking to Thailand, (5) analysing the exploitation of victims by their traffickers and (6) exploring the profile of the traffickers and trafficking networks..."
Source/publisher: UNODC (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime)
Date of publication: 2017-08-00
Date of entry/update: 2019-07-05
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
Format : pdf
Size: 3.93 MB
more
Title: Trafficking in persons from Cambodia, Lao PDR and Myanmar to Thailand
Description: "The present report, “Trafficking in persons from Cambodia, Lao PDR and Myanmar to Thailand” is the result of a partnership between the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the Thailand Institute of Justice (TIJ). In 2016, TIJ invited UNODC to collaboratively develop an extensive research report on trafficking in persons from Cambodia, Lao PDR and Myanmar to Thailand with the objectives of increasing evidence-based information relating to trafficking in persons, reviewing the current state of knowledge, identifying existing information gaps and enhancing the capacity of States to generate, access and use information on trafficking in persons. This report is the first of its kind and marks the launch of an ongoing research and strategic policy partnership between UNODC and TIJ. Previous UNODC reports on trafficking in persons have covered the subject of trafficking to Thailand as one important flow in a region rife with trafficking cases. Previous reports have explored trafficking primarily from a law enforcement perspective and highlighted the need for strengthened legal frameworks, law enforcement responses, including the need for proactive investigations, and stronger criminal justice frameworks. This report, while emphasising the way forward in preventing and combating trafficking to Thailand, also explores the many facets of the trafficking phenomenon itself, including the profiles of victims and traffickers, the contemporary push and pull factors for trafficking, the routes taken by regular and irregular migrants to Thailand, the fees paid to smugglers and traffickers and the modi operandi of traffickers and their networks. Drawing on the available literature and qualitative data collected through interviews with experts in the four target countries (Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar and Thailand) the report presents in detail the current picture of trafficking in persons to Thailand and highlights challenges and opportunities for combating trafficking. While gaps in information remain and the overall picture remains incomplete, the findings presented in this report rely on a solid evidence base and may be useful for researchers, policy makers, governments and others interested in improving the response to combating trafficking, as well as approaches to identifying and supporting victims. The report consists of six chapters. The introduction (Chapter I) presents information on the topic covered, the background and context of the study, the study’s purpose and goals, and methodology. Chapters II to IV examine the levels and characteristics of trafficking in persons in Cambodia (Chapter II), Lao PDR (III), and Myanmar (IV). Each of these chapters follows an identical structure by (1) summarising the available data, (2) exploring the causes of trafficking in persons, (3) examining the different types of trafficking and the profile of victims, (4) documenting the means and routes used for trafficking to Thailand, (5) analysing the exploitation of victims by their traffickers and (6) exploring the profile of the traffickers and trafficking networks..."
Source/publisher: UNODC (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime)
Date of publication: 2017-08-00
Date of entry/update: 2019-07-05
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
Format : pdf
Size: 3.93 MB
more
Title: Trafficking in persons from Cambodia, Lao PDR and Myanmar to Thailand
Description: "The present report, “Trafficking in persons from Cambodia, Lao PDR and Myanmar to Thailand” is the result of a partnership between the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the Thailand Institute of Justice (TIJ). In 2016, TIJ invited UNODC to collaboratively develop an extensive research report on trafficking in persons from Cambodia, Lao PDR and Myanmar to Thailand with the objectives of increasing evidence-based information relating to trafficking in persons, reviewing the current state of knowledge, identifying existing information gaps and enhancing the capacity of States to generate, access and use information on trafficking in persons. This report is the first of its kind and marks the launch of an ongoing research and strategic policy partnership between UNODC and TIJ. Previous UNODC reports on trafficking in persons have covered the subject of trafficking to Thailand as one important flow in a region rife with trafficking cases. Previous reports have explored trafficking primarily from a law enforcement perspective and highlighted the need for strengthened legal frameworks, law enforcement responses, including the need for proactive investigations, and stronger criminal justice frameworks. This report, while emphasising the way forward in preventing and combating trafficking to Thailand, also explores the many facets of the trafficking phenomenon itself, including the profiles of victims and traffickers, the contemporary push and pull factors for trafficking, the routes taken by regular and irregular migrants to Thailand, the fees paid to smugglers and traffickers and the modi operandi of traffickers and their networks. Drawing on the available literature and qualitative data collected through interviews with experts in the four target countries (Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar and Thailand) the report presents in detail the current picture of trafficking in persons to Thailand and highlights challenges and opportunities for combating trafficking. While gaps in information remain and the overall picture remains incomplete, the findings presented in this report rely on a solid evidence base and may be useful for researchers, policy makers, governments and others interested in improving the response to combating trafficking, as well as approaches to identifying and supporting victims. The report consists of six chapters. The introduction (Chapter I) presents information on the topic covered, the background and context of the study, the study’s purpose and goals, and methodology. Chapters II to IV examine the levels and characteristics of trafficking in persons in Cambodia (Chapter II), Lao PDR (III), and Myanmar (IV). Each of these chapters follows an identical structure by (1) summarising the available data, (2) exploring the causes of trafficking in persons, (3) examining the different types of trafficking and the profile of victims, (4) documenting the means and routes used for trafficking to Thailand, (5) analysing the exploitation of victims by their traffickers and (6) exploring the profile of the traffickers and trafficking networks..."
Source/publisher: UNODC (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime)
Date of publication: 2017-08-00
Date of entry/update: 2019-07-05
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
Format : pdf
Size: 3.93 MB
more
Title: Trafficking in persons from Cambodia, Lao PDR and Myanmar to Thailand
Description: "The present report, “Trafficking in persons from Cambodia, Lao PDR and Myanmar to Thailand” is the result of a partnership between the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the Thailand Institute of Justice (TIJ). In 2016, TIJ invited UNODC to collaboratively develop an extensive research report on trafficking in persons from Cambodia, Lao PDR and Myanmar to Thailand with the objectives of increasing evidence-based information relating to trafficking in persons, reviewing the current state of knowledge, identifying existing information gaps and enhancing the capacity of States to generate, access and use information on trafficking in persons. This report is the first of its kind and marks the launch of an ongoing research and strategic policy partnership between UNODC and TIJ. Previous UNODC reports on trafficking in persons have covered the subject of trafficking to Thailand as one important flow in a region rife with trafficking cases. Previous reports have explored trafficking primarily from a law enforcement perspective and highlighted the need for strengthened legal frameworks, law enforcement responses, including the need for proactive investigations, and stronger criminal justice frameworks. This report, while emphasising the way forward in preventing and combating trafficking to Thailand, also explores the many facets of the trafficking phenomenon itself, including the profiles of victims and traffickers, the contemporary push and pull factors for trafficking, the routes taken by regular and irregular migrants to Thailand, the fees paid to smugglers and traffickers and the modi operandi of traffickers and their networks. Drawing on the available literature and qualitative data collected through interviews with experts in the four target countries (Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar and Thailand) the report presents in detail the current picture of trafficking in persons to Thailand and highlights challenges and opportunities for combating trafficking. While gaps in information remain and the overall picture remains incomplete, the findings presented in this report rely on a solid evidence base and may be useful for researchers, policy makers, governments and others interested in improving the response to combating trafficking, as well as approaches to identifying and supporting victims. The report consists of six chapters. The introduction (Chapter I) presents information on the topic covered, the background and context of the study, the study’s purpose and goals, and methodology. Chapters II to IV examine the levels and characteristics of trafficking in persons in Cambodia (Chapter II), Lao PDR (III), and Myanmar (IV). Each of these chapters follows an identical structure by (1) summarising the available data, (2) exploring the causes of trafficking in persons, (3) examining the different types of trafficking and the profile of victims, (4) documenting the means and routes used for trafficking to Thailand, (5) analysing the exploitation of victims by their traffickers and (6) exploring the profile of the traffickers and trafficking networks..."
Source/publisher: UNODC (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime)
Date of publication: 2017-08-00
Date of entry/update: 2019-07-05
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
Format : pdf
Size: 3.93 MB
more
Title: Migrant Smuggling in Asia-Pacific, Vol. II
Topic: The smuggling of migrants is a crime that affects most countries around the world. Driven by profitseeking, it involves “the procurement, in order to obtain, directly or indirectly, a financial or other material benefit, of the illegal entry of a person into a State Party of which the person is not a national or a permanent resident”.1
Sub-title: Migrant Smuggling in Asia and the Pacific: Current Trends and Challenges
Topic: The smuggling of migrants is a crime that affects most countries around the world. Driven by profitseeking, it involves “the procurement, in order to obtain, directly or indirectly, a financial or other material benefit, of the illegal entry of a person into a State Party of which the person is not a national or a permanent resident”.1
Description: "This report builds on Migrant Smuggling in Asia (volume I) by outlining the current patterns of migrant smuggling in Asia and the Pacific and presenting evidence-based knowledge to guide policy and strengthen international cooperation. Developed by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, the report is part of a series of knowledge products that explore important and far-reaching issues confronting States and communities in Asia and the Pacific, as part of an ongoing analytical and capacitystrengthening process. Countries in the Asia-Pacific region often have a multifaceted relationship to the smuggling of migrants phenomenon, with some countries simultaneously serving as source, transit and destination countries for smuggling of migrants. Law enforcement responses to migrant smuggling to specific countries or on specific routes may have a mere displacement effect. For example, the closure of the maritime migrant smuggling route to Australia may have increased the migrant smuggling flows to wealthier Asian countries, and flows to Europe. New border fences in Greece and similar anti-migrant smuggling measures in other European countries have encouraged smugglers and smuggled migrants to increasingly use maritime smuggling routes again. Law enforcement actions in Southeast Asia, for example, in response to the 2015 Bay of Bengal migrant smuggling crisis, have possibly diverted maritime smuggling routes from Myanmar and Bangladesh back to land routes, and/or affected flows to other destination countries. While a range of factors motivate the need for migration and the use of smugglers, including political persecution, environmental factors, and social factors, most smuggled migrants are in pursuit of improved economic opportunities. Migrants often use smugglers when accessing legal channels for migration are too expensive, slow or difficult. For example, smuggling remains a cheaper option for migrants from Cambodia, Lao PDR and Myanmar moving to Thailand, despite efforts to make legal channels less expensive. Nevertheless, in some countries, such as Myanmar, issues related to statelessness and conflict are clear ‘push’ factors. In many cases of conflict or political persecution, displacement and related migrant smuggling flows can be predicted before they occur. Examples of this are the 2015 Bay of Bengal Crisis and the recent violence in Rakhine State, which prompted over 640,000 Rohingya refugees to cross the land border irregularly into Bangladesh, many using smugglers in the process. Other recent examples are the conflicts in Iraq and Syria, which have pushed many Iraqis and Syrians to seek safety in Europe and other destinations. The recent mass migration from those countries to Europe illustrates how a migration surge may also encourage nationals of other countries to use smugglers, as occurred when many nationals of Afghanistan, Iran, and other countries joined the mass flow to Europe. Migrant smuggling involves real dangers for the lives, health and safety of migrants. Due to their irregular status in transit and destination countries, smuggled migrants often find it difficult to assert their rights, and are vulnerable to abuse, exploitation and trafficking. The increasing number of unaccompanied minors being smuggled from Asia to Europe is of particular concern, as is the number of smuggled migrants being extorted and trafficked, as occurred recently on the Thailand/Malaysia border, where mass graves of Rohingya refugees and Bangladeshi migrants were discovered..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: UNODC (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime)
Date of publication: 2018-07-00
Date of entry/update: 2019-07-04
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
Format : pdf
Size: 8.86 MB
more
Title: Development of new crime prevention strategy gathers pace in Myanmar
Description: "Representatives from across Myanmar's security sector and relevant ministries have convened in Nay Pyi Taw to develop the first National Crime Prevention Strategy to combat crime in Myanmar. The workshop follows commitment by the Government of Myanmar and Myanmar Police Force to develop and implement a crime prevention strategy that will reduce crime and violence across the country while also contributing to the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals. UNODC is providing technical support to the Myanmar Police Force throughout this process. A core focus of the First National Crime Prevention Strategy Consultation Workshop was to formulate crime prevention tactics that would be effective in, and consider, the current situation of political transition and accelerated development in the country. Accordingly, the draft National Crime Prevention Strategy was analysed and potential changes discussed. The strategy will undergo additional revisions before finalisation. In his opening remarks Major General Zaw Win, Chief of the Myanmar Police Force, highlighted that due to Myanmar's political history, crime prevention efforts had fallen behind. "What we have been doing so far is not enough," stated Police Chief Win. He went on to remark that "drafting a national crime prevention policy is what we have been dreaming about for a long time," and thanked UNODC for their support in the process. This understanding was met with recognition from Mr. Troels Vester, Country Manager of UNODC Myanmar Country Office. "We congratulate the Government of Myanmar for very fast action," he stated, highlighting that the government had already established a national commission on crime prevention in December, following the first workshop on the draft crime prevention strategy that was held in October 2016. Mr. Stephen Otter, ex-Chief of the Devon and Cornwall Police and an expert in effective crime prevention strategies, explained to the workshop the importance of coordinated and evidence-based approaches and policy responses to crime. Mr. Otter presented his experience on employing effective methodologies to target crime on every level, but highlighted the importance of nurturing an image of approachability, and compliance with and protection of human rights in the police force..."
Source/publisher: UNODC (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime)
Date of publication: 2017-03-23
Date of entry/update: 2019-06-25
Grouping: Individual Documents
more
Title: Establishing community based drug treatment in Myanmar
Description: "Drug treatment capacities in Myanmar received a significant boost this week through the delivery of a new UNODC training package to strengthen access to community-based health services for people who use drugs. The training of officials of the Myanmar Police Force, Ministry of Health and civil society partners follows a symposium held late last year between ASEAN countries and China, where a new approach to strengthen voluntary community-based health services throughout the region was announced. Currently, there is need in Myanmar and the wider region for an alternative to compulsory drug treatment centers, where people are held for different various periods. Data collected from 7 countries in the region show that there are close to half a million people sent to such centers every year - and there is no evidence to suggest any clear treatment outcomes. The training package addresses these gaps by supporting the roll-out of voluntary community based services in Myanmar and the region being tailored to complement the ongoing development of a new national drug policy in Myanmar. This process so far includes a review of the drug law, and a first-of-its-kind consultation process that has brought together various government agencies and civil society for in-depth discussions on policy direction..."
Source/publisher: UNODC (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime)
Date of publication: 2017-04-11
Date of entry/update: 2019-06-25
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
more
Title: Furthering cooperation on migrant smuggling in Myanmar
Description: Twenty representatives of law enforcement agencies were brought together this week, for the latest in a series of workshops designed to boost prosecutions on serious cases of migrant smuggling. The participants learnt how complex investigations could benefit from multi-agency cooperation, as well as from the proactive use of intelligence. Special emphasis was placed on the context of Myanmar, with interactive talks and up-to-date threat assessments from senior officials from the departments of Immigration, Anti-Financial Crimes, Anti-Human Trafficking Police, Maritime Police and Transnational Crime. The smuggling of migrants poses a significant threat to Asia, generating an annual value of $2 billion for criminal groups. In recent years, there has been growing awareness of the potential human suffering that smuggled migrants can incur, notably since the Bay of Bengal crisis in Spring 2015. This week's capacity training is the latest instalment of the UNODC project on Building Capacity to Investigate and Prosecute Migrant Smugglers, designed to boost the numbers of successful prosecutions in serious cases of migrant smuggling. Previous workshops in this series have been held in Thailand and Malaysia. Sub-regional sessions, designed to promote cooperation transnationally, are scheduled for later in the year.
Source/publisher: UNODC (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime)
Date of publication: 2017-06-12
Date of entry/update: 2019-06-25
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
more
Title: Myanmar strengthens responses to address gender based violence
Description: "Representatives from the Myanmar Police Force (MPF) and UNODC convened for a workshop in Nay Pyi Taw to address necessary areas of reform in the MPF's response to gender based violence - a core tenet of which is the development of Standard Operating Procedures to make responses addressing Gender Based Violence (GBV) more effective. The workshop marked an important step forward in the Government of Myanmar and the MPF's commitment to tackling the serious issue of GBV in Myanmar, and produced a firm foundation from which to move forward so that UNODC, working together with UNFPA and the MPF, can support the police in Myanmar to develop effective and efficient response guidelines for cases of GBV. Concluding with the commitment to further work on a strategy in the near future, the workshop was met with great optimism from all participants, and represented a decisive first step towards combating GBV in Myanmar. "Violence against women is one of the most widespread violations of human rights," stated UNODC Myanmar's Country Manager, Mr. Troels Vester. 'UNODC congratulates the MPF for committing to do something about this issue, and thanks the police for taking it seriously." The MPF Chief of Staff expressed in his opening remarks the MPF's commitment to reform their policies in line with democratic standards, and Mr. Vester recognised that participating in the workshop was the 'first step' towards doing this. UNODC's National Workshop was designed to introduce the MPF to various response and investigative techniques for responding to cases of GBV. In collaboration with the UNFPA under the joint Women and Girls First Initiative, UNODC will provide support to the MPF to develop guidelines and standard operating procedures for such situations, and eventually draft a standardised response guide for all members of the MPF..."
Source/publisher: UNODC (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime)
Date of publication: 2017-03-22
Date of entry/update: 2019-06-25
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
more
Title: Opium cultivation in Shan State Myanmar is concentrated in areas with poor security
Description: "Stable governance and good security conditions have a considerable impact on the decision of farmers to cultivate opium poppy, according to a report released today by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) at the National Reconciliation and Peace Centre (NRPC). The report titled "Evidence for Enhancing Resilience to Opium Poppy Cultivation in Shan State - Implications for Alternative Development, Peace and Stability" is the first of its kind dedicated to Shan State, highlighting reasons farmers engage in the opium economy, as well as some implications for Myanmar's ongoing peace process. A total of 591 villages in 39 opium poppy growing townships in Shan State were surveyed for the report, and the findings show that while many factors affect farmers' decisions regarding whether or not to cultivate opium poppy - including the condition of infrastructure and access to markets for other goods - governance and security considerations are significant factors. On average, fewer opium poppy villages are in areas under government control (76 per cent) than non-opium poppy villages (88 per cent). At the same time, more opium producing villages have the perception of being "unsafe" or "very unsafe" (11 per cent) than in non-opium poppy villages (2 per cent). The governance and security connection is also found in other parts of the world where illicit crops are cultivated on a large scale, and where isolation, and ethnic and other conflicts impact public safety, the economy and opportunity. In this respect, the ongoing peace process may over time bring improvements to governance and security, which can have a tangible impact on local communities and reduce the need to engage in opium poppy cultivation..."
Source/publisher: UNODC (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime)
Date of publication: 2017-03-03
Date of entry/update: 2019-06-25
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
more
Title: Strengthening law enforcement responses to gender based violence in Myanmar
Description: "UNODC today launched a new training series tailored for the Myanmar Police Force (MPF) on gender based violence (GBV), which will train officers and police instructors on all aspects of gender awareness and gender based violence, with a focus on case management and victim-oriented investigation techniques. The programme is being implemented by UNODC under the Women and Girls First initiative, which is being managed by UNFPA and of which UNODC an implementing partner. UNODC has been partnering closely with the MPF to develop an effective response system to GBV by developing police standard operating procedures, training manuals, as well as the review of the police recruitment strategy to promote female participation in the MPF. UNODC will further facilitate training of instructors and frontline officers to prevent and respond to cases of violence against women in Myanmar and its conflict affected regions. The first training event in Yangon was attended by 36 Myanmar Police Officers, who were actively involved in the learning process. It provided a promising example for future training and reflects the Government of Myanmar's continuing commitment to address violence against women. In his opening remarks, Brigadier General Mya Win thanked UNODC for organising the session, and highlighted Myanmar's ongoing development process: "In this period of transition towards democracy, we are striving towards equal rights for women, and to respond to crimes against women, it is vital to provide training to the Myanmar Police Force", he said. "Change must start from within, which is why the MPF is trying to achieve greater gender balance by working to ensure that the roles of responsibility are distributed equally between male and female officers." UNODC Myanmar Country Manager Troels Vester drew attention to the gravity and complexity of violence against women by highlighting the fact that one in every two women murdered is killed by an intimate partner or a family member, and investigation in familial situations such as these can be hindered by family history and emotional distress. Despite such difficulties, Mr. Vester expressed his hope that "the training would allow officers to better investigate gender based violence, while respecting human rights." The three-day workshop will also allow participants to better understand the psychological needs of victims/survivors of GBV. Daw Khin Zar Naing, Assistant Representative at UNFPA, stressed that in preventing violence against women and children, the MPF's important role is not just to protect the life and property of the people, but to also provide "psychological protection". "Those who have grown up in an environment of violence are often being shaped to also become people who perpetrate violence," she said..."
Source/publisher: UNODC (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime)
Date of publication: 2017-05-31
Date of entry/update: 2019-06-25
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
more
Title: UNODC and Government of Myanmar strengthen partnership; identify new areas of cooperation
Description: "The Government of Myanmar lauded the continuing success of its partnership with UNODC, and urged expansion of the cooperation, at a meeting held to mark two years UNODC's Country Programme implementation in Myanmar. The third meeting of the Programme Governance Committee was jointly chaired by Deputy Minister of Home Affairs Major General Aung Soe, and UNODC's Regional Representative for Southeast Asia and the Pacific Jeremy Douglas, with presentations by UNODC's Country Manager Mr. Troels Vester. 2016 was a landmark year in the UNODC's Myanmar Country Programme - among notable achievements was the first harvest of high quality coffee cultivated by beneficiary opium farmers as part of sustainable livelihood and development initiatives. It also began considerable expansion in the partnership between Myanmar and UNODC, including ongoing development of a new and more balanced drug policy; and strengthening technical assistance on anti-corruption, counter-terrorism, crime prevention, and sustainable alternative development programmes. "There is no doubt that the partnership between the Government of Myanmar and UNODC continues to go from strength to strength," said Deputy Minister of Home Affairs Major General Aung Soe. "We know that major challenges that lie ahead that will require our continued commitment." Senior government counterparts expressed appreciation for the achievements made in 2016 and confirmed that the challenges addressed by UNODC's Country Programme continue to be priority areas for the Government. The Country Programme is tailored to assist the government to meet and secure national development, regional development and political commitments in line with the frameworks of ASEAN, the Bali Process, and the Mekong MOU, and global political commitments in line with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development..."
Source/publisher: UNODC (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime)
Date of publication: 2017-02-09
Date of entry/update: 2019-06-25
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
more
Title: UNODC and the Royal Project Foundation of Thailand sign partnership to address the opium economy in Shan State
Description: "The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the Royal Project Foundation of Thailand (RPF) have signed an agreement to consolidate and strengthen technical cooperation in the area of alternative development for opium farmers in Shan State. The cooperation with the RPF will contribute to the UNODC Country Programme, which supports the development of sustainable livelihood alternatives for opium growing communities in 60 villages in southern Shan State by introducing high-yield cash crops such as coffee, tea, avocado, and high value vegetables. The programme currently covers a total of 800 hectares and involves close to 1100 beneficiary farmers constituting 21% of households in the area. Plans call for programme coverage and the number of beneficiary farmers to grow year by year. According to the UNODC 2015 Southeast Asia Opium Survey, the total area of opium poppy cultivation in Myanmar was 55,500 hectares with 90% of production concentrated in Shan State, and of that 50% in southern Shan State. The survey found that opium poppy is mainly cultivated for economic reasons to maintain livelihoods and cover family expenses..."
Source/publisher: UNODC (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime)
Date of publication: 2016-12-16
Date of entry/update: 2019-06-25
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
more
Title: Combating the rise of violence against women and children
Description: "On July 5th, UNODC, UNICEF, UNFPA and the Union Attorney General's Office (UAGO) met in Nay Pyi Taw to discuss combating the rise in violence against Myanmar's women and children. The high-level needs assessment workshop on 'Effective Prosecution Responses to Cases of Violence Against Women and Children' aimed to assess the needs of Myanmar's prosecutors in effectively prosecuting and supporting victims of gender based violence (GBV) and child cases. During the workshop, dozens of representatives from the UAGO took part in group discussions on the challenges law officers face in responding to cases of violence against women and children. Challenges included inter-agency cooperation, the referral process for survivors, evidence-gathering, and addressing language barriers in courts for ethnic minorities. Exchanges were also made between representatives from UNODC, UNICEF, the UNFPA and the workshop participants on best practices and opportunities to strengthen the justice sector's ability to protect survivors, enact justice, and ensure fair trials. The workshop builds on a growing history of cooperation between UNODC and Myanmar's criminal justice sector on responding to GBV. Since 2016, a partnership between UNODC and the Myanmar Police Force (MPF) has resulted in several officer trainings on gender and gender-based violence awareness, with a focus on case management and victim-oriented investigation techniques. The UAGO workshop was in line with the UN's own efforts at reform by promoting inter-agency collaboration and adherence to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Addressing SDG 5 Gender Equality, SDG 16 Peace Justice and Strong Institutions, and SDG 17 Partnership for the Goals, the joint workshop between UNODC, UNICEF and UNFPA was a successful in utilizing individual UN mandates and strengths to promote an integrated approach to the issues. In his keynote address, his excellency U Tun Tun Oo, Union Attorney General, stressed how important it is to bring justice to survivors. The Union Attorney General's message highlighted the importance especially in light of figures released earlier this year by the Ministry of Home Affairs, showing a significant rise in the number of reported cases of sexual assault. To an audience featuring representatives from the UAGO, civil society organisations and the press, the Union Attorney General expressed the Myanmar Government's resolve to "better protect women and children in the future against violence directed at them". Speaking at the event, UNODC advisor Marie Pegie Cauchois recognised the timeliness of the workshop. The Child Rights Law is expected to be adopted by the Myanmar Parliament later this year and the Prevention of Violence Against Women Law is still being drafted. She highlighted that, "for the successful implementation of these laws, the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, capacity building of the justice sector will be needed". In ending the workshop, UNODC, UNICEF and the UNFPA thanked the members of the justice sector for their active participation and recognised the importance of hearing and exchanging with practitioners to identify needs and avenues for cooperation moving forward. They also shared their readiness to continue work with the UAGO in developing training and other required materials..."
Source/publisher: UNODC (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime)
Date of publication: 2018-07-05
Date of entry/update: 2019-06-24
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
more
Title: Criminal justice agencies join hands to confront gender-based violence in Myanmar
Description: "The 25th of November marks the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, and the start of the international campaign 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-based Violence. Violence against women and girls continues to be one of the most widespread and systematic violations of human rights. For far too long, we have lived in a society where women and girls who experience violence are blamed and their testimonies are systematically put in doubt. The voices of millions of other women and girls continue to be silenced or muffled due to systemic injustice. UNODC confronts gender-based violence by enhancing the capacity of police, prosecutors, judges and other members of the criminal justice system to prevent and respond to gender-based violence. In 2018, UNODC Myanmar, with support of the UNFPA Women and Girls First Initiative, carried out a number of training workshops with the Myanmar Police Force and with the Union Attorney General's Office. The training covered gender awareness, understanding root causes, myths and stereotypes of violence against women, preventive approaches and survivor centered and gender-sensitive responses to criminal investigations and trials. Through discussions at these training events, police officers and prosecutors highlighted the need for a coordinated multi-sector criminal justice response to gender-based violence. Criminal justice responses work best when health, social and other sectors join the common effort to protect and empower women and hold perpetrators accountable. To this end, UNODC supported the Myanmar Police Force in hosting the first Inter-Agency Workshop on Coordinating Policing and Justice Responses to Gender-based Violence, held on 19-20 of November in Nay Pyi Taw. Members of Supreme Court of the Union, the Union Attorney General's Office, the Myanmar Police Force, the Ministry of Health, and the Department of Social Welfare met to discuss coordination challenges and strategies to improve responses to cases of violence against women and girls. Special attention was paid to ensuring that all solutions put the needs and the security of the victim first, while ensuring the right to a fair trial for all. The meeting was also coordinated with UNFPA and UNICEF and attended by UN Women and WHO..."
Source/publisher: UNODC (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime)
Date of publication: 2018-11-25
Date of entry/update: 2019-06-24
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
more
Title: Former opium farmers in Myanmar prepare to sell coffee in international markets
Description: "Former opium farmers from Shan State in Myanmar have begun the process to commercialise coffee, a licit cash crop introduced by UNODC's alternative development project to break dependence on opium. In 2014, UNODC worked with over 1,000 small scale farmers to begin producing high quality coffee in place of the illicit opium poppy. These coffee farmers are now expecting their first harvest in November 2017. In preparation, producers have created the Green Gold Cooperative to manage product commercialisation on a communal level. As a part of a strategy to place its coffee on international markets and with the support of UNODC, Green Gold contacted various stakeholders to raise awareness of the important changes that are ongoing in Shan State in relation to towards the alternative development programmes being implemented there. One of the interested stakeholders was MALONGO, a French roaster company that negotiates with farmers in different countries under fair trade guidelines. UNODC efforts helped conduct the first joint field visit to Shan State between 9 and 11 July, where MALONGO confirmed the social and technical conditions of these coffee producing communities, and explored the possibility of establishing a long-term agreement to contribute to the communities' development. In addition to the field visit, three administrative members of Green Gold experienced first hand the plantations, postharvest infrastructure and headquarters of Bolaven Plateau Coffee Producers Cooperative C.P.C in Pakse, Lao PDR. After a 10-year process to successfully reach international markets with their high quality coffee, C.P.C. held expertise as a similar specialised business and had invited Green Gold to share in the knowledge. The visit was supported by UNODC and MALONGO, and took place between 13 and 15 of July. While the C.P.C. experience was not the first to be developed by the alternative development programme of UNODC under the framework of South - South Cooperation, it was the first time Myanmar farmers traveled overseas to learn from similar organizations. Given their common interests and the importance of shared knowledge, C.P.C. and Green Gold are designing a system to facili-tate farmer-to-farmer training activities. This programme will begin in October and November, after the harvest season in Myanmar..."
Source/publisher: UNODC (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime)
Date of publication: 2017-07-21
Date of entry/update: 2019-06-24
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
more
Title: From opium to coffee: Green Gold cooperative exports its first container of coffee to the European market
Description: "Today, the Green Gold cooperative celebrated a milestone when it exported its first container of select coffee to the European market. Its 2018 harvest came from 60 villages across Loilem, Hopong and Ywangan townships. In one community, Pan Lim, the coffee was of such a high quality, that Malongo agreed to pay a price of $8.00 USD per kilogram of green coffee beans - double the market average in Myanmar. The achievement, while serving as a testament to the promises of sustainable alternative development, is also a remarkable steppingstone for the community of farmers in South Shan State that has made great strides in breaking its dependency on opium poppy cultivation. "This is the day we've all dreamed of the last 3 years. We are sure European consumers will be delighted with this new aroma", said Troels Vester, UNODC Country Manager in Myanmar. Since its creation in 2015, Green Gold, which now comprises 968 farmers, has worked together with UNODC to acquire knowledge and expertise about the coffee business, create coffee nurseries, establish sustainable plantations and identify markets and buyers. Its success represents the culmination of 4 years of work with donors (Governments of Finland, Germany and Switzerland), partners and UNODC. As a result, by the end of 2017, the cooperative signed a 5-year partnership agreement with the French company Malongo for the commercialisation of its harvests under fair-trade conditions. It is currently taking steps to have its own processing infrastructure for its next harvest, which will allow it to control additional steps in the value chain of coffee production..."
Source/publisher: UNODC (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime)
Date of publication: 2018-10-12
Date of entry/update: 2019-06-24
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
more
Title: Government of Myanmar and UNODC hold drug day conference and strategic consultations in Nay Pyi Taw
Description: "The Government of Myanmar convened a special national conference to mark the 29th International Day against Drug Use and Illicit Trafficking in Nay Pyi Taw today, with speeches, displays and activities highlighting the impact of drugs on the health and security of the country and surrounding region. Attended by the Vice President, Minister of Home Affairs, Minister of Health, dozens of senior officials, UNODC regional leadership and experts, diplomats and media, the event featured findings of the 2017 World Drug Report and the latest regional and national data, along with discussions about strategies and plans to address the situation. The conference is part of an ongoing effort of the Government of Myanmar to reconsider the situation and solutions given the significance of the drug problem in the country. Opium poppy cultivation in the Golden Triangle has levelled off after tripling over the last decade, with production mainly concentrated in Shan State but with some production also in Kachin and parts of Chin State. At the same time methamphetamine production and trafficking continues on an upward trajectory mirroring the expansion and diversification of illicit drug markets in Southeast Asia..."
Source/publisher: UNODC (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime)
Date of publication: 2017-06-26
Date of entry/update: 2019-06-24
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
more
Title: Myanmar hosts talks on Asia Pacific strategy to control drug making chemicals
Description: "High-level delegations from East, South and Southeast Asia are in the capital of Myanmar, Nay Pyi Taw, to consider the deteriorating synthetic drug situation in the region and negotiate a new strategy to address the diversion and trafficking of precursor chemicals used in production. "We are very pleased these discussions are underway", remarked Myanmar Vice Minister of Home Affairs Major General Aung Thu. He continued, "we put ourselves forward to co-host at the last Mekong MOU negotiations, and we reminded the region that precursors are required for synthetic drug production to continue to go up. While we are a significant source of illicit drugs, we are not a source of the chemicals." Methamphetamine production and trafficking in the region has reached alarming levels in recent years, with seizures to-date in 2018 already exceeding records set in 2017. Supply from the Golden Triangle vastly exceeds market demand in the surrounding Mekong region and Southeast Asia, and it is a primary source of supply for Australia, Japan, Korea and New Zealand. The oversupply of methamphetamine has led to declining street prices across the region, with yaba tablets now available for $1-$5 USD down from $5 -$15 USD in 2014. A similar decline in the price of crystal methamphetamine has taken place across region, making both forms of the drug more affordable and accessible. At the same time, powerful synthetic opioids like fentanyl are being produced, diverted and trafficked in and from the region to North America and recently Australia, where they are being mixed into the opiate and heroin markets to maximise profits. Significant illicit production of ketamine has also been found in the Golden Triangle, primarily for export to China and Thailand, and it is increasingly being trafficked across the region in mixed shipments with methamphetamine..."
Source/publisher: UNODC (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime)
Date of publication: 2018-11-07
Date of entry/update: 2019-06-24
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
more
Title: Myanmar opium cultivation declines sharply, except in some conflict areas: UN report
Description: "The total area of opium poppy cultivation in Myanmar has decreased significantly in 2017 to 41,000 hectares, down 25% from the 55,500 recorded in 2015, according to the Myanmar Opium Survey 2017 released today by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). Reductions have been most significant in East Shan with a drop of 37% and South Shan with a drop of 29%. However, the report also reveals that while progress has been made, North Shan and Kachin states have seen reductions of less than 3% and 7%, which on the ground amounts to a decrease of only 600 hectares in total. Reductions in cultivation have been somewhat offset by a greater yield per hectare with potential opium production dropping 14% from 2015 levels. The report reconfirms the link between conflict and opium in Myanmar, and that insecure areas with active insurgencies continue to cultivate and produce at levels similar to 2015. Jeremy Douglas, UNODC Regional Representative, noted that "the connection between governance and security on the one hand and poverty and conflict on the other is undeniable. We will continue to assist the transition from a dependence on opium to alternative and sustainable economic opportunities. But it cannot be done in isolation from the peace process, and we will need access to additional territory."..."
Source/publisher: UNODC (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime)
Date of publication: 2017-12-06
Date of entry/update: 2019-06-24
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
more
Title: Myanmar strengthens capacities to engage in international legal cooperation
Description: "A national workshop with representatives from Myanmar's Central Authority and related government departments was organised in Nay Pyi Taw last week to assist the country to more effectively address transnational crime and security challenges within the framework of the ASEAN Vision 2025. The aim of the workshop was to strengthen the capacity of Myanmar and its officials to engage in cross-border criminal justice cooperation, in particular mutual legal assistance (MLA) and extradition. Throughout Southeast Asia, transnational organised crime groups and their networks profit from illicit activities that range from drug and precursor trafficking, to human trafficking and migrant smuggling, to the trade of illegal timber and endangered species. Along with the launch of the ASEAN Political-Security Community, the launch of the ASEAN Economic Community in 2015 has helped bring about freer flows of goods, services, labour and money. If recent evidence is correct, legitimate economic flows will continue to increase. While this is positive for the region as a whole, it also provides increased opportunities for transnational crime groups to engage in criminal activities. Illicit flows and movements mirror and travel alongside legal flows and movements, and as these illegal flows expand, criminal and terrorist networks will continue to benefit. This will only serve to further challenge governance, law enforcement and criminal justice systems of countries in the region. During the workshop, representatives of the Ministry of Home Affairs, the National Police, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Union Attorney General's Office, the Ministry of Border Affairs (Na Ta La), the Ministry of Finance and Planning and the Ministry of Labour, Immigration and Population and the General Administrative Department worked through a series of exercises designed to increase their understanding and ability to utilise MLA and extradition. As a result, they were provided the opportunity to not only learn more about the legal traditions and systems regarding MLA and extradition in other countries, but also to strengthen relationships and understanding between the various Government departments within Myanmar that form part of its Central Authority and work on these issues..."
Source/publisher: UNODC (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime)
Date of publication: 2017-08-08
Date of entry/update: 2019-06-24
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
more
Title: New national drug policy announced for Myanmar
Description: "In an effort to rebalance the approach to drug challenges in Myanmar, the Government of Myanmar and UNODC today announced a new National Drug Control Policy. The overall aim is to contribute to safe, secure and and healthy communities through a policy that addresses all aspects of the drug problem, focusing on the unique needs of the country. A national expression of the 2016 UN General Assembly Special Session on the World Drug Problem (UNGASS) outcome, the policy signals a significant shift in approach towards an evidence-based and more people and health-focused approach, while advocating for practical strategies to reduce the negative effects of drug production, trafficking and use. UNODC began the partnership with the Government of Myanmar to develop the new National Drug Control Policy after the UNGASS. Notably, Myanmar is the first country in Southeast Asia to adopt the UNGASS framework at a national level. On the International Day Against Drugs 26th June in 2016, the Government of Myanmar formally requested UNODC financial and technical support to design a new policy for Myanmar. Following initial discussions with parliamentarians, a comprehensive consultation process involving government, non-government, academic and civil society stakeholders was set-up and run with the Central Committee for Drug Abuse Control. Reflecting the diversity of views taken on-board in the consultations, the new policy includes health and social policy responses, outlining a path to promoting sustainable alternative development for opium farmers, a refocus of law enforcement and justice efforts to address organized crime, and expanding regional and international cooperation. The process of consultation was inclusive, allowing for an open and frank exchange of views. Given the effectiveness of the traditional approach has been called into question, UNODC experts have commended the Government of Myanmar for developing a national drug policy that moves from a punitive approach to a more health and human oriented approach to address illicit drug challenges. The new policy incorporates inputs from the consultation process into five policy areas, including: supply reduction and alternative development; demand and harm reduction; international cooperation; research and analysis; and compliance with human rights. Significantly, it is the first time the Government of Myanmar has formally adopted a harm reduction approach to drug use..."
Source/publisher: UNODC (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime)
Date of publication: 2018-02-20
Date of entry/update: 2019-06-24
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
more
Title: Switching from opium to coffee: 1000 farmers forge a new path forward in Myanmar
Description: "Over 1000 farmers in South Shan Myanmar have made the switch from opium to coffee, and in an important step for sustainable alternative development have today announced a contract with a major buyer from Europe. Research by UNODC has found a strong correlation between insecurity and opium cultivation; but it also shows that given a choice, communities currently producing opium would want a different source of income and a future away from the cycle of instability that it brings. In 2014, UNODC began working with farmers in Taunggyi, South Shan to make the transition from opium to sustainable, high value coffee, and three years later the project has seen their communities transformed in remarkable fashion. Today is a milestone as the local farming collective signed a distribution agreement with French coffee company MALONGO for the entire crop. It has been a challenge to change to coffee farming, to learn fairtrade practices with other farmers in the region through knowledge exchanges facilitated by UNODC and MALONGO, and to form a collective to bring their product to market, but the farmers are unanimous that it is the best path to take. UNODC is pleased to recognise the important support and partnership of MALONGO. The Malongo Foundation helps growers across the Southern Hemisphere bring fairtrade coffee to market, and is instrumental in the sustainable development of communities from Haiti to New Caledonia to the Congo, and now Myanmar. UNODC facilitated visits of MALONGO to South Shan throughout the year, and facilitated meetings with Green Gold..."
Source/publisher: UNODC (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime)
Date of publication: 2017-12-07
Date of entry/update: 2019-06-24
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
more
Title: Targeting cross-border wildlife smuggling in Myanmar
Description: "Myanmar is a strategically relevant country in the illegal wildlife trade, nestled between several important source, transit and destination countries. Yet, as transportation infrastructure in the country and the region continues to improve and expand, the importance of Myanmar as a transit location for wildlife smuggling may also increase in the future. As such, Myanmar's Customs officers have a vital role to play both at national and regional level, and increasing their capacity to detect, intercept and investigate wildlife smuggling is important to disrupt the operations of transboundary criminal syndicates. In cooperation with the Myanmar Customs Department, UNODC organized a training course on "Risk Profiling to Enhance Interception of Illegal Wildlife Trade", which was held in Yangon from 8-10 August. Participants included Customs officers working at Yangon Port and Yangon International Airport, as well as some Police and Forestry Department officers. "Building capacity for risk profiling is key for a more effective Customs inspection and screening process," said Mr. That Tun Aung, Director of the Prevention Division of Myanmar Customs Department. "Together with police and forestry officials, we will improve the monitoring of passengers and cargo to combat illegal wildlife trade." During the course, participants discussed wildlife risk indicators that could be applied for air passengers, air cargo and sea cargo, and created risk profiles. A Thai Customs officer was invited to share the experience of Thai Customs in intelligence-led profiling, and proposed cooperation and information sharing between the two neighbouring Customs authorities. Participants also completed a series of practical exercises involving examination of shipping documents to target wildlife smuggling, and special investigation techniques that can be applied following a seizure..."
Source/publisher: UNODC (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime)
Date of publication: 2018-08-10
Date of entry/update: 2019-06-24
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
more
Title: United against corruption in Myanmar 2017
Description: "Today Myanmar celebrated International Anti-Corruption Day in Nay Pyi Taw. The Anti-Corruption Commission, UNODC and UNDP joined forces to mark the day and encourage the public to get involved in anti-corruption efforts. The central theme of the day's event was that, by working together across government, the private sector, and the community at large, we can make real progress in curbing corruption. The event was opened with speeches by H.E. U Aung Kyi, Chairman of the Anti-Corruption Commission, Mr. Jeremy Douglas, UNODC Regional Representative of Southeast Asia and the Pacific, and Mr. Peter Bachelor, UNDP Country Director for Myanmar. Mr. Douglas said: "Corruption anywhere is a pervasive and harmful force: it breaks the trust of the people in our public institutions, and makes any improvement in governance or the rule of law that much harder to achieve. It shrinks public revenue, and stifles efforts to improve public welfare - especially the welfare of the most vulnerable, who measure the costs of corruption in missing healthcare services, in missing educational services, in missing public officials whom they can trust. Ultimately, corruption lines the pockets of those who abuse the trust of the public they serve, and takes food off the table of those who will miss it most." Mr. Douglas went on to note the efforts made in Myanmar to curb corruption, saying "UNODC supports the government in enhancing the institutional capacity to prevent, raise awareness of, detect, investigate, prosecute, and convict cases of corruption. This includes extensive capacity development activities for anti-corruption institutions, including the Anti-Corruption Commission, the Anti-Financial Crime Division of the Myanmar Police Force, the Union Attorney General's Office, and the Supreme Court." H.E. Mr. Kyi noted the progress that has been made through Myanmar's adoption of the UN Convention Against Corruption, and the enactment of multiple laws and policies aimed at reducing corruption within the country. He went on to point out the ongoing work to address corruption, noting that "a whole-of-government response and a cohesive national anti-corruption strategy are essential. Our continued development and implementation of major programmes that we have initiated with the support of our international partners are key to that effort." A highlight of the day was the awarding of prizes to the winners of article and essay competitions conducted by the Anti-Corruption Commission in cooperation with the Ministry of Education at a high school in Nay Pyi Taw on 20 November for a total of 40 students. Half of the students wrote articles titled "No Corruption for a Prosperous Nation" while the other half wrote essays titled "United Against Corruption". For each competition, a first prize, second prize, third prize and three honorable mentions were awarded by the Chairman of the Anti-Corruption Commission..."
Source/publisher: UNODC (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime)
Date of publication: 2017-12-08
Date of entry/update: 2019-06-24
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
more
Title: Mekong drug agency leaders accompany UNODC to Shan State to meet opium farming communities and discuss programmes and support
Description: "Drug agency leaders from the Mekong region - Cambodia, China, Lao, Myanmar, Thailand and Viet Nam - alongside UNODC, are visiting remote, mountainous areas around Taunggyi and Hopong of Shan State, Myanmar for two days to meet with former and current opium growing farmers and villages. The visit has been arranged to connect senior regional policymakers with opium farming communities, to understand the challenges they face and to discuss programmes that can provide alternate sources of income. The Mekong leaders are considering how to support and scale-up so-called alternative development or AD programmes, and, as a result, UNODC and the Government of Myanmar arranged the trip to see the area, living conditions in local communities and the impacts of AD programmes first-hand. "Talking directly with the farmers and those involved in the projects has been important", said China National Narcotics Control Commission (NNCC) Deputy Secretary General Wei Xiaojun. "Conditions in the communities have improved significantly since they moved away from growing opium, and we have appreciated listening to farmers discuss the benefits and challenges they have faced to make these projects a success. We are committed to seeing alternative development succeed, and hopefully to expand, here in Shan, Myanmar." He added, "China is considering further support to UNODC so that these efforts become more widely known and so more projects can happen here and in Laos. We encourage other international partners to invest in UNODC programmes that benefit the Mekong region like this..."
Source/publisher: UNODC (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime)
Date of publication: 2018-05-24
Date of entry/update: 2019-06-23
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
more
Title: Myanmar holds high level negotiations with Mekong countries and UNODC to address deteriorating drug situation
Description: "Senior drug policy leaders from the Mekong region -Cambodia, China, Lao, Myanmar, Thailand and Viet Nam- are in Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) this week for a conference of the Mekong MOU on Drug Control to discuss the illicit drug situation in the region, and to negotiate a new strategic plan. The conference brings together the leadership of Mekong drug authorities and over 100 senior delegates and experts to consider the latest data, and for detailed discussions on drug law enforcement, justice, health and alternative development strategies and programmes, while reviewing the implementation of the last Mekong strategy that the countries agreed. "Illicit drug challenges are not only a national issue, and to ensure our recently announced drug policy succeeds we need to focus on the situation and implementation including with regional partners" said Myanmar Deputy Home Minister Major General Aung Soe. "This meeting is a step forward, allowing us to discuss issues and priorities with our neighbours and UNODC, including improving law enforcement cooperation and standards for community based drug treatment." He added, "A top priority for us (Myanmar) is a regional precursor strategy that will slow the supply of chemicals and pharmaceutical products into drug producing areas of the Golden Triangle." The Mekong has long been associated with the production and trafficking of illicit drugs, particularly heroin, but has undergone significant transformation in recent years. Opium and heroin production have recently declined, while organized crime have intensified production and trafficking of both low grade yaba methamphetamine and high purity crystal methamphetamine to alarming levels - several Mekong countries have already surpassed 2017 seizure totals only a few months into 2018, and Golden Triangle methamphetamine is being seized in high volumes in Australia, Japan, New Zealand, Malaysia, Indonesia. The shift to synthetics like methamphetamine is particularly difficult for countries to address due to the complexity of responding to remote and clandestine production that can be moved, but also due to the health impacts on drug users..."
Source/publisher: UNODC (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime)
Date of publication: 2018-05-21
Date of entry/update: 2019-06-23
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
more
Title: Myanmar opium cultivation continues to drop as regional drug market changes: UNODC report
Description: "The area of opium poppy cultivation in Myanmar dropped to 37,300 hectares (ha) in 2018, down 10% from the 41,000 ha recorded in 2017, according to the Myanmar Opium Survey 2018 released today by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). Reductions in cultivation have taken place in practically all regions, but have been most significant in South Shan with a decline of 17% and Kachin State with a decline of 15%, followed by East Shan and North Shan declining 8% and 7%. With an average yield of 14 kg per ha in 2018 total opium production dropped from 550 to 520 metric tons, equivalent to approximately 53 tons of heroin destined for the domestic and regional drug markets. The report reconfirms the link between conflict and opium in Myanmar, with the highest levels of cultivation continuing to take place in unstable areas of Shan and Kachin states. Troel Vester, UNODC Country Manager, noted that "entrenched poverty and opium cultivation in Myanmar are closely connected..."
Source/publisher: UNODC (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime)
Date of publication: 2019-01-11
Date of entry/update: 2019-06-23
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
Format : pdf
Size: 5.34 MB
more
Title: UNODC celebrates International Women's Day
Description: "For International Women's Day, UNODC joins millions of women around the world in celebration of their social, political, economic achievements. This year's international theme "Think equal, build smart and innovate for change" advocates for innovative ways in which we can advance gender parity in all sectors and empower women and girls. Myanmar's country celebrated International Women's Day with a leadership training aimed at women farmers, cooperative board members and UNODC staff. The participants are part of UNODC's Alternative Development sub-programme. This programme is based in Southern Shan State, and aids farmers in switching from producing opium crops to growing coffee. This also included the establishment of a coffee cooperative, "Green Gold". A major achievement of the programme in 2018 was the modification of the statute of the cooperative in order to allow for a greater and more active participation of women within the cooperative. The administrative board of the cooperative is composed of 16 active members, with an equal participation of men and women. #BalanceforBetter emphasizes innovation as a critical tool to challenge inequalities and to accelerate gender equality through women's empowerment. It is through innovation that the Green Gold Cooperative was formed, especially through introducing a gender-balanced administrative board. As Joelle Charbonneau, UNODC Gender Advisor, commented, "I can say proudly that you all have already made an important advancement towards gender equality, with the modification of the composition of the Administrative Board of Green Gold and the creation of committees at village level with an important participation of women. My invitation is to continue working in that direction, together with your husbands, relatives and friends." The International Women's Day leadership workshop was aimed at the female representatives of the cooperative, as well as other female farmers and staff in leadership roles. The workshop began with a panel of speakers, including women from the Gender Equality Network, the Shan's Women's Organization Network, the Women's Development Society and the Women Entrepreneur Association from Shan State. The women spoke about their experiences in starting their own businesses, promoting their ethnic group's culture and literature, fighting for education, and advocating and working with the government to promote women's rights and leadership. Participants also engaged in a leadership workshop and discussed challenges and solutions on achieving women's equality within their daily roles..."
Source/publisher: UNODC (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime)
Date of publication: 2019-03-08
Date of entry/update: 2019-06-23
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
more
Title: UNODC‐supported alternative development coffee from Myanmar launched in French Parliament
Description: "In a pivotal moment for Myanmar's burgeoning specialty coffee industry, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and French coffee company Malongo today launched a new line of high‐quality coffee, Shan Mountain Coffee, in the French Parliament. The first tasting and presentation of Shan Mountain Coffee took place at the Presidential Hall of the Parliament in presence of the President of the National Assembly Richard Ferrand and dozens of other prominent guests. At the same time, the sales of Shan Mountain Coffee opened in Malongo stores in Paris and Nice. The Shan Mountain Coffee is ethically sourced in conflict‐ridden Shan State in eastern Myanmar. Shan State produces nearly 90 per cent of opium cultivated in Myanmar, the second largest opium exporter in the world (after Afghanistan). The Shan Mountain Coffee is grown by a UNODC‐supported Green Gold Cooperative formed by almost 1,000 farmers in Shan State who used to cultivate opium poppy. The strategic partnership between Malongo, the Green Gold Cooperative and UNODC is a key to bringing peace, prosperity and environmental sustainability to Shan State which is one of the top opium poppy cultivation areas in the world. "UNODC is proud to have been part of this exciting initiative that developed a brand new premium coffee product as a means for reducing opium production in Myanmar," said Troels Vester, UNODC Country Manager in Myanmar. "Judging by its success here in French Parliament, the Shan Mountain Coffee is now set to make it in France and encourage others in Myanmar to switch from opium to growing alternatives crops." The emergence of Myanmar as a coffee producer is supported by UNODC's Alternative Development Programme, co‐financed by two main donors, Finland and Germany, and with the additional support of Switzerland, that is giving resources directly to the Cooperative. The programme's objective to develop sustainable livelihood alternatives for opium growing communities has enabled participating farmers to independently cultivate, refine and commercialize high quality coffee that can be exported to one of the most competitive international markets. The establishment of the farmer‐run Green Gold Cooperative ensures that these farmers will indeed see the fruits of their labour for many years to come..."
Source/publisher: UNODC (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime)
Date of publication: 2019-03-22
Date of entry/update: 2019-06-23
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
more