UNODC/SUBCOM/52/3
31 August 2017
Original: English*
Subcommission on Illicit Drug Traffic and Related Matters in the Near and Middle East Fifty-second session Beirut, 13-17 November 2017* Item 3 of the provisional agenda** Current situation with respect to regional and subregional cooperation
Current situation with respect to regional and subregional cooperation
Report of the Secretariat
I. Introduction
1. The area under opium poppy cultivation in Afghanistan in 2016 was 221,000 ha, a 10 per cent increase compared with the previous year (183,000 ha) and the same level as in 2014. Large increases were observed in the northern region and in Badghis province, where the security situation has deteriorated since 2015. Potential opium production was estimated at 4,800 tons in 2016, an increase of 43 per cent from the 2015 level (3,300 tons). The increase in production was a result of an increase in the area under opium poppy cultivation and, more important, an increase in opium yield per hectare. The average opium yield in 2016 amounted to 23.8 kg per ha, which was 30 per cent higher than in 2015. The number of provinces affected by opium poppy cultivation has increased from 14 to 21 since 2009 (of a total of 34 provinces), with the increase seen mainly in the northern region. The vast majority (93 per cent) of opium poppy cultivation took place in the southern, eastern and western regions of the country. 2. Estimates for 2016 by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) suggest that 57 per cent of opium is processed into heroin, with the remaining 43 per cent being left unprocessed. In 2016, opium prices increased in all regions of Afghanistan. At almost $0.9 billion, or the equivalent of roughly 5 per cent of the estimated gross domestic product (GDP) of Afghanistan, the farm-gate value of opium production increased by 57 per cent in 2016 with respect to the previous year (not adjusted for inflation). The increase in farm-gate value was due mainly to the 43 per cent increase in opium production in 2016. In 2015, owing to very low levels of production, the farm-gate value reached its lowest level since 2009.
______* Available only in Arabic, English and Russian, which are the working languages of the subsidiary body. ** UNODC/SUBCOM/52/1.
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3. The huge decrease in eradication activities in 2016 was a consequence of the security situation. Eradication is risky and requires human and economic resources whose opportunity cost increases in times of instability and when there is a high insurgency rate. Eradication in 2016 was limited to only 355 ha, 91 per cent less than in 2015. The 18,000 ha increase in opium poppy area cannot be explained by the reduction in eradication; however, the perception of a lack of control could have spurred many farmers towards illicit cultivation. 4. The Ministry of Counter Narcotics of Afghanistan, together with UNODC, designed and conducted a National Mobilization against Narcotics campaign. The four main areas of focus were: (a) government responsibilities and actions; (b) community engagement; (c) religious platforms; and (d) engagement with the development sector. The campaign saw posters and banners bearing anti-drug messages being printed and distributed, public debates being conducted, messages from religious scholars being shared and sporting events being convened, with equipment provided to participants. 5. On 27 January 2017, UNODC released the first assessment of the synthetic drug situation in Afghanistan, which indicated that methamphetamine use was establishing itself among opiate users. Not only is methamphetamine increasingly being seized by law enforcement officials in Afghanistan, but there is also evidence of manufacturing facilities in the western part of the country. 6. The majority of Afghan heroin is trafficked via the Balkan route (namely, through the Islamic Republic of Iran and Turkey via South-Eastern Europe to Western and Central Europe). Changes in seizures, supported by intelligence reports, suggest that the smuggling of Afghan opiates via the southern route (namely, leaving Pakistan or the Islamic Republic of Iran by sea for shipment to the Gulf region, Africa (in particular East Africa), South Asia and, to a lesser extent, South-East Asia, Oceania and North America) has increased in recent years. 7. In the Near and Middle East, UNODC promotes integrated strategies to address trafficking in and the consumption of illicit drugs, in particular opiates originating in Afghanistan, but also amphetamine-type stimulants and tramadol, which are affecting the whole region. In addition to strengthening national capacities and promoting regional cooperation, UNODC aims in particular to link initiatives and platforms for regional and subregional cooperation, to address trafficking in Afghan heroin and precursor chemicals and to impede the emerging sea-based drug-trafficking routes towards the European market.
II. Regional and subregional cooperation
8. Regional cooperation continues to be recognized as the most viable way forward to effectively tackle illicit drug cultivation, trafficking, use and the related political, security, development and socioeconomic harm in Afghanistan, West and Central Asia and the wider international community. The Brussels conference on Afghanistan, held on 5 October 2016, was a useful forum in which to review efforts by the Afghan Government and the international community to support peace, security and development by fighting drugs and crime. 9. The focus of UNODC technical assistance in the region remains directed at introducing improved control at borders, coordinating efforts aimed at combating the smuggling of precursors, developing the professional capacities of investigation and prosecution agencies and addressing the proceeds of crime and corruption by countering money-laundering. The overall strategy of UNODC includes forms of cooperation such as the Paris Pact initiative; the regional programme for Afghanistan and neighbouring countries; the Triangular Initiative between Afghanistan, Iran (Islamic Republic of) and Pakistan; the Afghanistan-Kyrgyzstan-Tajikistan initiative; and the control of precursor chemicals and the exchange and analysis of information/intelligence (formerly TARCET) through the Central Asian Regional Information and Coordination Centre. UNODC also advocates stronger synergy in
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drug control with the Economic Cooperation Organization, the European Union- funded Heroin Trade II project, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), the World Customs Organization and other relevant regional and international organizations such as the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. 10. Under the law enforcement pillar, UNODC has continued to strengthen its linkages to some key regional mechanisms and organizations, such as the Heart of Asia Process (Istanbul Process) on Regional Security and Cooperation for a Secure and Stable Afghanistan, OSCE, the European Union Heroin Route Programme, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) and the United Nations Regional Centre for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia. In 2016 and 2017, UNODC launched new regional working groups for operational cooperation on precursors as well as on forensic capacities. Those hands-on forums are aimed at joint operations and the exchange of intelligence among law enforcement officials of the region and destination/origin countries, and thus support South-South, as well as North-South operational cooperation. 11. In 2016, UNODC regional law enforcement initiatives allowed for the diffusion of best practices and knowledge throughout the region. Numerous working groups and regional training initiatives have increased capacity and information-sharing in areas such as precursors, forensics, law enforcement training, control delivery and joint operations. In particular, the Triangular Initiative, the Afghanistan-Kyrgyzstan- Tajikistan initiative and the Central Asian Regional Information and Coordination Centre recorded progress in their respective areas of work and simultaneous or joint operations, including large numbers of arrests and seizures, with substantial quantities of drugs and other illicit goods seized. The regional law enforcement training conducted at the Domodedovo Training Centre of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation benefited 71 officers, while the Container Control Programme in South-Eastern Europe further expanded its operations and recorded important results. 12. UNODC conducted more than 24 initiatives to harmonize legislation, improving the capacity of more than 550 practitioners (including more than 120 women) in areas such as money-laundering and cybercrime. In 2016, UNODC established the foundations for the asset recovery inter-agency network and held important meetings among federal intelligence units under the CASH initiative. UNODC organized successful regional initiatives aimed at strengthening relations within families and the school systems in order to address the challenges and threats associated with drug abuse faced by children and adolescents in the region. Examples include the Families and Schools Together, the Strengthening Families Programme, the Lions Club International Foundation and training of trainers initiatives. UNODC formed partnerships and co-organized several activities with 12 different counterparts. UNODC contributed to efforts in the areas of the Sustainable Develop ment Goals, human rights and gender sensitivity by fully dovetailing its programmatic approach and operations to those policy and development goals of the United Nations. 13. During the reporting period, UNODC continued to strengthen regional law enforcement coordination mechanisms and cooperation through its regional programme for the Arab States and the strategic partnership with the States members of the Gulf Cooperation Council.
III. Paris Pact initiative
14. The Paris Pact initiative is a broad international coalition that has evolved into one of the most important global frameworks for combating the traffic in opiates originating in Afghanistan. The nature of the Paris Pact initiative is twofold. The partnership itself is made up of 58 countries and 23 organizations, including UNODC. It is responsible for defining priorities and implementing measures in line with the Vienna Declaration (the outcome document of the Third Ministerial Conference of the Paris Pact Partners on Combating Illicit Traffic in Opiates Originating in
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Afghanistan, held on 16 February 2012), on the basis of the principle of shared responsibility. 15. Secondly, through its corresponding global programme, the Paris Pact Coordination Unit within UNODC acts in its capacity as coordinator (secretariat) in support of the partnership and the realization of its goals. Led by UNODC experts, the Paris Pact programme provides a platform for 81 Paris Pact partners, including UNODC, to operationalize, through their multiple programmes, funds and projects delivered, the priorities stemming from expert and policy-level meetings, thereby linking policy and operational activities. 16. The growing importance of the southern trafficking route has led in recent years to an increased involvement in the Paris Pact global dialogue from several countries situated along this route (including Bahrain, Oman and Kenya), and in February 2017 resulted in the official accession to the Paris Pact of the Criminal Information Centre to Combat Drugs of the Gulf Cooperation Council as the twenty-third Paris Pact partner organization. In addition, the Paris Pact Coordination Unit conducted targeted outreach to improve interregional coordination and strengthened engagement in 2016-2017 Paris Pact meetings of stakeholders of the newly formed Southern Route Partnership, under the auspices of the UNODC Global Maritime Crime Programme. 17. The Paris Pact programme closely interacts with key UNODC global, regional and country programmes operating along the major trafficking routes, such as the Global Programme against Money-Laundering, the “networking the networks” initiative, the World Customs Organization Container Control Programme, the Global Maritime Crime Programme, the regional programmes for Afghanistan and neighbouring countries, for South-Eastern Europe, for the Arab States and for East Africa, and the UNODC strategic partnership with Gulf Cooperation Council countries, as part of the “One UNODC response” to implement the four pillars of the Vienna Declaration (cross-border cooperation, illicit financial flows, precursors and drug prevention and treatment). 18. In the period since the fiftieth session of the Subcommission, four expert working group meetings related to the respective thematic pillars of the Vienna Declaration were held, reflecting the heightened engagement of the international and regional organizations within the partnership that hosted the meetings (the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL), the European Police Office (Europol), OSCE and UNODC). At the thirteenth Paris Pact Policy Consultative Group meeting, held in Vienna on 1 February 2017, Paris Pact partners reviewed and endorsed the 2016 experts’ recommendations and decided that the next four thematic expert working group meetings would take place during the period October 2017- January 2018 and would be hosted by the Southeast European Law Enforcement Centre (on precursors (pillar III)), the OSCE mission to Serbia (on illicit financial flows (pillar II)), the Islamic Republic of Iran (on cross-border cooperation (pillar I)) and the Central Asian Regional Information and Coordination Centre (topic to be confirmed (pillar IV)). 19. The Paris Pact partners benefited from first-hand evidence gathered by the network of Paris Pact research and liaison officers, who also contributed to building research capacity in countries along the major trafficking routes where they are deployed. Closely intertwined with the UNODC global-level data collection, analysis and research work spearheaded by the Research and Trend Analysis Branch, the Paris Pact investment in data collection and research contributed to the development of the Drugs Monitoring Platform, an online mapping information system that allowed the early identification of drug trafficking routes and generated national level data — especially in West and Central Asian countries — to inform the annual reporting questionnaire, the World Drug Report, the southern route report and other Paris Pact publications, including the country fact sheets and the biennial Paris Pact report. 20. An in-depth midterm evaluation of the Paris Pact initiative will be implemented during the last quarter of 2017. The evaluation will provide the partnership with an
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opportunity to derive lessons learned and make adjustments to the continued course of phase IV. 21. States members of the Subcommission are encouraged to take advantage of the Paris Pact initiative and its consultative mechanism as a global platform for information-sharing practices and joint action, and to use the Drug Monitoring Platform, an online mapping information system jointly managed by the initiative and the UNODC Research and Trend Analysis Branch that allows for the early identification of drug trafficking routes and generates national level data.
IV. Cooperation in Afghanistan
22. On 17 March 2017, the Security Council adopted resolution 2344 (2017), by which it renewed the mandate of UNAMA. In the resolution, the Council called upon States to strengthen international and regional cooperation to counter the threat to the international community posed by the production, trafficking and consumption of illicit drugs originating in Afghanistan which significantly contribute to the financial resources of the Taliban and its associates, in accordance with the principle of common and shared responsibility in addressing the drug problem of Afghanistan, including through cooperation against the trafficking in illicit drugs and precur sor chemicals, appreciated the work of the Paris Pact initiative and its “Paris-Moscow” process, as well as the efforts of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, underlined the importance of border management cooperation, and welcomed the intensified cooperation of the relevant United Nations institutions with OSCE, the Collective Security Treaty Organization and the Central Asian Regional Information and Coordination Centre for combating the illicit trafficking of narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances and their precursors in that regard. The Council welcomed the continued efforts of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime in empowering the Afghan Ministry of Counter Narcotics-led implementation of the Afghan National Drug Control Strategy. 23. The Government of Afghanistan developed a new draft law on counter-narcotics, which was approved by the Council of Ministers at the beginning of 2016 and sent to the National Assembly for approval. 24. In Afghanistan UNODC provided support for law enforcement agencies, including the Counter-Narcotics Police of Afghanistan, the Afghan Border Police and the Afghan Customs Department of the Ministry of Finance. The Counter-Narcotics Training Academy, the training cadre of the Counter-Narcotics Police, has an established ability to train new recruits in Kabul and to provide in-service training to provincial officers. In addition, the mobile detection teams are recognized by the international community as an effective enforcement arm capable of executing intelligence-led operations. Support was also provided to the forensic laboratory of the Counter-Narcotics Police, which is equipped and mentored by UNODC and is submitting reports that are contributing to prosecutions and investigations. Thanks to collective efforts in support of the precursor chemical unit, the interdiction and investigation capacity of the unit was enhanced, leading to intelligence-led operations, backtracking investigations and substantial precursor chemical seizures. Inter-agency and cross-border coordination was also enhanced through the establishment of the border liaison offices at Islam-Qala (Afghanistan-Islamic Republic of Iran), Torkham (Afghanistan-Pakistan), Sherkhan-Bandar (Afghanistan- Tajikistan), Hairatan (Afghanistan-Uzbekistan) and Spin Boldak (Afghanistan- Pakistan). In addition, successes were also achieved through pilot airport interdiction units created at Herat, Kabul, Kandahar and Mazar-i-Sharif airports. 25. Specific outputs have been developed to emphasize unit mobility and the ability to deliver law enforcement services to the provinces, with the assistance of UNODC mentoring. Moreover, UNODC offers a strong coordination platform to enhance inter-institutional cooperation and improve operational planning and facilitation.
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26. On the drug demand and research side, through its technical cooperation the new country programme of UNODC for Afghanistan (2016-2019) enhances assistance at the provincial level; creates sustainable alternative livelihoods for opium poppy farmers; expands health care, drug demand reduction and HIV prevention; and enhances the capacity of the Ministry of Counter Narcotics to conduct research, surveys and analysis. 27. During the reporting period, Afghan law enforcement authorities conducted 1,286 counter-narcotics operations, which led to the seizure of 1,360 kg of heroin, 56,881 kg of morphine, 32,113 kg of opium, 61 kg of methamphetamine, 14,827 kg of hashish, 507 K tablets (synthetic drug), 49,552 kg of solid precursor chemicals and 37,325 litres of liquid precursor chemicals. In addition, 47 heroin manufacturing laboratories were dismantled, 1,461 suspects were arrested, and 237 vehicles, 136 weapons, 330 mobile phones and five radios were seized. During the counter-narcotics operations, four members of the Afghan National Security Force were killed and three were wounded. 28. The Precursor Control Unit has conducted 118 intelligence led operations. Close cooperation and collaboration between the Unit and other intelligence and operational units of the Counter-Narcotics Police have been enhanced, increasing their capabilities in targeting drug producers and traffickers in different parts of Afghanistan. The Unit initiated backtracking investigations into 3,060 litres of chemicals seized in Nimroz province and 700 barrels (17,500 litres) of acetic acid seized in Herat serving as examples of their successes in identifying trafficking networks at the regional and global levels. 29. The Mobile Detection Team in Kabul has conducted 27 counter-narcotics operations, which resulted in seizures of 28 kg of heroin, 120 kg of opium, 35 kg of hashish, 260 g of methamphetamine, 39 weapons and two vehicles. Those seizures led to the arrest of 38 suspects. 30. The Counter-Narcotics Police forensic laboratory analysed 3,148 samples relating to 1,093 cases received from provincial departments, the Criminal Justice Task Force, criminal investigation departments of the Ministry of the Interior, the Intelligence Directorate, the Intelligence Investigations Unit, the Legal Department of the Ministry of Defence, the National Interdiction Unit, the Sensitive Investigative Unit and the Scanner Unit. During the reporting period, the Precursor Control Unit actively participated in 118 counter-narcotics operations in coordination with intelligence units. Those operations led to the arrest of 123 suspects, the seizure of 8 vehicles and the dismantling of 37 drug manufacturing laboratories. 31. The Afghan Border Police have played a significant role in the implementatio n of all of the activities outlined. The Border Police contributed to the identification and interdiction of drug trafficking in border areas and at international airports. During the period under review, they seized a total of 146 kg of heroin, 348 kg of opium, 2,559 kg of hashish and 2.4 kg of methamphetamine. A total of 37 suspects were arrested in relation to the seizures. 32. During the reporting period, the Counter-Narcotics Police, supported by the Aviation Security Unit of the Border Police, made significant progress in identifying and arresting drug traffickers who were using airports. A total of 53 kg of heroin and 4 kg of hashish were seized and 74 drug traffickers arrested at Hamid Karzai, Kandahar and Herat international airports. The majority of the seizures occurred in Hamid Karzai International Airport, with New Delhi being the most common destination. 33. The first assessment by UNODC of the synthetic drug situation in Afghanistan (released in January 2017) indicated that methamphetamine use has been establishing itself among opiate users. Methamphetamine is increasingly being seized in Afghanistan, and there is evidence of manufacturing facilities in the western part of the country.
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34. The Russian Federation has renewed its support for specialized training on drug interdiction for Afghan law enforcement officials, to be delivered by the Domodedovo Training Centre in 2016 and 2017. The initiative was funded by the Government of Japan. In addition, triangular cooperation between UNODC, Japan and the Russian Federation has proved to be successful.
V. Cooperation in Pakistan
35. Pakistan shares a 2,430 km border with Afghanistan, the world’s leading opium producer, and the vast majority of opium production occurs in the southern and western provinces that border Pakistan. According to the World Drug Report 2017, Pakistan accounted for 10 per cent of the world’s seizures of heroin and 19 per cent of heroin and morphine seizures. Pakistan is also a transit country for controlled precursor chemicals destined for Afghanistan for the illicit manufacture of heroin. 36. Pakistan is also seriously affected by drug use and related problems. According to the national survey on drug use conducted by the Government of Pakistan and UNODC in 2013, 4.25 million people were considered dependent on substances and required structured treatment for their drug use disorders. Approximately 860,000 people, or 0.8 per cent of the population aged 15 to 64, used heroin regularly. Among the problem drug users, an estimated 430,000 people (range: 190,000 to 657,000) between the ages 15 and 64 injected drugs, with 73 per cent reporting that they shared needles and syringes. 37. The new country programme for Pakistan for the period 2016-2019, with a total budget of $77 million, is composed of three subprogrammes: (a) illicit trafficking and border management; (b) criminal justice and legal reforms; and (c) drug demand reduction, prevention and treatment. 38. Through the country programme, UNODC provides and facilitates platforms for the Government of Pakistan to conduct various regional and international forums and other multilateral cooperation initiatives. The UNODC Country Office in Pakistan works closely with the Government and the Pakistani law enforcement agencies, including the foreign law enforcement community in Islamabad, to promote the rule of law in the country. The country office actively supports efforts to enhance the counterparts’ technical and operational capacities at the international level, in particular in the areas of countering illicit trafficking and border management, criminal justice and drug demand reduction and HIV/AIDS prevention. The country office devised a capacity-building training strategy for the Anti-Narcotics Force, which helped the Force to conduct various successful operations in collaboration with the regional counterparts under the umbrella of the Triangular Initiative, and made record drug seizures over the past four years, including more than 400 tons during 2016. 39. In August 2017, the Prime Minister of Pakistan reinstated the Ministry of Counter Narcotics, which will have a constituent division — the Narcotics Control Division.
VI. Cooperation in the Islamic Republic of Iran
40. The Islamic Republic of Iran faces extensive challenges related to drugs and trafficking in chemical precursors and the crime associated with it. The country’s geographical location makes it a major transit route for drug trafficking groups. Large amounts of opiates are trafficked into the Islamic Republic of Iran annually, considerable quantities of which transit onwards to further consumer markets. 41. The World Drug Report 2017 estimated that an average of 35-40 per cent of all opiates produced in Afghanistan are trafficked to the Islamic Republic of Iran for domestic use and re-export to European, African and Near- and Far-Eastern markets by land and, more recently, maritime routes. Furthermore, the Islamic Republic of
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Iran, together with Pakistan, remains one of the targeted countries for the trafficking of acetic anhydride and other illicit chemicals into Afghanistan for the manufacture of heroin and morphine in clandestine laboratories. 42. According to the World Drug Report 2017, the Islamic Republic of Iran accounted for 82 per cent of the world’s seizures of opium and 27 per cent of the world’s seizures of heroin and morphine. 43. Drug traffickers use three major land routes for trafficking opiates through the Islamic Republic of Iran to European markets. Since 2012, there have been an increasing number of reports made by the drug enforcement authorities of Iran (Islamic Republic of), Pakistan and the Persian Gulf Arab States on the illegal use of maritime transport for the trafficking of drugs and illicit chemicals from and to the region. 44. To counter the massive flow of illicit drugs, the Islamic Republic of Iran has over the years built one of the strongest counter-narcotics enforcement capabilities in the region along its eastern borders with Afghanistan and Pakistan and has sustained huge human losses in countering the flow of illicit drugs. More than 3,700 law enforcement officials have been killed and more than 12,000 have been maimed in counter-narcotics operations in the past three decades. The Government reportedly spends around $1 billion a year addressing drug-related issues. 45. In 2016, 2,325 national operations were conducted, leading to the seizure of 681,576 kg of drugs of various types, the dismantlement of 2,713 gangs and 181 methamphetamine laboratories and the arrest of 253,605 drug traffickers and distributors. During the same period, the Islamic Republic of Iran seized 21,098 kg of heroin, 10,903 kg of morphine, 528,928 kg of opium, 115,169 kg of hashish, 1,770 kg of methamphetamine and 3,708 kg of other drugs. 46. Under the joint planning cell, Iran (Islamic Republic of) and Pakistan conducted 43 intelligence and information exchanges and four simultaneous operations. Afghanistan and Iran (Islamic Republic of) exchanged 79 cases of information a nd conducted two operations at the border areas. The cell in the Islamic Republic of Iran also coordinated intelligence- and information-sharing with the coastguards of Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates and the Qatar Drug Enforcement Administration on drug-carrying vessels at sea. The trilateral joint maritime operations of Iran (Islamic Republic of), Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates led to the seizure of 120 kg of drugs by the Kuwaiti coastguard. 47. The Islamic Republic of Iran is heavily affected by the problem of drug use, with the number of people who are dependent on opiates estimated at about 1,325,000 (2.26 per cent of the adult population). The variety of illicit drugs used in the country is increasing. The use of amphetamine-type stimulants has risen rapidly, and they are now the second-most-used drug in the country. This is a source of serious national and international concern, as it is coupled with a big increase in both the illicit production of and trafficking in amphetamine-type stimulants, with trafficking links to East and South-East Asia. 48. Drug use is closely linked to the transmission of HIV and other blood-borne diseases, such as hepatitis C. It has been estimated that the number of people living with HIV in the country is 71,000, and that 68 per cent of them have acquired the virus through unsafe drug-injecting practices. There is a high risk that their sexual partners will become infected with HIV. The Islamic Republic of Iran has established many successful programmes for addressing and containing drug use and for HIV prevention, treatment and care. 49. The Iranian Drug Control Headquarters included the Strengthening Schools Programme, developed by the UNODC Country Office in the Islamic Republic of Iran, in its national drug prevention programmes. The Ministry of Education has developed a plan for the implementation of the Strengthening Schools Programme in various school settings throughout the country.
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50. The study protocol for piloting the pharmacological treatment of stimulant dependence in the Islamic Republic of Iran was completed in 2016 through joint cooperation between UNODC and the Drug Control Headquarters. 51. Technical inputs were provided to the State Welfare Organization on the response to the issue of homeless drug users and drug courts. 52. A handbook on management for non-governmental organization workers was finalized, and part of the book was translated into Persian. The Office is providing technical assistance in the process of publication and translation. 53. The UNODC Country Office in the Islamic Republic of Iran, in collaboration with the Eurasian Harm Reduction Network and the Drug Control Headquarters, organized a study visit to Tehran for officials of the Government of Kazakhstan. The agenda included meetings and discussions on the implementation of Opioid Substitution Therapy (OST) programmes to collect information on: (a) OST as part of the governmental response; (b) its funding landscape; and (c) its implementation within the diverse settings of State-run clinics, the private sector and clinics operated by non-governmental organizations. 54. The purpose of the country partnership programme in the Islamic Republic of Iran (2015-2019), approved in December 2015, is to support the enhancement of national capacities, policies and programmes and the development of a community-based approach in responding to the pressing challenges of drugs and crime. It seeks maximum synergy with existing programmes in the region, primarily the country programmes for Afghanistan and Pakistan, the programme for Central Asia and the regional programme for Afghanistan and neighbouring countries. The programme further builds on the UNODC drug control and cooperation platform set up through the interregional drug control approach to ensure effective linkages with other UNODC regional programmes operating in the regions affected by the Afghan opiate trade, including trafficking in precursors, along the Balkan, northern and southern routes.
VII. Cooperation in Central Asia
55. Three of the five Central Asian States have common borders with Afghanistan. The trafficking of opiates from, and precursors into, Afghanistan is focused on three major routes: the Balkan route (through the Islamic Republic of Iran (Iran and Turkey overland via South-Eastern Europe to Western and Central Europe); the northern route (through Central Asia to, mainly, the Russian Federation); and the southern route (southwards through the Islamic Republic of Iran and Pakistan)). According to the World Drug Report 2016, opiate trafficking along the northern route has started to undergo a resurgence after a decline in the period 2008-2012. 56. The UNODC regional programme for Central Asia (2015-2019), approved in May 2015 with the aim of addressing the challenges identified above, became fully operational in 2016. The programme contains four distinct subprogrammes, which divide activities along four thematic lines. The subprogrammes focus on: countering transitional crime, illicit drug trafficking and terrorism (subprogramme 1); criminal justice, crime prevention and integrity (subprogramme 2); drug prevention, treatment and reintegration, and HIV prevention (subprogramme 3); and research and trend analysis (subprogramme 4). The subprogrammes seek both to build national and interregional capacity and to align all UNODC activities within Central Asia into a single programme. Technical assistance is delivered through the programme with synergetic contributions from the regional programme for Afghanistan and neighbouring countries, as well as various global programmes. 57. The new programme, while supporting national capacity-building, actively contributes to a regional response to addressing challenges relating to drugs and crime with a view to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals in an effective manner, in particular in the areas of good governance and the rule of law. The programme
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builds on previous UNODC assistance and is aimed at delivering integrated, comprehensive support to address transnational organized crime, drugs and terrorism. With a budget of more than $70 million for a five-year period, the programme both supports national capacity-building and promotes subregional and regional cooperation. The programme is a building block of the UNODC interregio nal drug control approach, which provides a harmonized response to the existing and emerging issues faced by Central Asia and the wider region. 58. Within the programme, five port control units were established in the countries of Central Asia in 2016, including in Aktau seaport, Kazakhstan, in Dushanbe (“Dushanbe-2”) and in Nizhniy Pyandj, Tajikistan (near the border with Afghanistan) and in the Tashkent region (“Chukursay Tekhkontora” and “Angren Logistika”). In addition, seven joint counter-narcotics operations, two multilateral operations and one joint controlled delivery exercise were conducted and 900 law enforcement officers were trained during 46 training courses conducted in 2016. 59. UNODC actively engaged to support efforts by the Central Asian States to strengthen their response to combating trafficking in persons and the smuggling of migrants. In Kyrgyzstan, UNODC provided legal advice on the definition of trafficking in criminal legislation and facilitated the development of a new national action plan. In Turkmenistan, UNODC facilitated consultations on the implementation of the national action plan to prevent and respond to trafficking in persons and agreed on joint work to strengthen the criminal justice response. In Uzbekistan, UNODC started work on a training film to promote victim-centred approaches to prosecution and adjudication in cases involving trafficking in persons. 60. UNODC actively contributed to national efforts to prevent crime in the Central Asian region. In Kyrgyzstan, UNODC facilitated participatory and inclusive public safety and crime prevention planning in 14 municipalities, triggering new initiatives and the investment by local authorities of more than $165,000 in important areas relating to public safety. This initiative has benefited more than 350,000 people. 61. As part of a balanced approach, UNODC significantly strengthened the implementation of drug abuse prevention, treatment and rehabilitation as well as the HIV prevention and care agenda in the region, building on the principle of advocating improved access for and coverage of the most vulnerable populations, with evidence - based and informed strategies and programmes, including Families and Schools Together and the Strengthening Families Programme. 62. UNODC continued to provide support to the Central Asian Regional Information and Coordination Centre, which is currently undergoing a transition of directorship from Kyrgyzstan to the Russian Federation. The objective of the Centre is to build further cooperation between national and regional law enforcement agencies with respect to countering narcotics, and it is connected with other similar law enforcement centres, such as the joint planning cell of the Triangular Initiative between Afghanistan, Iran (Islamic Republic of) and Pakistan. 63. In July 2016, the Kyrgyz authorities initiated a comprehensive reform of the State’s law enforcement system. The reform effort includes measures to optimize the system, including by abolishing all duplicate functions of the law enforcement institutions of the country. To that end, the State service on drug control of Kyrgyzstan and the main directorate on combating drug trafficking under the Ministry of the Interior have been merged into the new counter-narcotics service under the jurisdiction of the Ministry.
VIII. Cooperation in Turkey
64. The partnership between UNODC and Turkey continues to play an important role in South-Eastern Europe and in West and Central Asia. The geopolitical position of Turkey corresponds to very active trafficking affecting the country and, therefore, its drug control policies.
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65. At the global level, Turkey is one of the six countries with the highest annual amounts of heroin seized in recent years (together with Afghanistan, China, Iran (Islamic Republic of), Pakistan and the United States of America), although heroin seizures in Turkey decreased by 35 per cent in 2015 with respect to the previous year, to 8.3 tons, the second lowest level since 2006 (UNODC/HONEURO/12/2, para. 47). However, according to the report of the International Narcotics Control Board for 2016 (E/INCB/2016/1), Turkey observed the gradual emergence of a second Balkan route, encompassing Iraq and the Syrian Arab Republic in addition to the countries that have historically been considered to lie on the Balkan route. In addition to the fact that opioids represent a threat for the whole region, plant-based psychoactive substances such as khat (Catha edulis) are still widely used in parts of Western Asia, for example in Oman, Saudi Arabia and Turkey. 66. The Islamic Republic of Iran and Turkey are the two countries that intercept the greatest percentage of heroin and opium destined for Europe. The Islamic Republic of Iran seizes about 30 per cent of the 155 tons of heroin and opium entering its territory every year, while Turkey seizes 17 per cent (UNODC/HONEURO/12/3, para. 8). In Turkey, cannabis resin seizures have decreased sharply in recent years, from an unprecedented 94 tons in 2013 to 7.9 tons in 2015, the lowest level since 2007 (UNODC/HONEURO/12/2, para. 34). 67. The World Drug Report 2017 shows that of the 34 tons of heroin and morphine seized on the Balkan route in 2015, the largest quantities were seized in the Islamic Republic of Iran (24.4 tons), Turkey (8.3 tons) and South-Eastern Europe (0.9 tons). In all, 3 per cent of total global cannabis herb seizures occur in Europe, most of them in Turkey. The increase in amphetamine seizures in South-Eastern Europe is due primarily to the increase in seizures reported in Turkey, which increased from 0.2 tons in 2014 to 3.8 tons in 2015. Turkish authorities suspect that amphetamine seizures in the country are linked to “captagon” trafficking in the Near and Middle East, for which Turkey functions as both a transit and destination country. For instance, in 2013 the Turkish authorities found that a consignment of “captagon” seized in Hatay province had been manufactured in the Syrian Arab Republic and was destined for the Arabian Peninsula, with Turkey as a transit country. 68. In response to these challenges, Turkey is undertaking national and regional efforts to tackle illicit drug supply and demand. At the national level, Turkey amended its Penal Code to add synthetic cannabinoids and their derivatives to the list of substances for which higher penalties may be applied, with an additional 29 substances being placed under national control, according to the report of the International Narcotics Control Board for 2016. The Government also upgraded its national counter-narcotics infrastructure by according the former counter-narcotics branch within the Turkish national police the status of a fully-fledged department. Turkey also reported that a cooperation protocol on institutional information-sharing had been signed between Coast Guard Command and the Financial Crimes Investigation Board to investigate and organize the financial aspect of crimes and to reveal the links of criminal organizations and prevent criminal income and money - laundering. 69. At the regional level, Turkey supports the UNODC regional programme for South-Eastern Europe, in particular in the context of cooperation with the Turkish International Academy against Drugs and Organized Crime and the priority area of the UNODC work in the region: anti-money-laundering and countering the financing of terrorism. Cooperation in this field has been in place between UNODC and Turkey for many years and it is hoped that it will continue in the future. Turkey also supported the regional Criminal Asset Identification Conference, training on investigating the abuse of bitcoin, and other events and activities organized by UNODC in South- Eastern Europe. 70. Turkey also actively works with the Governments of Central Asia. For instance, Tajikistan reported established information exchanges between officers at Dushanbe International Airport and their colleagues at airports in Turkey
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(UNODC/HONEURO/12/4, para. 15). Turkey also reported that training programmes have been organized at the national and international levels for law enforcement authorities on synthetic drugs as well as on the manufacturing process in clandestine laboratories. The cooperation with academia and universities working on synthetic drugs has continued to raise public awareness on this issue and to prevent harmful effects. 71. According to the International Narcotics Control Strategy Report of the State Department of the United States for 2017, while illegal drug use remains modest in scale in Turkey compared with other countries in the region, the number of people seeking treatment for substance use disorders is increasing. According to the report of the International Narcotics Control Board for 2016, more than 200,000 persons are estimated to be in need of treatment for drug abuse in Turkey. In 2015, Turkey reported an increase in the number of methamphetamine addicts receiving residential treatment, while inpatient treatment of users of synthetic cannabinoids remained stable. While no general prevalence data for drug abuse were reported, Turkey observed a slight decrease in the overall number of persons who inject drugs (mainly related to heroin), with some increase in the use of amphetamine-type stimulants, tranquillizers and stimulants, as well as pharmaceutical products containing opioids. The disease that was most prevalent among persons who inject drugs was hepatitis C (affecting close to 40 per cent of those who received inpatient treatment in Turkey in 2015). Of all the cases of drug-related mortality caused by overdose deaths in Turkey, more than half involved polydrug use, with just as many deaths associated with the use of opioids; close to one third of all cases involved amphetamine-type stimulants and/or cannabis use.
IX. Cooperation in the Arab States
72. In 2016 and 2017, the political and security situation in the Middle East continued to be shaped by several conflicts and crises. Despite those challenges, the UNODC Regional Office for the Middle East and North Africa remained actively engaged with Member States, and that engagement has translated into a growing range of assistance efforts in the wider region. Furthermore, improvements in the security situation provided opportunities for renewed engagement with some countries in countering drug trafficking and other forms of organized crime and the strengthening of a balanced approach to drug control emphasizing both supply and evidence-based and health-centred responses. 73. UNODC work in the Middle East is undertaken through the Regional Programme for the Arab States to Prevent and Combat Crime, Terrorism and Health Threats and Strengthen Criminal Justice Systems, in line with International Human Rights Standards (2016-2021). The Programme was launched in May 2016 and takes into account the new set of challenges faced by North Africa and the Middle East, while ensuring close cooperation with the Arab League and its member States. In addition, UNODC continued to enhance its close cooperation with the six States members of the Gulf Cooperation Council and the Council’s General Secretariat, under its strategic partnership with the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, which was endorsed in conjunction with the Regional Programme. 74. In close partnership with the League of Arab States and the 18 Arab countries covered by the regional programme, UNODC organized the annual meeting of the steering and follow-up committee. The meeting was held in Cairo on 16 and 17 November 2016 and was attended by representatives from the ministries of interior, justice and health from participating countries. Participants engaged in extensive consultations on substantive matters, expressed concerns over shared threats and reached consensus on shared responses, notably with regard to the developing and expanding links between terrorist and organized criminal groups involved in trafficking, including drug trafficking. The meeting resulted in an outcome document reaffirming the commitment of Member States to the partnership with UNODC and the League and outlining a broad range of recommendations setting
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priorities for the year, including a call to strengthen border controls and regional cooperation to counter organized crime, including drug trafficking, to support the establishment of a regional observatory to study drug use trends and to promote evidence-based responses to drug use, treatment and care. 75. During the reporting period, the Middle East was affected both as a production and transit zone and as a destination for global drug trafficking flows, including heroin and other opiates originating in Afghanistan, cocaine from South America and, as a continuously growing concern, amphetamine-type stimulants, especially in the form of “captagon” tablets, which are also produced within the region. Cannabis resin is both trafficked to and produced in the region. At the same time, the misuse of synthetic opioids, in particular tramadol, is a growing concern in the Middle East, with reported seizures of illicit shipments jumping from 310 kg in 2012 to 22 tons in 2014. 76. To address those flows, as well as other forms of illicit trafficking and organized crime, UNODC is supporting a multifaceted approach focusing on enhanced border controls and regional cooperation, including through strengthened container and airport controls and enhanced capacities to secure selected land border crossing points and key hub cities along trafficking routes in the region. In addition, the UNODC approach focuses on enhancing investigation capacities for intelligence-led investigations aimed at dismantling criminal networks rather than carrying out individual seizures. 77. While the implementation of that approach initially focused on the countries of the Maghreb, UNODC aims to increasingly expand such assistance to authorities in the Middle East. In this regard, UNODC cooperated with Egypt to provide advanced training on criminal information analysis, inter-agency coordination and regional cooperation to officials involved in the investigation of organized crime, including drug trafficking and terrorism. Furthermore, UNODC, the Egyptian Anti-Narcotics General Administration and the French Central Office for the Suppression of Drug Trafficking partnered to deliver a training course on drug-related investigations and undercover operation techniques to Egyptian officers. The training course also led to an effective exchange of operational information between the General Administration and the Central Office. 78. The Container Control Programme continued to actively support Member States in the region in countering container-based trafficking, with joint port control units active in the ports of Aqaba, Jordan, and Sohar, Oman. In Jordan, an inter-agency container control team is now also operational in Queen Alia International Airport. Following a formal expression of interest by the Government, UNODC expects to support the operationalization of joint port control units in three major ports in the country. Consultations are also ongoing with Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. Moreover, Oman has expressed a formal interest in expanding the Container Control Programme to the seaports of Salala and Dokum and to Muscat International Airport. UNODC expects to operationalize these in the course of the coming year. In March 2017, the Sohar joint port control unit intercepted and inspected two containers on the basis of information received from the joint port control unit in Peru through the dedicated ContainerCOMM communication platform and transmitted, through the Container Control Programme, information on a third profiled container to port authorities at Jebel Ali port, United Arab Emirates, thereby showcasing the programme’s effectiveness as a basis for international cooperation in addressing container-based trafficking flows. 79. In addition, the Airport Communication Project (AIRCOP) is increasingly active in the Middle East as a platform allowing authorities to better detect and interdict suspicious and high-risk passengers and airfreight to counter criminal activities, including drug trafficking. The programme is being implemented in consultation with several Governments in the region with a view to tailoring the initiative to national contexts and needs. During the first half of 2017, national training courses on passenger profiling and targeting were conducted for law enforcement officers at
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Rafic Hariri Airport in Lebanon and Queen Alia International Airport in Jordan. In the coming months the project will support several countries in the region in establishing an advance passenger information and passenger name records system. 80. In the Gulf region, in line with the approach jointly developed with regional and national key stakeholders, UNODC focuses on supporting the States members of the Gulf Cooperation Council in adopting comprehensive and evidence-based drug control strategies, balanced in terms of emphasis between drug supply and demand reduction and tailored to national needs and priorities. The UNODC Office for the Gulf Cooperation Council Countries provided technical support to strengthen key stakeholders’ skills and capabilities in identifying and informing the development of such strategies and to intensify their understanding of international standards related to the prevention of drug use. Building on that initial phase, UNODC has started to engage relevant stakeholders in identifying tailored programmes to support their role in implementing the strategies. Furthermore, the strategic partnership with Gulf Cooperation Council countries provides UNODC with a framework within which to engage Member States, in cooperation with global, interregional and regional initiatives, with a view to helping them to maximize their responses to the current drug and crime threats in the region. 81. Within the framework of an overarching partnership on drug control and crime prevention, in August 2016 UNODC and the Ministry of the Interior of the United Arab Emirates signed an agreement to deploy the goCASE software and related services. The provision of that information technology solution as a system for integrated case management and intelligence analysis is part of a comprehensive package of services to support law enforcement agencies in their efforts to curb drug trafficking. In January 2017, UNODC conducted a pre-production mission to deliver initial training for the selected administrators of the software and to meet with the designated task force to identify features to be customized to the actual needs of the Federal Anti-Narcotics Department. 82. Within its ongoing strategic partnership programme with Abu Dhabi Police Forensic Evidence Department, in July 2017 the UNODC Office for the Gulf Cooperation Council Countries delivered a training-of-trainers course for selected officers from the Department. Completion of the course constitutes a major initial step towards establishing the training capacity and resources of the Department to disseminate good forensic evidence practices in the broader region, thereby further promoting the reliance of criminal justice systems on quality forensic evidence and practices in keeping with international standards. Moreover, the Department has expressed an increasing interest in drug characterization and profiling. Initial steps have been taken to operationalize a national drug profiling team under the guidance of UNODC. Notwithstanding the fact that this programme is in its early stages, the Department is making progress towards strengthening cooperation with relevant departments mandated to curb drugs by advocating the importance of providing high quality chemical analysis of drugs in addition to the analysis of other characteristics of drugs and operational information from the field. UNODC will intensify its efforts to continue supporting and guide the Department in that endeavour. 83. The UNODC Office for the Gulf Cooperation Council Countries continued to leverage its partnership with the Council’s Criminal Information Centre to Combat Drugs with a view to further strengthening regional cooperation in addressing drug trafficking by supporting its roles as a hub for information-sharing and as the drug supply observatory for the Gulf Cooperation Council countries. UNODC also continued to engage both the Centre and the Gulf Cooperation Council police force in taking an active part in interregional cooperation initiatives to stem illicit drug trafficking flows such as, the Networking the Networks initiative, the Indian Ocean Forum on Maritime Crime and the Paris Pact initiative. The Centre became a full member of the Paris Pact initiative in February 2017. 84. As part of the ongoing cooperation with the Dubai Police General Headquarters, UNODC co-hosted the twelfth annual Hemaya international forum on drug control
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issues from 26 to 28 September 2016. The forum gathered multidisciplinary experts from across the Arab region (counter-narcotics law enforcement, forensic services, the health and social sectors and academia) to share regional and national experiences, knowledge and good practices in relation to eliminating stimulants, in particular amphetamines and “captagon”. UNODC trained selected participants on identifying international, regional and national responses to control amphetamines and “captagon”, as well as the use of quality forensic services for both investigative purposes and controlling amphetamine-type stimulants and “captagon”. 85. As part of the strategic partnership with the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, UNODC continues to encourage member States to participate in the UNODC Global Programme against Money Laundering, Proceeds of Crime and the Financing of Terrorism, which is key to supporting Member States in effectively preventing drug offences and other crimes. Since 2016, UNODC has been engaging the United Arab Emirates in a tailored training programme to assist financial investigation capabilities in combating illicit financial flows related to transnational organized crime and terrorism, in addition to supporting the deployment of the goAML software, following the signature of a service level agreement to that effect. 86. In May 2017, UNODC partnered with Naufar, a newly established drug dependence treatment centre based in Doha, in delivering the first Naufar international conference, on the theme “Opioid addiction and interdisciplinary treatment informed by wellness”. Following an official expression of interest on the part of Naufar, UNODC and the centre have agreed upon the terms of a partnership agreement to implement a comprehensive programme of technical cooperation on drug demand reduction, specifically to promote the implementation of the outcomes of the special session of the General Assembly on the world drug problem and international standards related to both drug treatment and prevention across the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council, the Middle East and North Africa and Southern Europe. In the United Arab Emirates, UNODC is working on the operationalization of a programme to train the labour agency on its role in supporting the social reintegration of both released inmates and rehabilitated drug users. 87. UNODC continued to advocate an ethical and evidence-based approach and health response to drug demand, as well as to the social consequences of drug use, relying on coordination with a wide range of actors within the United Nations regional and country teams and beyond. UNODC also promoted good practices and networking among countries on the key interventions that prevent HIV among people who inject drugs, in particular opioid substitution therapy and other drug dependence treatment, as an essential part of the comprehensive package of the World Health Organization, UNODC and the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS. In 2017, UNODC launched a new comprehensive regional project as a platform to further strengthen the cooperation with Member States in the Middle East and North Africa region in that regard. In this context, in August 2017 UNODC organized a national workshop on the nature, prevention and treatment of drug use disorders for policymakers from 11 ministries in Egypt. 88. To provide baseline data for an analysis of and the response to drug use in the Arab region, UNODC has conducted several studies, including feasibility studies in Egypt and the State of Palestine on opioid substitution therapy, with the aim of developing an operational model, gathering the support of key decision makers through a national task force and moving forward towards piloting opioid substitution therapy in the community. In this context, UNODC continued to support the State of Palestine in implementing its opioid substitution therapy programme. In Egypt, UNODC is advocating a pilot opioid substitution therapy programme, to be based on the feasibility study. 89. As health in prisons and other closed settings is closely connected to the health of the wider society, UNODC has developed and launched a regional project on HIV and AIDS prevention, treatment and care and support in prison settings in the Middle East and North Africa. The objective of the project is to promote and support
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the development of normative guidance, evidence-based HIV policies and programmes on HIV prevention, treatment and care in prisons in the region. Through the project, UNODC is currently providing technical assistance to three prisons in Egypt, as well as other countries in the wider region.
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