Issue 3, April - June 2007 perspectives Afghanistan Behind the opium tragedy perspectives 2 Issue 3, April-June 2007 perspectives Editorial Editor Norha Restrepo Assistant editor Raggie Johansen Layout and design Nancy Cao Production Melitta Borovansky-König Distribution Marie-Therese Kiriaky Contact information Photo: Alessandro Scotti Advocacy Section United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime During the past few decades, the international community has made Vienna International Centre much progress in tackling the global drug problem. Coca cultiva- P.O. Box 500 tion has stabilized in the Andean region and the once infamous 1400 Vienna Austria Golden Triangle—Laos, Myanmar and Thailand—is now practi- cally opium-free. Tel.: (+43-1) 26060 4141 But serious challenges remain. The most urgent is the recent Fax: (+43-1) 26060 5850 boom in opium poppy cultivation in Afghanistan, where approxi- E-mail: [email protected] mately 90 per cent of the world’s opium is currently produced. Website: www.unodc.org/newsletter Through the arresting images of photojournalist and UNODC Goodwill Ambassador Alessandro Scotti, this issue of Perspectives aims to give readers a close look at different aspects of the opium The opinions expressed in the arti- trade. In an interview, UNODC Representative in Afghanistan cles are not necessarily those of Christina Oguz offers hope that the situation can and will improve. UNODC. In Afghanistan and elsewhere, the link between drugs, crime This publication has not been for- and terrorism is obvious. The drugs trade, a billion-dollar business, mally edited. attracts criminal and terrorist groups which have the power to destroy lives and communities and to weaken States. Responding to this threat to peace and security requires concerted action based Printed in Slovakia on the principle of shared responsibility. Drug producing, transit and consumer countries are all in it together. The Commission on Narcotic Drugs is instrumental in defining common priorities and strategies to counter the global drug prob- lem. As the central policy-making body within the United Nations system dealing with drug-related matters, the Commission analy- Cover: ses the world drug situation and develops proposals to strengthen Afghan woman smokes heroin the international drug control system. Perspectives presents a retro- under her burka. spective of the Commission’s achievements after its fiftieth session Photo: Alessandro Scotti in Vienna in March. We also examine the role which specialist lab- oratories, including UNODC’s, play in drug control efforts. Colombian musician César López has demonstrated that artists, musicians and ordinary citizens can help to fight violence. Tired of terrorism, crime and violence in his home country, López has created the escopetarra, a unique instrument of peace—a guitar made from an AK 47 assault rifle. You can read about his work with UNODC in Colombia, campaigning for an end to violence. Get ready to listen to a different tune! Norha Restrepo Editor 3 Contents Contents 2 Editorial 50th session of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs 4 A closer look at what this UNODC governing body has achieved so far Laboratory science: More than just drug control 6 UNODC shares its expertise with laboratories worldwide 8-17 Special feature on Afghanistan 8 Photo survey by UNODC Goodwill Ambassador Photojournalist Alessandro Scotti’s impressions of the country and its people 14 Interview with the UNODC Representative Christina Oguz is optimistic about Afghanistan’s future 16 The Security Council and Afghanistan UNODC Executive Director briefs the Security Council on opium cultivation 17 Facts on opium poppy cultivation Escopetarra: Instrument of peace 18 Colombian musician César López raises awareness about gun-related violence The Global Initiative to Fight Human Trafficking 22 UNODC calls for a comprehensive response to this crime Drug Abuse Prevention Center 23 A Japanese NGO and its young ambassadors reaffirm their support for UNODC Financial Crime Congress 23 Finding solutions to the increase in Internet-based crime and fraud perspectives 4 XXXX2007 SCIENTIFIC SUPPORT Laboratory science: More than just drug control By Raggie Johansen For more than 50 years, laboratory a lab behind it to make sure that the seized material was expertise has played a critical role indeed an illegal drug and not simply flour or sugar.” in United Nations drug control The main purpose of the UNODC Laboratory and efforts. The role of laboratories in Scientific Section is to assist Member States in devel- modern society, however, is much oping drug laboratory capacity and expertise, particu- larly at the national level. Its staff train scientists, run broader than drug control. Although quality control programmes, develop internationally they impact on areas such as law recognized analytical methods and guidelines and pro- enforcement, criminal justice and vide drug reference samples as well as laboratory health care, their contribution is equipment. seldom recognized. The recent session of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs, the key United Nations policy-making organ on drug-related issues, recognized the importance of labo- “Labs generally have low visibility,” says Barbara ratory expertise and expressed concern over the differ- Remberg, acting Chief of the UNODC Laboratory and ences in technical sophistication between Member Scientific Section. “For example, if there’s a large drug States’ laboratory and scientific services. The seizure somewhere, law enforcement and customs offi- Commission urged UNODC and countries with more cials get lots of recognition and publicity. But there was advanced facilities to assist those with fewer resources. A laboratory technican prepares a field test kit for preliminary identification of drugs. UNODC has distributed around 10,000 such kits worldwide 5 Scientific Support Having an up-to-date, properly equipped laboratory staffed by professionals takes a lot of resources. It is expensive to set up and maintain, and demands contin- uous investment in equipment, staff development and drug samples for training. As the results of this are usu- ally not seen immediately, many resource-strapped countries prioritize other tasks. However, as Remberg explains, lack of laboratory capacity can impact profoundly on a society. For exam- ple, if the police cannot identify drugs found on detainees, prosecutions become difficult. And if emer- gency room doctors, particularly in countries where many rely on poorly funded public hospitals, have no way of knowing which drug a patient has been abusing, they will have trouble giving proper treatment. In his opening statement to the CND, Thomas Schweich, United States Principal Deputy Assistant The staff of the UNODC Laboratory and Scientific Section Secretary of State for International Narcotics and Law All Photos: Melitta Borovansky-König Enforcement Affairs, asked: “How can we stay on top of regulating newly-created chemical substances?” And it is, indeed, a challenge to stay abreast of rapidly chang- ing drugs in today’s global market. drugs. For example, potassium permanganate is used Drug precursor chemicals also keep evolving. worldwide as a disinfectant and for water purification, Sandeep Chawla, Chief of UNODC’s Policy Analysis among other purposes. However, it is also used illicitly and Research Branch, explains that precursors are read- to turn coca plant material into cocaine. Therefore, it ily available chemicals for use in a range of industries. is important to ensure that dozens of precursor chemi- At the same time, they are crucial for producing illicit cals do not end up in the hands of criminals. High-quality drug analysis facilities and expertise form part of the answer to Schweich’s question, as leg- A laboratory technican prepares drug islators and policymakers depend on laboratories to pro- samples for analysis vide them with accurate information on the production methods, precursor chemicals and composition of new drugs. Only through consistent investments in scientif- ic capacity can countries ensure that national policy and legislation keep up with the rapid developments in illic- it drug manufacturing. Over the years, UNODC has assisted 175 laborato- ries in 120 countries, and trained almost 800 drug ana- lysts. It also provides, for a nominal fee, drug and precursor field test kits for quick and simple preliminary identification by police officers. These kits can be tai- lored to the drug situation in the recipient’s region. Around 10,000 kits have been distributed so far. UNODC’s quality assurance programme gives labo- ratories an opportunity to continually review their per- formance. Using their standard procedures, participating facilities analyse UNODC-provided drug and precursor samples, and send their results back to Vienna. “Labs from all over the world participate in this scheme,” Remberg says. “Once we receive the results, we prepare a detailed report comparing their analytic findings, anonymously of course, so that the labs know where they stand.” Having successfully provided drug analysis expertise for years, the UNODC Laboratory and Scientific Section is currently expanding its work by moving into forensics, aiming to assist Member States to use labora- tory science in the fight against crime. perspectives 6 Issue 3, April-June 2007 An opium farmer in north-east Afghanistan is thankful for the harvest. In 2006, cultivation in his province increased by 77 per cent. 7 Afghanistan Afghanistan The world’s top opium producer is