JICA President Akihiko Tanaka met with Mr. Ghada Fathi Worley, Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), at JICA Headquarters on July 4. During the meeting, a Grant Agreement (G/A) of up to 1,514 million yen was signed for the grant assistance to the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan under the “Counter Narcotics Capacity Building Program (implemented through UN collaboration/UNODC)”. At the beginning of the meeting, President Tanaka expressed his appreciation for the collaboration between the two parties through grant assistance to Afghanistan. In response, Director General Worley explained UNODC’s efforts in Africa, Southeast Asia, and other regions, and expressed his desire to further deepen cooperation between the two organizations. They also exchanged views on counter-narcotics support in Afghanistan and the importance of improving law enforcement capacity in Africa and other regions. Afterwards, they signed a grant agreement for the “Counter Narcotics Capacity Enhancement Program (implemented by UN Partnership/UNODC)” for the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. President Tanaka (left) and Secretary General Worley at the meeting
In Afghanistan, amidst an unprecedented economic and humanitarian crisis caused by years of conflict and unrest, the rate of illegal drug use is increasing, and health problems are becoming more serious. Poppy, one of the raw material crops of illegal drugs, was at one time produced in Afghanistan for more than 80% of the world’s production. The ban on the cultivation of poppy and other plants used to produce illegal drugs in Afghanistan in 2022 will significantly reduce poppy cultivation in Afghanistan, and many of the farmers who cultivated poppy at that time have been forced to leave the country. Many of the farmers who were growing poppy at that time have started growing alternative crops such as wheat. However, income from alternative crops has decreased significantly, and there are concerns about resuming poppy cultivation, which is expected to provide higher income.
This project will contribute to SDG Goal 1 (Eliminate poverty) and Goal 3 (Health and welfare for all) by promoting the cultivation of alternative poppy crops and the renovation of treatment facilities for illicit drug users in three provinces in Afghanistan, where poppy cultivation has been particularly active. We will contribute to SDG Goal 1 (Eliminate poverty) and Goal 3 (Health and well-being for all).
The details of the project are as follows
Project Basic Information
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