About UNODC in Afghanistan
History of UNODC in the Region
As a spin-off of the Regional Office in South West Asia, based in Islamabad (Pakistan), in 1989 UNODC opened a satellite office in Peshawar (Pakistan) to carry out cross-border operations in Afghanistan. The Office of the Representative was established in Kabul in 1991 while the project office remained in Peshawar. Due to security concerns and civil war, the office was again relocated to Islamabad, Pakistan in 1992. With the fall of the Taliban regime in 2001 and the establishment of the Afghan Interim Government following the Bonn Agreement, the country office was reopened in Kabul, Afghanistan in 2002.
Vision
UNODC aims to contribute to stability and development in a nation plagued by problems of drugs and crime. The agency helps the Afghan government to change this situation by providing evidence-based policy advice, and guiding the delivery of effective counter-narcotics and criminal justice interventions. UNODC's activities are closely coordinated within the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA).
As a smaller 'boutique organization' within the broad scope of international actors operating in Afghanistan, UNODC can multiply its impact by joining forces at the operational field level, with partners, including non-governmental, bilateral and multilateral actors.
Strategic Focus
In Afghanistan, impact at grassroots level demands national and regional action. Progress at the local level can greatly affected by events occurring on a larger scale outside. On the other hand, where insecurity inhibits action, national or cross-border interventions can positively influence local trends. UNODC therefore strives at the national and regional levels to shape the conditions for grassroots success through its country program and the regional Rainbow Strategy.
UNODC its expertise and specialized geographic focus to select as priority provinces, including Herat, Farah, Nimroz, Ghor and Kandahar. This selection reflects the balance of:
- Significance in efforts to contain opium cultivation and instability;
- Proximity to Iran, inviting UNODC to use its neutral status to assuage mutual concerns about international action near sensitive borders;
- Relatively low attention given to these provinces by others;
- Accessibility to the UNODC.
UNODC has limited financial means and therefore seeks to maximize its impact through partnerships. Action is steered by its comparative advantages as a neutral UN body with specialist expertise in drugs and crime, and the access to facilitate not only Afghan but also regional participation. The integrated structure of UNODC further encourages it to link counter-narcotics, criminal justice and research, advocacy and information, livelihood and development, conflict prevention and management, governance, rule of law and stabilisation, demand reduction and HIV/AIDS prevention, human trafficking and migration,- exploiting the synergies between them and partnering with the respective organizations furthering these goals.
UNODC Country Office Representative Jean-Luc Lemahieu. Read his welcome message .
| REPRESENTATIVE: | Mr. Jean-Luc LEMAHIEU |
| PROVINCIAL OFFICES: | Kabul (HQ), Mazar-i-Sharif, Jalalabad, Herat, Faizabad, Kandahar |
| CURRENT PORTFOLIO: | 7 priority areas; 21 projects |
| DELIVERY FORECAST FOR 2010: | USD $25,000,000 |
| PROGRAMME VOLUME: | USD $84,000,000 |
| STAFF MEMBERS:
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180 |