United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime

East Asia and Pacific

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		Project Code and Sector Project Background and Justification Objective, Outputs and Main Activities Execution modality and implementation arrangements

VNM/U62 - Policy advice and technical support to the Government of Viet Nam in implementation of the drug control and crime prevention programme

1. Project Code and Sector

2. Project Background and Justification

In spite of efforts made in the past years, the drug problem in Viet Nam remains a major problem related to human safety and public security in the course of national development. The drug problem is unfolding in an ever more complicated manner causing great concern among the population.

Although opium poppy cultivation in Viet Nam has been substantially reduced to insignificant level (99 ha in 2008), the current drug trends feature in increasing drug abuse and illicit trafficking which entail HIV infection and drug-related crimes in consequence.

There were 173,603 drug users recorded countrywide by the end of 2008, including 97,731 in the community (56.29%); 31,225 in the drug treatment centres (17.99%), and 44,647 in prisons (25.72%).

Drug trafficking cases discovered in the recent years were characterized with more organized and international networks operating on large scale to have trafficked bigger amounts of drugs in a long period before they were discovered.

With regard to crime problems, Viet Nam has seen a rise in the number of criminal cases from 60,000 in the 1990s to 80,000 in 2000 (33%). According to the Police Academy, the current statistics on crime in Viet Nam range from 60,000 to 100,000 cases per year.

The national drug control programme for the period 2006-2010 is coming to the final stage of implementation. The National Drug Control Committee set it a target to elaborate a comprehensive strategy for the next five years to address the problem with a vision to 2020.

With regards to crime field, the process of legal and judicial reform in Viet Nam is ongoing. The reform exercises include reviewing the current laws and statutory regulations, making new laws, consolidating institutional structure and organizational arrangement, strengthening the capacity of the law enforcement and judiciary agencies, and promoting international cooperation including ratification and implementation of the UN conventions and international treaties.

The Penal Code has been revised and the Law on Amendment and Supplement to the Penal Code was adopted by the National Assembly in June 2009. The Government has approved the National Strategy for Prevention and Combating Corruption, and the President signed the approval of Viet Nam accession to the UN Convention against Corruption on 30 June 2009.

However, there remain institutional constraints overarching the drug, and crime and human trafficking issue areas.  They are related to lack of qualified personnel, lack of reliable data, and lack of inter-agency cooperation for tackling substantive drug problems and drug-related crimes. Also, specific thematic constraints include inadequate legislation and judicial system to ensure effective law enforcement and compliance with international conventions; lack of diversified modality and effective, evidence-based approach to drug prevention treatment and rehabilitation, and harm reduction interventions in prevention of HIV/AIDS.

UNODC has expanded its support to the Government to the anti-crime programme since 2003 through supporting projects on human trafficking, money laundering, domestic violence, forest crime and smuggling of migrants.

3. Objective, Outputs and Main Activities

Support to the Government of Viet Nam in formulation and implementation of the drug control, and crime prevention programmes 2008-2011.

Outcomes:

• National capacity enhanced to conduct review and assessment of the implementation of drug control, and crime prevention programmes.
• The implementation of drug control, and crime prevention programme assessed and the review results used for formulation of the national strategy and national target programme on drugs control, and crime prevention for the period 2011-2015.
• Support provided to the Government in formulation exercises of the national social economic development strategy (SEDS) and national social economic plan (SEDP) for the period 2011-2015.
• The national drug control strategy to 2020 with a vision to 2030 formulated and approved by the Government.
• The national strategy on crime prevention for period 2011-2020 formulated and approved by the Government.
• National Target Programme on drug control period 2011-2015 developed for the Government's endorsement and budget allocation, and to solicit interest of donors, raise funds and develop partnership.
• National Target Programme on human trafficking prevention period 2010-2015 developed for the Government's endorsement and budget allocation, and to solicit interest of donors, raise funds and develop partnership.
• Communication activities and promotional campaigns carried out to enhance public awareness and sensitize human security, health and development issues related to drugs, and crime for appropriate action.

Outputs:
Output 1: Formulation of the National Drug Control Strategy
Output 2: Development of the National Target Programme on Drugs Prevention and Control for period 2011-2015

Output 3: Formulation of the National action plan on crime prevention 2011-2015
Output 4: Development of the National Target Programme on Human Trafficking Prevention and Control for period 2010-2015
Output 5: Thematic support on drug law enforcement
Output 5: Communication activities and promotional campaigns

4. Execution modality and implementation arrangements

This project will be executed by UNODC Country Office through direct execution modality. The implementing agency will be the Standing Office on Drugs and Crime (SODC).The cooperating agencies include relevant line ministries to coordinate national counterparts and mobilize human resources to carry out the project activities. SODC will be responsible for the implementation of project activities in consultation with UNODC Viet Nam.

UNODC will apply direct execution modality in the management of project budget. SODC will submit specific proposal for particular activities to be carried out in the project, with cost estimate according to the UN/EU cost norm to UNODC for approval on ad-hoc basis.    

UNODC Country Office will use the administrative and financial services rendered by UNDP in implementation of the project activities in accordance with the working arrangement signed between the two agencies.
The project implementation will be executed at the direction of the UNODC Office Manager and under direct supervision of the programme backstopping staff in Viet Nam Country Office.

SODC will prepare and submit report on the performance of particular activities upon completion to UNODC along with relevant supporting documents.