Action plan for post opium scenario

Statement by Leik Boonwaat, UNODC Representative to the Lao PDR
At the Consultation Meeting on the Draft Action Plan for the Post Opium Scenario,
25 August 2006, at the Don Chanh Palace in Vientiane

Your Excellency Mr. Soubanh Srithirath, Minister to the President's Office and Chairperson of the Lao National Commission for Drug Control & Supervision

Excellencies,
Distinguished Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

This year on the 14 ^th February, the Lao PDR declared its success in being able to reduce illicit opium cultivation to insignificant levels. After 7 years of hard efforts opium poppy cultivation was brought down by over 93%, from nearly 27,000 ha in 1998 to just 1,800 ha in 2005. Opium addiction was brought down by over 82% from 63,000 to 11,200 by mid 2006.

This has been a remarkable achievement and the Government of Laos and its people must be congratulated for their success. In early February 2006, UNODC and the Government of the Lao PDR carried out helicopter surveys.  The results indicate a slight but insignificant rise in area under cultivation from 1,800 in 2005 to 2,515 ha in 2006. The Lao Government reports more than 1500 hectares were eradicated. However this underlines the point that the elimination is fragile. UNODC socio-economic impact surveys carried out in 2005 indicate that 50% of former opium poppy cultivating communities could revert to replanting opium poppy for lack of suitable alternative livelihoods.

Some former opium producers are able to make more from other alternative livelihoods than they used to from opium.   But many former opium poppy farmers are just coping and the coping strategies adopted are not sustainable and could be contributing to greater environmental damage.  

China eliminated opium in 1952, and launched massive poverty alleviation and resettlement programs for former opium producing communities. In Thailand, alternative development projects have been supported by many donors since the 1970s. Thailand eliminated opium in 1993 and the Royal Project continue to support highland villagers who once grew opium poppy. Vietnam eliminated opium in 1998 and simultaneously launched a socio-economic development program called ''program 135'' that contributed to improving conditions in former opium producing regions.

The Lao Government is launching a new action plan to address the issues arising in the post opium setting. It targets communities living in some 1000 villages in the north of Laos. These communities have been identified as being the poorest of the poor from former opium producing villages that are considered as still requiring assistance. Providing urgent assistance is essential in the critical transitional period of 3-4 years to allow former farmers to adopt non opium based alternative livelihoods.

Assistance is required to integrate identified villages into on-going, planned and future development programmes and projects. There is a need to also develop new projects in areas that are not covered by other development assistance. This assistance has to continue in the immediate post opium setting until all areas are fully integrated into mainstream poverty eradication and national socio-economic development processes.

The country is very close to becoming opium free but much more needs to be done. It is time now to increase and not decrease assistance to Laos. Support for the action plan is necessary and assistance must be provided to enable the former opium poppy farmers the means to develop alternative livelihoods, provide treatment to remaining addicts and prevent new addictions.

The income that farmers used to get from opium was never very much. Most of the profits were made by traffickers. Interviews with former farmers indicate that many received only about US$30 to US$ 40 in cash. While this does not seem much it did mean new clothes for the family during the New Year, medicines in time of illness and school books for the children. A pig, two goats or 15  would sell for US$ 50, bringing more income than opium. A cow can be sold for US$ 200.

What is needed to sustain opium elimination is not very much. However it is of utmost importance that a sustained human development process is ensured. Former opium farmers and former opium addicts must feel that their lives continue to improve and that they are not forgotten by the outside world.

Programs are also being developed to address other pressing and immediate issues such as ATS trafficking and abuse, injecting drug use and HIV, corruption and money laundering as well as strengthening legislation, the judiciary and law enforcement capacities to deal with the increasing challenges of drugs and crime.

It is crucial for the Lao Government, regional countries, the international community and all development partners to get together in a joint coordinated effort and provide the assistance that is urgently required. Together we can help make this most recent victory against drugs, a decisive and lasting one. Thank you.