News and Events
2007
7 June 2007: Long Service Awards
On 7 June 2007, a Long Service Award ceremony was held at United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Myanmar Country Office in Yangon.
Ten UN staff members were awarded with a certificate of appreciation to commemorate their long term commitment and service to the United Nations.
Nine of the recipients were from UNDP, whilst one - Ms. Khyn Hla Munn - was from UNODC Myanmar Office. Ms. Khyn Hla Munn is the Senior Programme Analyst at UNODC Myanmar Office, where she has been working since 1984.
Only one year ago, in 2006, Ms. Khyn Hla Munn received a 20 years award certificate from UNODC in recognition of dedicated service to promoting Social Development and Human Security.
2006
15 December 2006: Long Service Awards
In recognition of their dedicated services to promoting Social Development and Human Security, Ms. Khyn Hla Munn and Mr. Selywn Hpu were presented with certificates by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. The certificates were presented to them by Country Representative Mr. Shariq Bin Raza.
Ms. Khyn Hla Munn currently serves as the Senior Programme Analyst. She has been working for UNODC since 1984.
Mr. Selwyn Hpu currently serving as IT Associate, Global Field Office Support Team, Information Technology Service has worked in various positions with UNODC Myanmar since 1996.
13 October 2006: The Launch of the 2006 Golden Triangle Opium Survey in Yangon
 On 13 October 2006, UNODC and the Central Committee for Drug Abuse Control (CCDAC) hosted the launch of the 2006 Golden Triangle Opium Survey in Yangon.
The Survey is the result of joint efforts between the Myanmar government and the UN agency to monitor illicit crop cultivation and production in the country.The event was attended by diplomatic missions, representatives of UN agencies, members of the press and officials from partner NGOs. Pol.Col. Hkam Awng of CCDAC and Mr. Shariq Bin Raza, Representative of UNODC in Myanmar presided the launch.Mr. Xavier Bouan, UNODC's Regional Illicit Crop Monitoring Expert presented a summary of the survey findings.
The UNODC survey highlights the continuous decline that the opium poppy cultivation share of the Golden Triangle has been experiencing, with a decrease from 66 per cent in 1998 to only 12 per cent in 2006. This makes the region a distant second to the main source of opium today, Afghanistan (where 165,000 hectares of land were cultivated in 2006).
In Myanmar, opium poppy cultivation declined by 34 per cent to 21,500 hectares between 2005 and 2006, which represents an 83 per cent fall since 1998, the year of UNGASS. Following the 2005 opium ban in Wa Special Region 2, cultivation has virtually ended in this area of the country, largely explaining the overall decline in opium poppy cultivation
 in Myanmar. Indications of a limited balloon effect however were recorded in South Shan state where opium poppy cultivation increased by 39 per cent from 2005 and currently account for 72 per cent of national cultivation.
Despite the encouraging trends, much work remains to be done. UNODC Representative Shariq Bin Raza called on the international community to continue providing assistance to eradicate opium cultivation in a sustainable way. Mr. Raza stressed that 'the government and its development partners need to ensure food security and create alternative means of income for the farmers', and emphasized that 'failing to do so may lead to a humanitarian disaster and human misery in Myanmar'.
(See the full report :
Opium Cultivation in the Golden Triangle 2006)
27 June 2006: UNODC Commemorates the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking by recognizing Myanmar children's talents
On occasion of the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, UNODC Myanmar organized an award ceremony and poster exhibition on June 27 2006, in which children from Lashio (in Nothern Shan State) were recognized for their artistic skills.
 As it has been the tradition during past years, the UNODC Lashio Outreach Project organises an annual poster competition that draws competitors from this city to demonstrate their drawing skills. The theme of the drawings is based on the slogan chosen by UNODC each year and the entries are divided into two categories: children, of ages 4 to 10, and professionals.
This year's slogan, "Drugs are not child's play," was of particular relevance to the competition as it contains a direct message to children and children's care givers. It also reminds us of the importance that education and awareness has in creating an enabling environment where children and youth can make better informed choices about how to live their lives away from drugs.
The poster competition provided undoubtedly an opportunity to increase awareness among various audiences. Simultaneously, it encouraged children to express their opinions on drug abuse through art as well as allow adults to see children's perspectives on the consequences of drug abuse. Lashio has a considerably high rate of drug abuse and it is estimated to have a significantly high rate of injecting drug use. UNODC implements various demand reduction projects in this area.
The winners of the competition, three children and three adults, were invited to participate in the award ceremony held in Yangon, which was attended by representatives of the international community, including UN, INGO and NGO representatives, embassy officials and the media, as well as local authorities. All entries were displayed at the ceremony and the winners were awarded by UN representatives.
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