HIV/AIDS Prevention for Police Force in Myanmar (MYA/03/H75)

Introduction

At the June 1998 UN General Assembly Special Session (UNGASS) on Drugs, it was requested that UNODC - then UNDCP - provide technical and funding assistance to requesting Member States to implement monitoring systems that will enable them to collect reliable and internationally comparable data. Furthermore, UNODC was asked to analyse these data and report to the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) on global trends in illicit drug production.

In line with this mandate, UNODC developed a global programme to implement national systems to monitor the cultivation and yields of illicit crops. The Global Illicit Crop Monitoring Programme is made of one global support project and seven national projects - Afghanistan, Myanmar, Laos, Morocco, Colombia, Bolivia and Peru.

The monitoring of illicit crops is also an integral part of sub-regional drug control strategies and cooperation instruments in South East Asia, as reflected in the Sub-regional Action Plan of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) of the 6 Greater Mekong Countries, as well as the ASEAN and China Cooperative Operations in Response to Dangerous Drugs (ACCORD) Action Plan. In the context of both sub-regional cooperation frameworks, the improvement of national and sub-regional capacities to identify and measure opium poppy cultivation was agreed upon. The ACCORD Action Plan, launched in October 2000, stated that "participating countries will improve national and sub-regional capacities to identify and measure illicit crop cultivation. An internationally reliable methodology for poppy monitoring and verification that employs the use of satellite, aerial and ground survey data is being developed and should be applied to the region as soon as possible".

In 2001, UNODC initiated a limited survey covering 20% of the Shan State, the largest opium producing state in Myanmar. This focused survey demonstrated the feasibility of implementing ground survey activities in areas of the Shan State where access is possible. It further emphasised the benefit of ground access to collect ancillary information such as opium yield, opium farm-gate prices and addiction rates.

In 2002, a large-scale survey was launched by UNODC to cover the entire Shan State. The aim of subsequent activities has been to build upon the experience acquired in 2001 and 2002, to establish a robust illicit crop monitoring system in Myanmar.

The immediate objective of this programme is to provide national authorities, regional and sub-regional cooperation mechanisms, as well as the CND and the international community at large, with accurate and verifiable estimates on the extent and evolution of illicit opium cultivation in Myanmar. [ top]

Objective and Strategy

Project Goal: To provide national authorities, regional and sub-regional cooperation mechanisms, as well as the CND and the international community at large, with accurate and verifiable estimates on the extent and evolution of illicit opium cultivation in Myanmar.

The tangible outcome is the implementation of the national Opium Survey on an annual basis, while at the same time, enhancing the capability of national authorities to collect relevant data on illicit opium production.

The surveys are carried out jointly by the CCDAC and UNODC/ICMP. While UNODC is the executing agency, the implementation work is sub-contracted to national authorities under the overall supervision of the CCDAC. The project is implemented under the technical supervision of the ICMP to guarantee transparency, accuracy and quality at all steps of the survey. [ top]

Methodology

The methodology relies on satellite imagery and a sample ground survey approach. The very large and mostly mountainous areas the survey covers dictate this choice. A random sample of villages is surveyed in detail and, by using statistical techniques; the findings from the sample are extrapolated to the largest administrative entities. The data collected includes area planted with opium poppy, yield estimates, number of addicts, the price of opium and a set of socio-economic indicators. GIS and remote sensing tools that enhance the performance of the surveyors' fieldwork, support the ground survey.

Considerable efforts have been made since 2001 to improve a number of methodological details and to adapt to the evolving conditions of cultivation. Most recent surveys have effectively integrated the ground data collection component, and combined the use of satellite remote sensing with field surveys and interviews, to arrive at comprehensive indicator estimates. [ top]

Project Components

Component 1: Conduct annual Myanmar Opium Survey Reports

Main Activities:

• Prepare detailed survey methodology;
• Define and prepare survey equipment and material;
• Define survey team members and organise work plan for fieldwork implementation;
• Organise survey supervision to ascertain the quality of fieldwork implementation;
• Conduct survey data entry and statistical analysis of the data;
• Formulate and release survey report;
• Through the survey implementation, provide regular progress updates to UNODC headquarters and third parties.

Component 2: Improve national capacity to conduct opium poppy surveys.

Main Activities:

• Conduct workshops with national authorities to review and fine-tune survey methodology;
• Define survey team training curriculum and organise training activities for fieldwork implementation;
• Conduct training activities for the Remote Sensing Unit of the Forest Department. [ top]

Background

As a result of both historical and geographical factors, ethnic groups residing in the border areas of the country were never integrated into Myanmar's formal economy. Ceasefire agreements, concluded since 1989 with various insurgent ethnic groups, have provided different degrees of autonomous administration. Several of these groups have been involved in drug production and trafficking.

Myanmar is the largest country in South East Asia with an area of 676,552 km2. Almost half of the surface area is rugged hilly terrain, largely covered by forest. The Shan State, where 95% of Myanmar's opium cultivation was concentrated in 2006, covers 155,000 km2 (an area equivalent to Bangladesh). A majority of this opium poppy crop, grown and harvested during the September-March dry season, is found in the mountainous areas of the Shan plateau.

Myanmar is the world's second largest producer of illicit opiates, after Afghanistan. The 2006 Opium Survey estimated that approximately 126,500 households depend on the cultivation of opium poppy as a cash crop for their livelihood.

Opium consumption is closely linked to opium production. According to government sources, the number of officially registered drug addicts in Myanmar now reaches approximately 70,000. Yet, with most addicts hesitating to register with the government for fear of persecution, UNODC estimates that up to 300,000 people in the country might abuse illicit drugs, primarily opiates. The number of opium addicts in the Shan State in 2005 totalled approximately 19,600, or 0.57% of the population aged 15 and above.

But, the cultivation of opium in Myanmar has implications well beyond the country's own borders. Myanmar-produced opiates are trafficked into China and Thailand for both consumption and onward shipment to global markets. China has traditionally served as a main point of entry, from which illicit opiates move overland to Hong Kong, Macao and other regional commercial air and maritime centres for forwarding to Australia, Taiwan, Europe and North America. Three to four metric tonnes of heroin, equivalent to 30 to 40 metric tonnes of opium, are estimated to enter Australia each year, with more than 80% coming from South East Asia, mainly Myanmar.

The international legal framework pertaining to drug supply reduction imposes a number of binding obligations on Myanmar. The country is a party to the 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, and acceded to the 1971 Convention on Psychotropic Substances and the 1988 UN Convention against Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances. In 1974 the Government enacted the Narcotic and Dangerous Drugs Law to provide a broad legal framework, and the CCDAC was constituted in 1975.

A fundamental step in counter-narcotic efforts must include the regular collection of the details involved in cultivation, such as quantities, geographical concentrations and demographic factors. Thus, the ICMP in Myanmar is designed to facilitate the implementation of a monitoring system to estimate annual poppy cultivation within the country. The 1998 UNGASS recognised the need for the establishment or improvement of comprehensive, reliable and international systems of data collection and analysis (including monitoring and evaluation) of illicit narcotic crops, towards achieving the time-bound goals in drug supply, as well as drug demand, reduction. [ top]

Recent Surveys:

• Opium Poppy Cultivation in the Golden Triangle 2006

• Myanmar Opium Survey 2005

For further information, please contact: Mr. Xavier Bouan, Regional Illicit Crop Monitoring Expert.