Work in the field

Making a difference through alternative development

Over the past 25 years, UNODC has played a leading role in assisting Member States to develop and implement drug control policy, including alternative development. Alternative development continues to be the principal method utilized by Member States and UNODC to address illicit drug crop cultivation within the framework of poverty reduction and sustainable development.

UNODC works in partnership with the affected countries, other United Nations agencies, non-governmental organizations, and the private sector. Currently, UNODC supports and promotes sustainable alternative development programmes and projects in six countries. The focus is on helping small farmers with licit income generation activities to reduce their dependency on income from opium and coca cultivation. Efforts are also centred in the sectors of health, education, basic infrastructure, community development and food security. Special attention is given to environmental protection and improved markets for alternative development products. UNODC-supported alternative development also empowers communities while ensuring that both men and women equally benefit from development interventions.

UNODC's global alternative development activities include developing best practices and lessons learned and improving analysis and dissemination of project results. In-depth studies and evaluations of alternative development programmes and projects are conducted to monitor and track the progress made in areas such as environmental considerations, gender mainstreaming, credit schemes, income diversification, the role of community organizations and sound project monitoring and management at local and national levels. These activities contribute to the establishment of a repository of technical knowledge which is used by governments and UNODC to design new programmes and projects, identify indicators of achievement and benchmarks, develop capacity building programmes and disseminate material for advocacy and resource mobilization.

Currently, UNODC supports the following countries with alternative development.

Afghanistan, Bolivia (Plurinational State of), Colombia, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Myanmar and Peru.

In 2007, UNODC launched the Global Partnership on Alternative Development project.