Director General/Executive Director
New York, 21 April 2016
Excellencies,
Ladies and gentlemen,
The theme of this roundtable discussion is especially timely with the international community united behind the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Advancing alternative development goes hand in hand with achieving progress in broader development initiatives and governance, and the 2030 Agenda recognizes the importance of addressing drug challenges in order to achieve the SDGs.
UNODC has been supporting Member States in implementing alternative development programmes for 40 years.
These are geared towards not only reducing the illicit cultivation of coca, opium poppy and cannabis, but also improving the socio-economic conditions of marginalized farming communities who, in many cases, have no other means to earn a living.
UNODC worked closely with the governments of Thailand and Peru in convening two High Level International Conference on Alternative Development - ICAD 1 initiated in Bangkok and culminated in Lima in 2012 and ICAD 2 in Bangkok in 2015.
They resulted in the adoption and promotion of the UN Guiding Principles on Alternative Development.
The Guiding Principles are rooted in the international drug conventions, and have helped move the process forward by recognizing that alternative development is a development-oriented approach; that stakeholders must participate in the decision-making process; that proper sequencing between development and eradication must be ensured; that natural resources need to be sustainably used and managed; and that land titling and land tenure programmes should be introduced, among other measures.
The decline of coca bush cultivation in the Andean region demonstrates that alternative development has been effective.
For example, the UNODC projects in Peru in 2014 exported over 180 dollars worth of alternative development products.
In Colombia, in addition to the global marketing of products, alternative development is recognized as an integral part of the national peace process.
And in Bolivia, our programmes combine agricultural production with off-farm skills training.
UNODC projects in South East Asia are striking a balance between short-term food security needs and long-term agricultural sustainability.
In Myanmar, UNODC's programme in Shan State, financed by the EU and Germany, will for the first time this year export at least 80 tons of high quality coffee.
Working together with the Royal Thai Projects, the UNODC programme in Lao PDR is strengthening its agricultural programme and implementing innovative farming technologies to produce off-season fruits and vegetables.
In Afghanistan, despite security challenges, UNODC continues to work closely with the Ministry of Counter-Narcotics to support small-scale land stabilization and irrigation projects, as well as agricultural projects and programmes geared towards empowering women.
Excellencies,
As you can see, alternative development can succeed, if it is properly designed to meet the needs of communities.
Unfortunately, widespread political support for alternative development has so far not been matched by funding.
Now we have a chance with the 2030 Agenda and UNGASS to give new impetus to alternative development efforts. I hope we can make the most of this opportunity.
Thank you.