Director-General/Executive Director
Your Excellency, Minister Sodsong,
Distinguished participants and colleagues,
Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen,
It is a pleasure to speak to you today.
At the outset, I would like to thank the Government of Thailand, and all of the co-sponsors, for your commitment to alternative development.
Over the past 25 years, we have seen the enormous potential of alternative development as a pillar of drug policy, providing a sustainable path to reduce illicit drug cultivation.
We have also seen the benefits on the ground for people and communities.
Thousands of families and communities in isolated rural areas have been able to lift themselves out of poverty, underdevelopment, and a harmful dependence on illicit economies.
In Thailand, which has served as a paragon in this field, projects have increased household incomes and brought schooling, health services and potable water to communities.
In Colombia, alternative development was a cornerstone for peace, with projects reaching hundreds of thousands of families.
In the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, we have seen small farmers shift from slash and burn cultivation of opium poppies to more stable crops of vegetables and fruit.
In Peru, alternative development projects supported thousands of families in exporting coffee rather than coca.
And around the world, alternative development projects have enabled sustainable farming techniques and improved income generation, employment, social wellbeing, and human development, all while helping fight back against the illicit drug market.
Alternative development is about so much more than switching crops.
It is about a holistic, sustainable approach – empowering women, creating civil society partnerships, and responding to the specific needs and challenges of farmers.
And as I said in my opening remarks to the Commission, providing alternative livelihoods is essential where illicit cultivation is rising, and where it is declining.
It is crucial in Afghanistan, to save farmers from desperation and prevent a return to previous opium poppy cultivation levels.
And it is crucial in the Golden Triangle, to push back against the ongoing surge in cultivation in that region.
There can be no sustainable results without dignified livelihoods.
As we mark the tenth anniversary of the UN Guiding Principles on Alternative Development, we must reaffirm the vital importance of alternative development going forward.
I would like to share a few thoughts on the path ahead.
First, it is important to remember that the concept of alternative development has been evolving since the 1960s. We must therefore be open to new opportunities and new ideas.
For example, countries such as Thailand and Brazil plan to move beyond traditional farm settings and work in urban areas, to tackle micro-trafficking and youth involvement in illegal economies.
Second, alternative development projects have become increasingly aligned with the broader development sector and the global push to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.
This provides vital opportunities to establish new partnerships and scale up impact.
For example, UNEP and FAO are important allies in our efforts to ensure environmentally sustainable practices, while UNIDO can support technological innovation and agribusiness to help farmers break into international markets.
Third, we must do more to ensure the inclusion and participation of women, youth, and indigenous peoples at each step of project design and project implementation.
If we wish to create long-term change, the entire community must have a voice.
And finally, as we saw earlier today with the coffee project from Ituango, Colombia, economic sustainability and profitability of these projects are key.
We must work together to improve access to markets and promote strong partnerships with the private sector.
In the end, alternative development is business.
But it must be clean, viable, and sustainable business, for a better future.
Colleagues, friends,
The past 10 years of the Guiding Principles on Alternative Development have given us much to build on.
Let us use those successes as grounds for more progress, to uproot illicit economies and plant the seeds of hope.
Thank you.