OFFICE ON DRUGS
AND CRIME
BACKGROUND GUIDE
AGENDA:
TISBMUN 2018
Solving the issue of Opiate
trade and trafficking in South-
East Asia and Latin America
Letters from the Executive Board
Letter from the Director
Prospective Delegates,
It gives me immense pleasure to welcome you all to the United
Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) of TISB MUN 2018,
which will be held from 15th to 18th December 2018.
To all those delegates who have done this before, I expect you to
set an example for the others, an example of what breath-taking
debate and noble diplomacy looks like. As you prepare for this
Conference, remember one thing; to try is to win. I encourage you
to try your level best, to give this everything you have, to
exhaust all the resources available to you. I ensure that if you try
the possibilities are endless, and the experiences you gain would be
incomparable.
In the upcoming three days, we will aim to solve problems that
have plagued world leaders for years, we will achieve the
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impossible, and we will do things unheard of, but most
importantly, I request you to remember why we are here: we’re
here to learn how to work together, not behind each other’s
backs. We’re here to compromise and achieve good for all, not for
some. We’re here to be diplomats, so I expect all of you to
behave as such.
What separates us from the rest is our ability to empathize, not
sympathize. We must remember that the burden of the world’s
problems falls on our shoulders, and more importantly, we must
remember that such a responsibility is not a choice for us. The
need to help, the ability to care, the skill to work together are
several basic, but rare, tenets of humanity which should be deeply
ingrained within us as respective diplomats. That is what makes us
qualified to look at the larger picture. That’s what makes us the
champions of hope and change.
On that note, I hope that the UNODC, and TISB Model United
Nations 2018 as a whole, will be as great for you as we have
envisioned. See you in December!
Yash Tibrewal
Letter from the Director
“We first fought the heathens in the name of religion, then
Communism, and now in the name of drugs and terrorism. Our
excuses for global domination always change”. - Serj Tankian.
UNODC is a global leader in the fight against illicit drugs and
international crime. Established in 1997 through a merger between
the United Nations Drug Control Programme and the Centre for
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International Crime Prevention, UNODC operates in all regions of
the world through an extensive network of field offices.
Delegates, prepare to have every aspect of your diplomacy
challenged as you debate on issues global leaders have failed to put
a lid on for the past two decades. With the rise of feeders of
terror entities, whose unfathomable existence makes drug trade
networks almost invincible, can you be entrusted to prevent the
expanding grasps of these organizations?
Manish Jaganath
Letter from the Assistant Director
Greetings Delegates,
It is a pleasure to serve as your Assistant Director at the TISB
MUN 2018.
I hope that each and every one of you understands the important
role you play as a delegate in this committee. The UNODC has
been simulated a number of times in the Bangalore circuit but the
fairly simple agenda we shall be discussing has an impressive scope
for debate and while I embrace innovative solutions, I suggest you
look into its technicality and practicality.
The Executive Board upholds a strict no-plagiarism policy and I
would like you to keep that in mind as well. Also note that the
objective of this document is to help and guide you with your
research and should not be the only research you possess. Also
keep in mind that it cannot be provided as proof to enforce an
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argument in committee. Having said so, I do hope you find this
guide extremely helpful.
Last but not the least; a committee is only as good as its
delegates and I believe that each and every one of you has the
potential to excel and lead first-timer or not. I encourage each
and every one of you to speak and participate as it would give the
Executive Board great joy knowing that each delegate walked away
from our committee with a greater knowledge of diplomacy and
that you did not waste three days at this MUN conference.
A word of advice - do look into the technicalities of the agenda
and be well-versed with your facts. Being prepared is the key to
being confident. We look forward to three days of extensive and
productive debate.
GANEEV S CHADHA
About the Committee
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime was established in
1997 as the Office for Drug Control and Crime Prevention by
combining the United Nations International Drug Control Program
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and the Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Division. Working
under the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), The UNODC was
established to assist the United Nations in better achieving a
coordinated, comprehensive response to the interrelated
issues of illicit trafficking in and abuse of drugs, crime prevention
and criminal justice, international terrorism, and political
corruption, to maximise knowledge about these issues among
governmental institutions and agencies, and to maximise awareness
about the said matters in public opinion, globally, nationally and at
community level. These goals are pursued through three primary
functions: research, guidance and support to governments in the
adoption and implementation of various crimes- drug, terrorism
and corruption related conventions, treaties and protocols, as well
as technical/financial assistance to said governments to face their
respective situations and challenges in these fields.
THE PROBLEM AT HAND
Drug trafficking is a global illicit trade involving the cultivation,
manufacture, distribution and sale of substances which are subject
to drug prohibition laws. UNODC is continuously monitoring and
researching global illicit drug markets in order to gain a more
comprehensive understanding of their dynamics. Drug trafficking is
a key part of this research.
The Opioid epidemic in the regions of Latin America and Southeast
Asia have led to a never ending cycle of economic instability and
human trafficking in these parts of the world.
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The Trafficking in Persons is legally defined as “the recruitment,
transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt of persons, by
means of the threat or use of force or other forms of coercion,
of abduction, of fraud, of
deception, of the abuse of power or of a position of vulnerability
or of the giving or receiving of payments or benefits to achieve
the consent of a person having control over another person, for
the purpose of
exploitation. Exploitation shall include, at a minimum, the
exploitation of the prostitution of others or other forms of sexual
exploitation, forced labour or
services, slavery or practices similar to slavery, servitude or the
removal of organs. The consent of a victim of trafficking in
persons to the intended exploitation is irrelevant where any of the
means set forth
have been used. The recruitment, transportation, transfer,
harbouring or
receipt of a child for the purpose of exploitation shall be
considered trafficking
in persons even if this does not involve any of the means set
forth.”
The establishment of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations
(ASEAN) has played a critical role in combatting drug trafficking.
SOUTHEAST ASIA
The roots of the opium production problem in Southeast Asia go
back to the 19th century. The region is home to the “Golden
Triangle”, an area long associated with opium and heroin
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production, located where the borders of Myanmar, Lao People’s
Democratic Republic (Lao PDR) and Thailand converge along the
Mekong River. Twenty years ago, the Golden Triangle was the
largest heroin‐producing area in the world, supplying the region’s
own demand as well as exporting its surplus to North‐east Asia,
Europe and the United States of America. In the 1990s and early
2000s, national and regional efforts succeeded in reducing both
opium production and trade in the region, though they
subsequently increased.
According to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and
Development (OECD), average annual economic growth in
Southeast Asia is back to its pre crisis levels of 6.0%. However,
economic analysis does not specifically take into account the
growing threat to the region posed by transnational organized
crime (TOC), which, according to conservative estimates, exceeds a
value of US$ 90 billion per year. The production and trafficking of
opiates in the region, mainly in the refined form of heroin,
constitutes a large proportion of the money flows emanating from
these emanating from these illicit activities.
OPIUM POPPY CULTIVATION IN SOUTHEAST ASIA
Despite a consistent downward trend in opium poppy cultivation
from 1998 to 2006, when Myanmar experienced an 83%
reduction and Lao PDR saw the largest relative decline among the
three countries, opium poppy cultivation in the region has since
increased, albeit at a relatively slow pace. In 2014, a combined
total area of over 63,800 hectares of opium poppy cultivation
took place in Myanmar and Lao PDR, which led to an estimated
762 tons of opium being produced in the two countries.
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In Southeast Asia, where opium poppy is mostly cultivated on
steep hills with poor soil and no irrigation, opium yields are much
lower than in Afghanistan, where opium poppy is often cultivated
on good soils and flat, irrigated land. In 2014, opium yields in Lao
PDR were estimated at 14.7 kilograms per hectare, more than
double the 6.0 kilogram per hectare yield estimate utilized in the
survey years 2007‐2013. However, that was not the case in
Myanmar, where the estimated yield declined from 15 kilograms
per hectare in 2013 to 11.7 kilograms per hectare in 2014.
Due to the decline in yield in Myanmar, the amount of opium
produced in Southeast Asia is estimated to have declined. Data for
Thailand were not available in 2014 but, based on previous years,
opium cultivation and production in the country would not have
been large enough to impact the trend observed in the region.
THE TRAFFICKING ROUTES
In Southeast Asia, two‐thirds of opiates originate in Myanmar and
Lao PDR, while the remaining third originates in Afghanistan. As
nearly 60% of the estimated opiate users in East and Southeast
Asia reside in China, the largest flow of heroin in the region
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correspondingly crosses the border between Shan State in
Myanmar and Yunnan province in China. Historically, heroin has
been produced in several parts of Myanmar, but success in reducing
cultivation in some places has limited production to Shan State,
which hosts a number of insurgent groups.
Heroin and opium are a staple of the economy of Shan State and
insurgent finance, and are extremely difficult to dislodge. However,
insurgent groups are not always directly responsible for the
production of opium and heroin. It is more often the case that
insurgent groups provide de facto protection to the actual
cultivators and traffickers in return for payment. Some heroin is
moved by land across Lao PDR and Thailand, some is trafficked by
sea through ports in southern Myanmar, but the majority is
trafficked by land, including by individual couriers, directly across
the border to Yunnan province in China, where these small loads
are consolidated before being trafficked further within China and
overseas. The trafficking between Myanmar and China flows in
both directions, as the processing of heroin requires precursor
chemicals, particularly acetic anhydride.
The flow of heroin from Afghanistan into the region follows a
different pattern, however. Xinxiang Uyghur Autonomous region is
the main distribution hub for heroin trafficked overland into
western China, while Guangzhou, in Guangdong province, is the
entry point for air cargo trafficking. There are a large number of
smaller flows by land, sea and air from these two major sources to
the other countries in Southeast Asia. Malaysia has also become a
transhipment hub for opiates from Afghanistan, and Cambodia a
transit country for heroin shipped to Australia.
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HUMAN TRAFFICKING IN SOUTHEAST ASIA
A currently developing region, South-East Asia lacks many
resources to counter human trafficking and migrant smuggling
adequately. In addition, the absence of International and Regional
Cooperation only complicates matters as countries prevent their
officials from cooperating with each other in the name of
sovereignty. Despite having enacted UN Trafficking in Persons
Protocol-aligned trafficking legislation, the South-East Asian region
still tolerates issues which have not been adequately addressed.
1. LOCATION
Most Asian Regions are bordered by mountainous terrains which
are hard to monitor and comprising of developing nations, these
regions almost always lack the resources to do so. A densely
populated region, South-East Asia has a booming trade sector
which oftenentraps the innocent and gives way to lax security.
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Another trend noticed is the trafficking of humans in this region
for forced labour in the fishing industry.
2. BORDERS
One country cannot take unilateral steps to ensure its own border
security without affecting the interests of the other countries
that share the same border. Once again, the primary solution leans
towards International Cooperation. The Borders in South-East Asia
are extremely porous taking into consideration, the mountainous
regions which are often left un-monitored and the lack of
technological resources to do the same.
3. INTER-REGIONAL COOPERATION
The South-East Asian Nations have taken steps towards
cooperation as insinuated by the ASEAN. The Political and
Security-related Cooperation is theoretically upheld but fails
pragmatically. Pursuance of suspected traffickers past national
borders is close to impossible, making it extremely difficult to
combat an illicit activity that pays no heed to borders and
benefits from globalization Although frameworks such as ASEAN+1,
ASEAN+3 and the GMS promote cooperation, certain deficiencies
such as the includible gap between theoretic and pragmatic
cooperation need to be addressed as well as the possibility of an
alternative to compromising on sovereignty to achieve utmost
international cooperation.
4. CORRUPTION
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While many nations of the region stand parties to the UN
Convention Against Corruption and have ratified the same,
corruption in these regions still pose a major threat to the
security of the nation. In a developing nation, monetary incentive
is the major trend observed and bribery undermines law enforcers
and officials, leading to a rise in crime. In the worse cases, this
leads to vigilantism which further undermines the authority of the
state and during this social instability, foreign investments take a
huge blow and the nation suffers substantially. In addition, many
officials are also co-arced into compliance, making it an extremely
important issue to address.
5. ORGANISED CRIME
Human Trafficking is one of the constituents of Organised Crime
and with the aforementioned levels of cooperation, it becomes
nearly impossible to combat such a far-reaching issue with barely
any defence. Other constituents such as the Trafficking of
Narcotics and the Illicit Small Arms Trade also pave routes which
have been frequently used by Organised Crime Groups. Although
countries have signed the UN Convention against Translational
Organised Crime, Government officials continue to accept bribes
from organised crime groups, assisting them in facilitating their
territorial impact or these officials are coerced / blackmailed into
doing the same. In the case of the latter, it becomes the duty
of the State to ensure the security and safety of that individual
and therefore, do everything in its power to prevent such a
situation from occurring.
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LATIN AMERICA
In Latin America, which has been brutalized for decades by the
drug war, momentum is currently building to explore less punitive
measures that would reduce the economic, social and human costs
of the war on drugs.
Latin America is a crucial geographic zone for drug production and
trafficking. The Andean countries of Colombia, Peru and Bolivia are
the world’s main cocaine producers, while Central America, Mexico
and the Caribbean have become the principal corridors for
transporting drugs into the United States and Europe.
As a result, the countries of the region have suffered various
consequences of drug trafficking and US-led eradication and
interdiction efforts. In production countries, these include
environmental and community damage from forced eradication of
coca crops such as aerial spraying and the funding of guerrilla
insurgent groups through illicit crop cultivation and sale, most
notably, FARC in Colombia and the Shining Path in Peru.
Throughout the entire region, in both drug production and
trafficking areas, there has been an upsurge of violence, corruption,
impunity, erosion of rule of law, and human rights violations
caused by the emergence of powerful organized crime groups and
drug cartels.
Mexico’s drug war has turned incredibly violent in recent years,
resulting in tens of thousands of deaths. Law enforcement
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attempts to put cartels out of business by arresting key figures
have led not to the demise of the drug trade, but to bloody
struggles for control. With prohibition propping up drug prices, it
is inevitable that the drug trade will continue, no matter how
risky or violent it gets.
Central America is now home to some of the world’s most
dangerous cities, with the highest global homicide rate found in
Honduras, at 82.1 murders per 100,000 inhabitants. The region
has become unsafe for human rights defenders and journalists that
expose the violence; for politicians and security officials that refuse
to be corrupted by drug trafficking groups; and, most of all, for
its citizens that get caught in crossfire between rivalling gangs.
Increasingly, Latin American policymakers are speaking out against
prohibition and are highlighting its devastating effects on the
hemisphere. Work is being done to keep Latin American leaders,
officials and civil society informed on drug policy issues, with the
aim of ensuring that the dialogue on alternatives to the war on
drugs continues.
ROLE OF THE UNITED STATES
Since 2008, the U.S. Congress has supported the Central
American Regional Security Initiative (CARSI) with approximately
$800 million to "fund programs for narcotics interdiction,
strengthening law enforcement and justice institutions and violence
prevention through work with at-risk youth"]. The CARSI offers
equipment (vehicles and communication equipment), technical
support and guidance to counter drug trade[4]. The program also
supports special units that cooperate with the U.S. Drug
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Enforcement Administration in Guatemala and Honduras to
investigate drug cartels, share intelligence, and promote regional
collaboration.
Colombia
For more than ten years, the U.S. has been funding Plan
Colombia, which aims to combat illegal drugs production in the
country, especially the growing of coca, the plant from which
cocaine is produced. Former President Obama’s top drug policy
adviser, R. Gil Kerlikowske, announced a drug plan in May 2010
emphasizing prevention and treatment in the United States.
Peru
The administration has left financing for eradication projects in the
Andes largely unchanged, despite debate over whether such efforts
can sharply restrict the supply of cocaine or significantly increase
the price in the United States in the long run. American anti-
narcotics aid for Peru stands at $71.7 million this year, slightly
higher than last year’s $70.7 million. American anti-narcotics
officials operate from a newly expanded Peruvian police base in
Tingo María, overseeing Peruvian teams that fan out to nearby
valleys to cut down coca bushes by hand.
Guatemala
The U.S. has worked with Guatemalan authorities to clamp down
on South American cocaine routes, many of which
use Guatemala as a landing zone.
Mexico
Mexico is estimated to be the world’s third largest producer of
opium with poppy cultivation. It also is a major supplier of heroin
and the largest foreign supplier of marijuana, cocaine and
methamphetamine to the U.S. market. These drugs are supplied
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by Drug Trafficking Organizations (DTOs). The U.S. government
estimates that Mexican DTOs gain tens of billions of dollars each
year from drug sales in the U.S. only.
DTOs are continually battling for control of territory in Mexico
used for the cultivation, importation and transportation of illicit
drugs[9]. The U.S. government considers groups affiliated with
DTOs a significant threat to the safety within the U.S.[7].
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) enforces 'the
controlled substances laws and regulations of the US and pursues
organizations and members involved in the growing, manufacture,
or distribution of controlled substances appearing in or destined
for illicit traffic in the U.S.'[10]. The Mexican DTOs that pose the
biggest threat to the US, according to the DEA, are the Sinaloa
Cartel, Jalisco New Generation Cartel, Juarez Cartel, Gulf
Cartel, Los Zetas Cartel and the Beltran-Leyva Organization.
In 2007, the U.S. launched the Merida initiative, a bilateral
partnership that supports Mexico’s law enforcement, helps to
counteract the illegal trade in narcotics and strengthens border
security. The four main focuses of this initiative are 'disrupting
organized criminal groups; institutionalizing the rule of law;
creating a 21st-century border, and building strong and resilient
communities'[11]. More recently, the initiative focused on improving
security around Mexico’s southern border and countering the
production and trafficking of heroin and fentanyl. Until March
2017, more than $1.6bn has been invested in the Merida
initiative[11]. Almost $900,000 was for example spent on
protective equipment necessary for the secured demolishing of
narcotic labs.
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In Mexico, the DEA combats operations of DTOs by conducting
bilateral investigations with foreign counterparts, providing
investigative assistance and leads to DEA domestic offices and
other agencies, providing training and technical equipment to 'host
nation participants to initiate and carry out complex criminal
investigations, providing assistance in developing drug control laws
and regulations, and providing training and material support to
foreign law enforcement counterparts'.
THE TRAFFICKING ROUTES
Central America has long been a bridge that connects the producer
countries in South America to the consumer nations in the north,
principally the United States.
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RELEVANT INTERNATIONAL
CONVENTIONS
Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, 1961 (as amended by
the 1972 protocol)
Convention on Psychotropic Substances, 1971
UN Convention Against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and
Psychotropic Substances, 1988
RELEVANT INTERNATIONAL TREATIES
The Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, 1961.
The Convention on Psychotropic Substances, 1971.
The UN Convention against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs
and Psychotropic Substances, 1988.
QUESTIONS A RESOLUTION MUST
ANSWER
1. Is legalization of opiates a plausible solution?
2. Are the current measures taken by international organisations
to counter narco-terrorism effective? If not, how can they
be made so?
3. What further role can the ASEAN play in the Southeast
Asian region and how can it go about doing this?
4. Is further intervention by the bigger powers an option?
5. What actions, if any, can be taken by the UN for reduction
of trafficking in these regions?
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6. What measures can be taken to improve the border security
of states?
7. What steps can be taken to counter the widespread
corruption in the governments?
8. What measures can be taken to ensure proper and complete
rehabilitation of addicts?
References
- unov.org
- https://www.unov.org/unov/en/unodc.html
- unodc.org
- https://www.unodc.org/documents/wdr/WDR_2010/1.2_The_glo
bal_heroin_market.pdf
- unodc.org
- https://www.unodc.org/centralasia/en/news/unodc-supports-
the-kyrgyz-government-in- fight-against-drug...
- drugwarfacts.org
- http://drugwarfacts.org/node/1348
- news.un.org
- https://news.un.org/en/story/2011/07/383062-un-urges-anti-
drug-measures-both- afghanistan-and-consume...
- rferl.org
- https://www.rferl.org/a/UN_Afghanistan_Neighbors_Consume_O
pium/2080450.html
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