PATHFINDER DIALOGUE ON COMBATING CORRUPTION AND ILLICIT TRADE IN ASIA

FROM:  U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT 

Partners on Combating Corruption and Illicit Trade in Asia

Media Note

Washington, DC

September 27, 2013

---

At the APEC Pathfinder Dialogue in Bangkok, Thailand from September 23-25, U.S. Senior Official for APEC Dr. Robert Wang addressed one of the largest gatherings to date in Asia focused on corruption and illicit trade, where he urged greater transparency, good governance, and strong anti-corruption measures to further economic growth, trade, and investment. Deputy Chief of Mission of the U.S. Embassy in Bangkok Patrick Murphy, Thailand’s National Anti-Corruption Commissioner Professor Pakdee Pothisiri, and Attorney General of the Union of Myanmar Dr. Tun Shin also provided opening remarks. Participants included over 175 anti-corruption investigators, law enforcement officials, and policymakers from over 20 APEC, ASEAN, and Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) economies, as well as representatives from international organizations, civil society organizations, and the private sector.
According to the World Economic Forum, illicit trade may account for an estimated 15-20 percent of global trade annually, and over the past several years, APEC leaders have recognized that corruption fuels and facilitates illicit trade flows. The Pathfinder Dialogue focused on the links between corruption and three types of illicit trade: trafficking in persons (TIP), wildlife trafficking/environmental crime, and money laundering.

Participants discussed global and regional transnational crime trends, as well as lessons learned from case studies. Participants also examined strategies to dismantle illicit networks that engage in human trafficking, wildlife trafficking/environmental crime, and money laundering. In addition, the Dialogue emphasized the need for partnerships to combat corruption and illicit trade, including through the sharing of information and best practices, as well as the development of mechanisms for strengthening cooperation between anti-corruption and law enforcement authorities.

The Dialogue was organized by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs and the American Bar Association, in partnership with the National Anti-Corruption Commission of Thailand and with support from the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). The event was held under the auspices of the APEC Anti-Corruption & Transparency Working Group’s (ACT) vision to combat corruption and illicit trade in the Asia-Pacific region.

Outcomes of the Dialogue will include support for the development of draft Principles to Prevent and Combat TIP-related Corruption and a one-week marine investigative training with ASEAN regional wildlife enforcement network and PIF partners with implementation through FREELAND Foundation planned for early 2014. A Chair’s Summary of the outcomes of the Pathfinder Dialogue will be available at www.pathfinderconference.com/summary.

U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT FACT SHEET REGARDING NARCOTICS IN AFGHANISTAN

FROM:  U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT 
Good Performers Initiative
Fact Sheet
Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs
February 13, 2013

The Good Performers Initiative (GPI) is funded by the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) and implemented by the Afghan Ministry of Counter Narcotics (MCN). The program seeks to incentivize provincial governors’ counternarcotics and supply reduction activities and support sustainable, community-led development projects in provinces that have successfully reduced or eliminated poppy cultivation. There are more than 100 GPI-funded development projects in 33 of Afghanistan’s 34 provinces, including: schools, transportation infrastructure, irrigation structures, hospitals, and drug treatment centers.

Provinces as determined by United Nations Office of Drug Control (UNODC) to be poppy-free receive $1 million worth of development assistance projects.
Provinces that reduce net poppy cultivation by 10 percent receive $1,000 of development assistance per each additional hectare of reduction.
Special Recognition Awards are awarded by the Government of Afghanistan to two provinces that have taken extraordinary steps to fight narcotics, but which may not qualify for GPI assistance under other categories.
Once the UNODC opium survey is published each fall, the MCN notifies provinces of their award. Provincial Development Councils then develop and nominate project proposals that are forwarded to the governor for review. The governor then submits selected project proposals to the MCN, where they are reviewed and approved or rejected by a GPI Project Review Committee, which consists of representatives from MCN and INL. Contracts are solicited and awarded in accordance with Afghan Procurement Law.

FACT SHEET: AFGHANISTAN OPIUM SURVEY AND OPIUM RISK ASSESSMENT

FROM:  U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT 
Afghanistan Opium Survey and Opium Risk Assessment
Fact Sheet
Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs
May 6, 2013

The Afghanistan Opium Survey and Afghanistan Opium Risk Assessment (ORAS) are two distinct reports that aid the Afghan government in policy development and the U.S. Government and other donors in foreign assistance planning. Both reports are joint publications by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the Afghan Ministry of Counter Narcotics. The United States, as well as a number of other international donors, provides funding for these important tools.

The 2012 UNODC Afghanistan Opium Survey, which covers the 2012 opium poppy crop, was published on May 6. This is a final report that builds on the 2012 UNODC Afghanistan Opium Survey Summary findings which were published on November 20, 2012. The UNODC Afghanistan Opium Survey is a comprehensive, quantitative estimate of actual poppy cultivation and opium production each year in Afghanistan based on an extensive and rigorous public methodology. It is completed after the end of the poppy harvest season and relies on satellite imagery analysis of the poppy crop during its peak growth period.
The 2013 Opium Risk Assessment (ORAS), which covers the 2013 opium poppy crop, was published on April 15, 2013. The ORAS is an informal, qualitative prediction of poppy cultivation trends over the upcoming year, based on interviews with village leaders during the planting season. Unlike the annual Opium Survey estimate, ORAS interviews are not cross-verified with satellite imagery as the opium poppy crop cannot be detected remotely until much later in the plant’s growth cycle. This report is meant to provide an early indication of broad cultivation trends in each province to help policymakers adjust delivery of counternarcotics and development assistance prior to the poppy harvest.
The U.S. Government also produces a quantitative estimate of opium poppy cultivation in Afghanistan each year. The UNODC and U.S. surveys differ in methodology and their estimates do not always align, although trend lines are generally similar at the national level. The U.S. Government does not produce a qualitative forecast of cultivation trends similar to the Opium Risk Assessment (ORAS).