United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime UNODC - Know About the UNODC World Drug Report for UPSC!

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime UNODC is a world leader in the struggle against illegal narcotics and transnational crime. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime UNODC, with its headquarters in Vienna, operates throughout the world. It was created in 1997 as a result of the merger of the United Nations Drug Control Programme and the Center for International Crime Prevention. The mission of UNODC is to support Member States in their fights against terrorism, crime, and illicit substances.

In this article, let us look at the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime UNODC UPSC, its functions, pillars, drug trafficking in India, the Colombo Declaration and the World Drug Report as required for the UPSC Examination since the topic is important from the context of the International Organizations section which is a part of UPSC mains GS 2 paper and prelims GS paper 1.

Latest Updates on UNODC

• In India, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and the UNODC Regional Office for South Asia jointly organized a consultation meeting to commemorate International Youth Day 2022.
  • The meeting’s subject was “Mainstreaming education on integrity, peace”, SDGs, and health: Empowering Youth, Educators, and Families, and it was attended by senior officials from 12 important government bodies. The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 of India also reflects a similar theme.
• UNODC signed a $10 million funding agreement with Saudi Arabia for the Global Anti-Corruption Law Enforcement Network.
• UNODC released a report highlighting youth-led initiatives to prevent terrorism and violent extremism.

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About the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) 

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) is the principal United Nations agency that provides both legal and technical help to combat terrorism. It is a world leader in the fight against illegal drugs and international crime.

• The United Nations Drug Control Programme and the Center for International Crime Prevention were combined to create the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), which was formed in 1997. 
• Around 500 people work with UNODC, which has its headquarters in Vienna. It runs 52 field offices that serve more than 150 nations.
• In order to combat the rising threat to safety posed by the co-existence of organised crime, drug trafficking, corruption, and terrorism, UNODC mobilises and encourages regional and global collaboration.
• In order to increase crime prevention and create safer, better secure societies where people may live fear-free lives and strive for a better future for themselves and their families, UNODC works to improve the rule of law and the systems of justice.
• Additionally, UNODC aims to increase global cooperation in the fight against drug production, trafficking and other related crimes, as well as to raise awareness of the risks associated with drug misuse. UNODC conducts a wide range of efforts, such as alternative development projects, illegal crop monitoring, and anti-money laundering activities, in order to accomplish this.

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Functions of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime

• The UNODC aids the UN in effectively tackling the interconnected problems of illegal drug trafficking and abuse, crime prevention and criminal justice, global terrorism, and political corruption.
• These objectives are pursued through three main activities: research, guidance and assistance for governments in the acceptance and execution of various conventions, treaties, and protocols concerning crime, drugs, terrorism, and corruption, as well as providing funding and technical assistance to said governments to help them deal with their individual circumstances and difficulties in these areas.
• The office’s long-term goals include increasing knowledge about these issues among governmental organizations and agencies, as well as raising public awareness of them on an international, national, and local level. These issues include crime, drugs, terrorism, and corruption.

Source: UNODC

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UNODC and India

Since 1987, UNODC has had a presence in India. New Delhi serves as the home of the UNODC South Asia Regional Office.

The UNODC Report on India

• According to the report by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), India is one of the main international trading centers for illegal drugs. The report also discussed the widespread practice of ordering narcotics over the internet through Dark Web marketplaces.
• India has been at the forefront of these unchecked trades, which have extended throughout South Asia.
• For instance, heroin, which is manufactured illegally, is transported across India.
• More than 1,000 drug listings from India have been found in the study, which were distributed over 50 online crypto-market sites.

Drug Trafficking in India

• India has developed into a transit point as well as an ultimate destination for heroin and hashish made in the Golden Triangle and Golden Crescent over the past three decades.
• Additionally, a variety of pharmaceutical and psychotropic compounds, as well as precursor chemicals made both locally and abroad, are smuggled via Indian Territory.
• In addition to breaching India’s borders, the two-way unlawful flow of these narcotics and substances constitutes a serious threat to national security.

Vulnerability of India

• India is geographically quite adjacent to the Golden Crescent and the Golden Triangle, the chief routes of the Asian drug trade, putting it at risk of drug trafficking.
• Afghanistan, Iran, and Pakistan are all part of the Southern Golden Crescent region. At the convergence of the Ruak and Mekong rivers, the frontiers of Thailand, Myanmar, and Laos converge in a region known as the Golden Triangle.
• From the 1950s until the Golden Crescent surpassed it in the early 21st century, the Golden Triangle was recognised as one of the largest global opium producers.

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Pillars of the UNODC Work Programme

The UNODC work programme is supported by the following three pillars:

• Field-based technical cooperation initiatives to strengthen member states’ ability to combat terrorism, crime, and illegal drugs.
• Research and analysis to better comprehend drug and crime issues and broaden the base of evidence used to make operational and policy decisions.
• Normative work is done to aid States in the approval and application of pertinent international conventions, the creation of national laws on drugs, crime and terrorism and the provision of secretariat and substantive assistance to the treaty-based and governing organisations.

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Key Findings of the UNODC World Drug Report 2022

The United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime’s (UNODC) 2022 World Drug Report provides an international assessment of the supply and demand of opiates, cocaine, cannabis, amphetamine-type stimulants, and new psychoactive substances (NPS), along with their effects on health.

• Rise in the manufacturing and trafficking of drugs.
  • Between 2020 and 2021, opium production rose globally by 7% to 7,930 tonnes, primarily as a result of higher production in Afghanistan.
  • Data from seizures indicate that there is more cocaine being transported to Africa and Asia, as well as other areas beyond the major markets of North America and Europe.
  • Even through the COVID-19 pandemic, cocaine confiscation rose to a record 1,424 tonnes in 2020.
  • The production of cocaine reached a record high in 2020, increasing by 11% from 2019 to 1,982 tonnes.
• Drug trends by region on a global scale
  • The supply of pharmaceutical opioids for medicinal use still varies considerably.
  • Overdose fatalities in the US and Canada continue to break records, primarily due to an epidemic of fentanyl use for non-medical purposes.
  • People who suffer from opioid use disorders are most frequently being treated in Eastern and South-Eastern Europe and Central Asia.
  • The majority of patients receiving treatment for drug use problems in numerous African, South and Central American nations largely suffer from cannabis use disorders.
• Production of synthetic drugs in Ukraine and other zones of conflict
  • From 17 demolished laboratories in 2019 to 79 in 2020, there was a sharp rise in the total figure of clandestine laboratories in Ukraine.
  • There could be an increase in amphetamine production if the current situation in Ukraine continues.
  • Conflict zones may serve as a magnet for the production of synthetic narcotics, according to reports from the Middle East and Southeast Asia.
  • The research also emphasizes how conflict-ridden and unregulated environments can support thriving illegal drug economies.
• Environmental effects of the drug industry
  • The 2022 World Drug Report states that illegal drug markets may have an effect on the environment at the municipal, community, or individual level.
  • The carbon footprint of cannabis grown inside is, on average, between 16 to 100 times more than that of cannabis grown outdoors, and the carbon footprint of 1 kilogramme of cocaine is 30 times larger than that of cocoa beans.
  • Other negative effects on the environment include significant deforestation linked to illegal coca farming, waste produced during the production of synthetic drugs, and the disposal of garbage that can directly or indirectly impact organisms, animals, and the food chain.

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United Nations World Drugs Report 2021

• The number of drug users rose by 22% between 2010 and 2019, which can be attributed in part to a growth in world population.
• Over 36 million people experienced drug usage disorders last year, whereas over 275 million people took drugs globally.
• 5.5% of people aged 15 to 64 have consumed drugs at least once in the previous year, and 36.3 million individuals, or 13% of all drug users, have a drug use disorder.
• The majority of diseases linked to drug usage are still caused by opioids.
• Throughout the coronavirus epidemic, cannabis use, as well as the non-medical use of other pharmaceutical medications, increased in numerous nations.
• In some regions during the past 24 years, cannabis potency has risen by up to four times despite a 40% drop in the proportion of teenagers who view the substance as harmful.
• By 2030, it is anticipated that there will be a 40% increase in drug users in Africa.
• Drug markets swiftly rebounded after the commencement of the pandemic. However, some trafficking dynamics have increased during COVID-19.
• Online sales have made it easier than ever to obtain narcotics, and big drug businesses on the dark web currently generate over $315 million annually.
• China and India are primarily associated with the transportation of medicines supplied on the 19 major darknet markets examined between 2011 and 2020 in Asia.

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Drug Trade and COVID-19 Crisis

The number of drug users increased as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. All through the epidemic, mental health has been a crucial challenge.

• The United Nations Office of Drugs and Crimes’ World Drug Report 2021 shows significant changes in drug manufacturing, usage, and trafficking globally as a result of the epidemic. The main causes of rising drug usage are thought to be stress during the epidemic and severe lockdowns, as well as anxiety, solitude, sadness, and isolation.
• During the global pandemic, the drug trade has also thrived. These trades represent the true risk to safety and security and present a huge obstacle to economic growth. It is unquestionably a risk factor for young people, a loss for the poor and disadvantaged, and an accelerant for crime.
• According to the World Drug Report -21, there will be an 11% rise in drug users worldwide by 2030.
• The onset of the pandemic and the lockdown that resulted from it decreased drug use and trafficking. However, the drug market eventually adapted to the situation. The pre-pandemic drug trade was less prevalent than it is today. The drug mafias are now using new paths as a result of travel restrictions, border closures, and the lack of commercial flights.
• Private aircraft and marine and sea channels were exploited for drug trafficking. Additionally, ambulances have been employed as drug delivery vehicles in numerous regions of India, including Odisha. Due to COVID-19 mobility constraints, there is a significant rise in home delivery of drugs.
• There has been the discovery of a new trend of massive drug trafficking shipments. Drug trafficking occurs less frequently but in far greater quantities in this trend. During the 2020 epidemic, ten tonnes of cocaine were found in a single shipment in Western Europe. STF Odisha routinely seizes large amounts of marijuana. Recent figures show that compared to 304 quintals in 2017, 523.89 quintals in 2018, and 618 quintals in 2019, Odisha police confiscated 1,549.8 quintals of marijuana in 2020.
• The COVID-19 epidemic has caused a fundamental change in drug utilization. The usage of LSD and cocaine among drug addicts has slightly decreased as a result of the shutdown of social and recreational facilities and poor economic conditions. It encourages the non-medical usage of pharmaceutical medications like benzodiazepines and cannabis inadvertently.
• According to the COVID-19 and drugs section of the World Drug Report -21, cannabis usage has increased by 42% globally.

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Colombo Declaration

• Interior Ministers from the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) gathered on November 4th in Colombo, Sri Lanka, for a high-level meeting.
• The Colombo Declaration is the name given to the resolution that was approved by 18 littoral states to declare the IOR a “Drug-Free Zone.”
• The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the Government of Sri Lanka jointly convened the event.
• In order to tackle the expansion of drug trafficking in the Indian Ocean region, the Ministers discussed the necessity of forging regional cooperation and a strategy.
• A conference paper that assessed the threat that drug trafficking poses to the states of the Indian Ocean was introduced during the high-level meeting.
• Additionally, the danger of narco-crime infiltrating the Indian Ocean States received special focus.

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Way Forward

• Attempts at awareness-building and communication that spread scientific knowledge without stigmatizing individuals.
• It is still important to strengthen law enforcement organizations’ abilities to combat drug trafficking on the dark web.
• By establishing public-private collaborations with Internet service providers, IT firms, and shipping and postal corporations, the government may better combat the drug trade on the Internet. Putting public health ahead of corporate business by outlawing all forms of advertising.
• To increase knowledge of the potential damage from cannabis use other than for medicinal purposes, provide fact-based material. The necessity to educate children and protect public health is necessary to bridge the gap between perception and truth.

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