The report deconstructs the opium economy of Afghanistan into its main components: cultivation, production, finance, trade and consumption. Then, by reconstructing the country's development processes, the report - according to Mr. Costa - points to the following essential elements of a sustainable counter-narcotic policy: "to help poor farmers decide in favour of licit crops; to replace narco-usury with a proper credit system and micro-lending; to provide jobs to women and to itinerant workers; to provide education to children, particularly girls; to turn opium bazaars into modern commodity markets; and to neutralize traffickers' and warlords' efforts to keep the evil trade alive".

In presenting the study Monday, Mr. Costa was joined by Mr. Sandeep Chawla, chief of the UNODC's Research Section, which did the study, synthesizing 10 years of UNODC's work on the problem.

Highlights of the Executive Summary. http://www.unodc.org/odccp/highlights_opium_afghanistan_2003.html

For further information contact:UNODC United Nations office on Drugs and Crime:
http://www.unodc.org/odccp/index.html

Please also see:
UNEP Report Chronicles Environmental Damage Of The Afghanistan Conflict
http://www.unep.org/Documents/Default.asp?DocumentID=277&ArticleID=3201

and "Narco Dollars" in our Economics section.