The first pillar of the Vienna Declaration on regional initiatives aims to: strengthen the capacity of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and its institutions to combat opiates; provide support to the most affected transit States; take measures to stop the diversion of precursor chemicals; facilitate cross-border operations between law enforcement agencies; enhance border management coordination; support the implementation of comprehensive regional programmes to counteract opiates challenges and threats; and continue addressing the gap in evidence for action.
Reducing illicit traffic in opiates will contribute to enhanced international peace and stability as well as to solving problems of economic, social and humanitarian character related to the world drug problem. Efforts should focus on the following key areas*:
Strengthening the capacity of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan in combating illicit opium poppy cultivation and illicit opiates production, including through law enforcement and socio-economic measures, such as alternative livelihoods, and in fighting trafficking as a contribution to international endeavours to improve stability in the region and beyond and tackle terrorism, organized crime and corruption;
Continuing to assist the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan as necessary in implementing its national Drug Control Strategy, aimed at eliminating, significantly and measurably, the illicit traffic in opiates, including through increased support for relevant Afghan institutions;
Providing urgent and appropriate technical assistance and support to the most affected transit States, based on the principle of common and shared responsibility, in order to promote the capacities of such States to counter the flow of illicit drugs;
Taking measures to stem the illicit traffic in opiates and to stop the diversion of precursor chemicals used for the illicit manufacturing of heroin and other opiates between Afghanistan, Paris Pact partners and other countries in the region and beyond, and to eliminate illicit heroin production facilities and their spread;
Providing further training to assist the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and other relevant Paris Pact partners to effectively implement the applicable international conventions including through relevant programmes and projects;
Facilitating cross-border operations between law enforcement agencies, including the planning of joint operations and in this respect appreciating joint operations by the members of the Triangular Initiative and supporting coordination of border management activities in the region, including the coordination of donor assistance to the region's border management programmes;
Supporting the United Nations, in particular UNODC, in its efforts to coordinate effective and resultoriented assistance to the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and neighbouring countries in countering illicit traffic in opiates, including through the UNODC Regional Programme for Afghanistan and Neighbouring Countries;
Commending the work of UNODC to collect and analyse data on illicit traffic in opiates and trends regarding the global Afghan opiate trade, encouraging the utilization of such analyses, as appropriate, while formulating and implementing regional and country programmes to support and assist States affected by opiates originating in Afghanistan, and encouraging Paris Pact partners to collect and share relevant data with UNODC.
Elaborating and implementing comprehensive regional programmes, to effectively counteract the challenges and threat of illicit traffic in opiates, in particular, the UNODC Regional Programme for Afghanistan and Neighbouring Countries, including:
