Coordination between the Mekong MOU on Drug Control and UNODC: Linkages between the Sub-Regional Action Plan and UNODC’s Regional Programme for Southeast Asia 2014-2017

Table of Contents List of Abbreviations ................................................................................................................................ 3 List of Diagrams ....................................................................................................................................... 5 I. Executive Summary ............................................................................................................................. 7 II. UNODC and the MOU on Drug Control in the Greater Mekong Sub-Region ..................................... 9 III. Linkages between UNODC’s RP and the Mekong MOU’s Sub-Regional Action Plan ...................... 11 A. Linkage between Sub-programme 1 of the Mekong MOU’s SAP and UNODC’s RP ........................ 12 B. Linkage between Sub-programme 2 of the Mekong MOU’s SAP and UNODC’s RP ........................ 14 C. Linkage between Sub-programme 3 of the Mekong MOU’s SAP and UNODC’s RP ........................ 15 D. Linkage between Sub-programme 4 of the Mekong MOU’s SAP and UNODC’s RP ........................ 17 E. Linkage between Sub-programme 5 of the Mekong MOU’s SAP and UNODC’s RP ......................... 18 IV. Timeline for Implementation of the Mekong MOU’s Sub-Regional Action Plan ............................ 19 V. Monitoring and Evaluation of the Mekong MOU’s Sub-Regional Action Plan ................................. 19

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List of Abbreviations BLO Border Liaison Office EB Evidence-based prevention/treatment GMS Greater Mekong Sub-Region IDU Injecting drug users M&E Monitoring and evaluation MLA Mutual legal assistance MOU Memorandum of Understanding RP Regional Programme SAP Sub-Regional Action Plan SOM Senior Official Meetings SOP Standard Operation Procedure UNDCP United Nations International Drug Control Programme UNODC United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime

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List of Diagrams Diagram 1: Linkages between SP1 of the Mekong MOUs SAP 2014-2016: Cooperation Between Law Enforcement Agencies, and UNODCs RP for Southeast Asia 2014-2017 Diagram 2: Linkages between SP2 of the Mekong MOUs SAP 2014-2016: International Cooperation of Judicial Matters, and UNODCs RP for Southeast Asia 2014-2017 Diagram 3: Linkages between SP3 of the Mekong MOUs SAP 2014-2016: Drug Demand Reduction, and UNODCs RP for Southeast Asia 2014-2017 Diagram 4: Linkages between SP4 of the Mekong MOUs SAP 2014-2016: Drugs and HIV/AIDS, and UNODCs RP for Southeast Asia 2014-2017 Diagram 5: Linkages between SP5 of the Mekong MOUs SAP 2014-2016: Sustainable Alternative Development, and UNODCs RP for Southeast Asia 2014-2017

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I. Executive Summary Following the ratification and implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Drug Control in the Greater Mekong Sub-Region (GMS) in 1993, UNODC and the Governments of Cambodia, China, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Thailand and Viet Nam have worked together to address the challenge and impact of illicit drug production, trafficking and use in Southeast Asia. During this time MOU signatories have cooperated in implementing a number of initiatives within the MOU’s Sub-Regional Action Plan (SAP). The purpose of the SAP is to outline the scope of work that requires sub-regional cooperation from the MOU Member States, providing a framework through which members can concentrate resources in order to achieve the objectives outlined in the MOU in an efficient and effective manner. As a non-state signatory to the MOU, UNODC has provided secretariat services to MOU Member States, assisting in organizing MOU meetings, developing project proposals for consideration, and monitoring and evaluating activities implemented within the framework of the SAP. In addition, UNODC has worked to advocate for the MOU and its objectives, helping to raise third-party financial resources to carry out projects under the SAP. In the past UNODC has fulfilled this role through its project RASH15 “Support for MOU Partnership in East Asia”, which has been supported through financial contributions from MOU Member States, while other initiatives are implemented and supported through UNODC projects and programmes in the region. Going forward, UNODC’s Regional Programme (RP) for Southeast Asia 2014-2017 will provide a platform for work related to the SAP and the Mekong MOU on Drug Control. This report serves as a tool for UNODC to identify intersections and linkages between the activities outlined in the SAP and its new RP for Southeast Asia, outlining how the RP will assist in achieving the objectives of the Mekong MOU. This will assist UNODC in more effectively fulfilling its responsibilities as a signatory to the MOU and equip it to better able position the SAP and its importance within discussions focusing on the challenges and impact of illicit drug production and trafficking to Southeast Asia and the greater region. In turn, this will help UNODC to mobilize increased levels of resources for use in achieving the stated priorities of the MOU and SAP, and in doing so improve efficiency in the delivery of drug control assistance throughout the region.

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II. UNODC and the MOU on Drug Control in the Greater Mekong Sub-Region The MOU on Drug Control in the GMS was signed in 1993 in response to an increased regionalization of illicit drug production, trafficking and associated impact, as well as to rising organised criminal activities at the national and regional levels. The first signatories were the following: China, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Thailand, and UNODC (then UNDCP), with both Cambodia and Viet Nam officially joining in May 1995. The purpose of the MOU is to develop sub-regional mechanisms to fulfil the following objectives:

• Elimination of opium poppy cultivation; • Elimination of trafficking in narcotic drugs and related precursor chemicals; • Reduction in the demand for local consumption of narcotic drugs; and • Reduction in the problems associated with HIV/AIDS infection and injecting drug users (IDU).

Under the MOU, activities are carried out under the framework of its Sub-Regional Action Plan. The SAP was initially established for the period 1995-1998, but has since been revised and renewed biennially, with the latest SAP (Revision IX) being extended from 2014 to 2016. In addition to annual Senior Official Meetings (SOM) and thematic working group discussions, MOU Ministerial Meetings are held every two years, with UNODC providing secretarial services. In 2002, an Addendum on Partnership to the MOU was signed at the Ministerial Meeting, in which the signatories reaffirmed their commitment to sustaining and strengthening their cooperative efforts to deal with problems of illicit drug production, trafficking and abuse, which at the time had grown even more serious in the region. In addition, it was recognised that the six MOU Member States would need to assume a more active role in the management and implementation of the MOU consultative process and SAP projects. The most recent MOU Ministerial Meeting was held in May 2013, followed by a Senior Officials workshop in July 2013. Besides serving as the Secretariat for the MOU, UNODC has also provided technical, financial and administrative support to the body through the project RASH15 “Support for MOU Partnership in East Asia”. In the future UNODC will continue to provide this support through its RP for Southeast Asia 2014-2017, a mechanism that will permit it to assist and complement the efforts undertaken within the framework of the MOU to an even greater extent. The RP is a more comprehensive, integrated platform of UNODC’s technical assistance in the region with the overall objective to strengthen the ability of Member States and institutions in the region to effectively respond in a coordinated manner to drug, crime and terrorism challenges. The RP will enhance implementation of national and regional drug control and crime prevention policies; provide support to increased regional cooperation; and encourage South-South cooperation. This will be carried out in a manner that ensures integration into UN region-wide efforts, as well as promotes partnerships with key regional actors such as ASEAN. The following section outlines the linkages between UNODC’s RP and the MOU’s SAP, providing an overview of how UNODC’s new programme of engagement in Southeast Asia complements the activities carried out as part of the SAP, and assists in achieving the objectives of the Mekong MOU.

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III. Linkages between UNODC’s RP and the Mekong MOU’s Sub-Regional Action Plan The MOU’s SAP has recently undergone its ninth revision, being updated by MOU Member States to reflect recent achievements under the SAP, in addition to the current situation regarding the challenges and impact of illicit drug production and trafficking in the GMS. The current SAP covers the period 2014-2016 and prioritizes the following five thematic Sub-Programmes:

• Cooperation between law enforcement agencies; • International cooperation of judicial matters; • Drug demand reduction; • Drugs and HIV/AIDS; and • Sustainable alternative development

Under these five priority areas, MOU members have agreed to a series of activities that work to achieve the objectives of the MOU. As mentioned previously, UNODC has incorporated the objectives and priorities of the MOU and its SAP into its new RP, with the five Sub-Programmes of the SAP corresponding with six outcome areas in its RP for Southeast Asia, including:

• Countering the trafficking of illicit drugs and precursors; • Improving border management; • Enhancing international legal cooperation; • Strengthening drug use prevention and treatment policies; • Improving HIV-prevention and treatment policies for IDUs; and • Enhancing alternative development policies.

The following diagrams highlight the overlaps between the five Sub-Programmes of the SAP and UNODC’s RP. Where intersections exist, activities carried out within the framework of the RP complement those of the SAP, helping to achieve the objectives of the Mekong MOU on Drug Control.

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A. Linkage between Sub-programme 1 of the Mekong MOU’s SAP and UNODC’s RP The following diagram outlines the linkages between the SAP’s Sub-programme 1, which focuses on improving cooperation between law enforcement agencies, and UNODC’s RP. Under the RP, the Sub-programme corresponds to two outcome areas that focus on drugs and precursor trafficking and border management.

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Diagram 1: Linkages between SP1 of the Mekong MOUs SAP 2014-2016: Cooperation Between Law Enforcement Agencies, and UNODCs RP for Southeast Asia 2014-2017

UNODC Regional

Programme 2014-2017

Mekong MOU, SAP 2014-2016, Sub-Programme 1

Sub-programme 1, Outcome 1: Drugs and Precursor Trafficking Sub-programme 1, Outcome 5: Border Management

Output 1: strengthened intelligence systems

Output 2: enhanced investigation & prosecution capability

Output 3: strengthened interdiction capacity

Output 4: enhanced drug ID, profiling and info sharing

Output 5: enhanced cross-border cooperation

Output 1: enhanced border agency cooperation

Output 2: enhanced info collection, analysis and dissemination

Output 3: enhanced intelligence-led responses

Outcome 1: BLOs established; joint operations; SOP developed

Outcome 2: real-time drug intelligence; intelligence sharing

Outcome 3: knowledge and skills enhancement; capacity building

Outcome 4: enhanced interdiction capacity

Outcome 5: precursor diversion prevention

Outcome 6: enhanced capacity for ID and profiling of drugs by law enforcement

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B. Linkage between Sub-programme 2 of the Mekong MOU’s SAP and UNODC’s RP Diagram 2 outlines the linkages between the SAP’s Sub-programme 2, which focuses on improving cooperation between legal institutions in the GMS, and UNODC’s RP. Under the RP, the Sub-programme corresponds to one outcome area that focuses on improving international cooperation on criminal justice issues by strengthening regional cooperation networks and mechanisms to carry out cross-border investigations and prosecutions. Diagram 2: Linkages between SP2 of the Mekong MOUs SAP 2014-2016: International Cooperation of

Judicial Matters, and UNODCs RP for Southeast Asia 2014-2017

UNODC Regional Programme

2014-2017 Mekong MOU, SAP 2014-2016, Sub-Programme 2

Sub-programme 4, Outcome 3: Cross-Border Criminal Justice Cooperation

Output 1: strengthened framework for mutual legal assistance

Output 2: enhanced asset recovery mechanisms

Output 3: enhanced cross-border cooperation, info sharing

Outcome 1: enhanced capacity to apply drug legislation

Outcome 2: strengthened international cooperation on MLA

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C. Linkage between Sub-programme 3 of the Mekong MOU’s SAP and UNODC’s RP The following diagram outlines the linkages between the SAP’s Sub-programme 3, which focuses on improving the delivery of drug use prevention and treatment services, and UNODC’s RP. Under the RP, the Sub-programme corresponds to two outcome areas that focus strengthening national and regional drug use prevention, treatment and re-integration regimes.

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Diagram 3: Linkages between SP3 of the Mekong MOUs SAP 2014-2016: Drug Demand Reduction, and UNODCs RP for Southeast Asia 2014-2017

UNODC Regional Programme

2014-2017 Mekong MOU, SAP 2014-2016, Sub-Programme 3

Sub-programme 5, Outcome 1: Drug Use Prevention Sub-programme 5, Outcome 2: Drug Use Treatment and Reintegration

Output 1: evidence-based (EB) prevention programmes

Output 2: standards, tools & guidelines for interventions

Output 3: enhanced capacity to develop EB prevention practitioners

Output 4: capacity for evaluation of drug prevention enhanced

Output 1: models developed for evidence-based policies and legislation

Output 2: best practice models, tools and guidelines developed for interventions

Output 3: enhanced capacity to develop EB treatment practitioners

Output 4: capacity for evaluation of drug treatment enhanced

Outcome 1: data and info made available for planning, monitoring and measurement of drug prevention, treatment and care

Outcome 2: scale-up public health policies on drug prevention treatment and care

Outcome 3: develop structures for implementation of drug prevention, harm reduction, treatment & care interventions

Outcome 4: training provided to relevant staff to increase capacity to deliver evidence-based interventions

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D. Linkage between Sub-programme 4 of the Mekong MOU’s SAP and UNODC’s RP Diagram 4 outlines the linkages between the SAP’s Sub-programme 4, which focuses on enhancing the delivery of HIV-prevention and treatment policies for drug users in the GMS, and UNODC’s RP. Under the RP, the Sub-programme corresponds to one outcome area that focuses on improving HIV-prevention and treatment policies for IDUs.

Diagram 4: Linkages between SP4 of the Mekong MOUs SAP 2014-2016: Drugs and HIV/AIDS, and

UNODCs RP for Southeast Asia 2014-2017

UNODC Regional Programme

2014-2017 Mekong MOU, SAP 2014-2016, Sub-Programme 4

Sub-programme 5, Outcome 3: HIV Output 1: HIV laws, policies and practices reviewed and amendments recommended

Output 2: strategic info on drug use compiled, synthesized and disseminated

Output 3: law enforcement training tools developed, adapted, translated & applied

Outcome 1: development, adaptation and dissemination of intervention guidance for injecting drug users

Outcome 2: sensitisation, advocacy and training for law enforcement in partnership with LEAHN/IPAG/country focal points

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E. Linkage between Sub-programme 5 of the Mekong MOU’s SAP and UNODC’s RP Diagram 5 provides an overview of the linkages between the SAP’s Sub-programme 5, which focuses on implementing more sustainable alternative development policies in the region, and UNODC’s RP. Under the RP, the Sub-programme corresponds to one outcome area, which is designed to expand the implementation of alternative development policies and projects, in particular in opium poppy cultivating areas.

Diagram 5: Linkages between SP5 of the Mekong MOUs SAP 2014-2016: Sustainable Alternative

Development, and UNODCs RP for Southeast Asia 2014-2017

UNODC Regional Programme

2014-2017

Mekong MOU, SAP 2014-2016, Sub-Programme 5

Sub-programme 5, Outcome 4: Alternative Development

Sub-programme 1, Outcome 1: Drugs and Precursors Trafficking

Output 1: alternative development policies promoted in national frameworks

Output 2: South-South cooperation and partnerships supported

Output 1: strengthened information and intelligence systems developed

Outcome 1: advocacy, programme development & resource mobilization sustained; international donor support

Outcome 2: Alternative development integrated into national drug control plans and policies

Outcome 3: Alternative development programmes implemented and coordinated

Outcome 4: annual opium crop monitoring and assessments conducted, verified and reported

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IV. Timeline for Implementation of the Mekong MOU’s Sub-Regional Action Plan Activities implemented within the framework of both the SAP and UNODC’s RP will adhere to the timeline provided within the RP and the detailed work-plan outlined in the relevant outcome document, dependent on available financial resources. V. Monitoring and Evaluation of the Mekong MOU’s Sub-Regional Action Plan To date the monitoring and evaluation (M&E) system for the SAP has not been adequately developed. Going forward, SAP-related activities implemented as part of the RP will be monitored and evaluated in line with UNODC global standards, with progress being measured against a set of standard indicators. Reports related to activity implementation will be provided in advance of the Senior Official Meeting (SOM) and the bi-annual Ministerial Meeting. These reports will be provided to MOU Member States in line with the guidelines outlined in the SAP, for use as input for the review and planning discussions at MOU meetings.

United Nations Office on Drugs and CrimeRegional Office for Southeast Asia and the Pacific

United Nations Building, 3rd floor B Block, Secretariat Building, Raj Damnern Nok Avenue, Bangkok 10200, ThailandTel. (66-2) 288-2091 Fax. (66-2) 281-2129 E-mail: fo.thailand@unodc.org Website: http://www.unodc.org/southeastasiaandpacific