Drugs Crime and Terrorism
Acknowledgements
The report on “Ukraine: Organized Crime Dynamics in the Context of War” was prepared by the Research and Trend Analysis Branch, Division for Policy Analysis and Public Affairs under the supervision of Angela Me, Chief, Research and Trend Analysis Branch.
Recommendations
Based on emerging analytical results presented in this study, the following provisional recommendations have been formulated in order to counteract and mitigate changes and exacerbations in the discussed areas of organized crime, which may result from the shifting modi operandi of illicit actors during and after the war.
Scope and methods
This report is based on desk research and in-country fieldwork, with analysis of publicly available official statistics and secondary literature, court decisions, and key informant interviews.
Introduction
Since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation in February 2022, the political economy of Ukraine has been profoundly transformed.
3. Background
The past decades of conflict and instability in Afghanistan have put considerable strain on traditional coping mechanisms and survival strategies among Afghan people. The displacement of populations, both internally and externally, due to conflict over the decades has disrupted extended family structures, rendering the population vulnerable to mental health issues such as anxiety, depression, Post Traumatic Stress Disorders (PTSD) and SUD.
Disruptions in opiate supply are apparent from declining seizures and rising prices, but the methamphetamine supply remains unaffected
An analysis of available drug seizure and price data in and around Afghanistan show clearly that regional opiate markets are experiencing reductions in supply. Production estimates for 2023 and 2024 indicate that poppy cultivation and opium production remain a fraction relative to years of steady harvests prior to the enforcement of the drugs ban in 2023 when total annual production fell from a pre-ban average of about 6,400 tons of opium to 330 tons.
Acknowledgements
This report was prepared jointly by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Country Office for Afghanistan (COAFG) and the Research and Trend Analysis Branch (UNODC), supported by UNODC Prevention, Treatment and Rehabilitation Section, with funding from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). It is part of a series of shorter reports for 2024 that detail several developments in Afghanistan.
Acknowledgements
This report was prepared by the Research and Trend Analysis Branch, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), supported by the UNODC Information Centre for researching and analyzing transnational threats related to drugs and crime. It is part of a series of shorter reports for 2024 that detail several developments in Afghanistan.
7. Overview of results
The survey revealed that a total of 70 facilities were providing treatment services for SUD in Afghanistan as of December 2022, with an additional 12 facilities starting operations between 2023 and May 2024. Although three facilities refused to participate in the 2022 study, their operational status was reported for this mapping.