Executive Summary

This implementation plan reflects a new determination by President Hamid Karzai and the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan to tackle the cultivation, production and trafficking of drugs in Afghanistan.

The Counter Narcotics Ministry, with the assistance of the international community, will update the full implementation plan at least quarterly.

There will be eight Pillars in the Afghan Government's new implementation plan:

1. Building Institutions
2. Information Campaign
3. Alternative Livelihoods
4. Interdiction and Law Enforcement
5. Criminal Justice
6. Eradication
7. Demand Reduction and Treatment of Addicts
8. Regional Co-operation

• The Counter Narcotics Ministry will take the lead role in the development, co-ordination, monitoring and evaluation of the Afghan Government's counter narcotics strategy. The institutional development of the new Ministry will be supported by the UK, US and UNODC.

• The Counter Narcotics Minister will chair a new Cabinet Sub-Committee on Counter Narcotics with participation from key line Ministries including the Minister of Finance, the Minister for Rural Development, the Minister of Agriculture, Minister for Public Works and the Deputy Interior Minister for Counter Narcotics. The Secretariat will be provided by the Counter Narcotics Ministry.

• The Counter Narcotics Minister and UK Ambassador (the Lead Nation on CN) will jointly chair a Counter Narcotics Consultative Group under the new Security Sector Reform Co-ordination structure. International partners and Afghan Ministers will be invited to participate in this Group.

• A new Counter Narcotics Trust Fund will be established to fund priorities in the Afghan Government's counter narcotics programme. The Fund will be available to support all strands of the programme, but the top priority for 2005 will be support for alternative livelihoods. Implementation of alternative livelihood projects will be through the existing national priority programme structure in support of priorities identified in Provincial Development Plans. The Counter Narcotics Ministry will recommend priorities for expenditure from the Fund. Afghan Government approval for expenditure will be given by the Cabinet Sub-Committee on Counter Narcotics.

• Establishment of a survey unit within the new Counter Narcotics Ministry, with supporting capacity building for data collection and analysis.

• The Afghan Government intends to establish District Development Councils and Provincial Development Shuras in each province. These will be responsible for identifying district and provincial development priorities as well as ensuring compliance with the ban on opium cultivation. These structures will recommend priorities for Provincial and District Development Plans. These Plans should reflect the people's people’s top priorities for short, medium and long term investments.

• The Afghan Government also intends to establish Provincial Development Committees (PDCs) in each province to act as the final decision-making body for all development projects in the province. The PDC will be chaired by the Governor and will include representatives of key line Ministries (MRRD, Agriculture, CN Ministry etc), UN agencies, international partners, NGOs and PRTs. The PDC will be responsible for formulating the Provincial Development Plan through the provision of technical assistance to the Provincial Shura and line ministries; managing provincial development budgets; and co-ordinating and monitoring development projects.

• Technical assistance and resources should be provided to assist the establishment and operation of these provincial structures.

• The Counter Narcotics National Conference on 9/10 December demonstrated the commitment of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, local leaders and people of Afghanistan to stop poppy cultivation, production, drug trafficking and corruption in line with the teachings of Islam, Article 7 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and Afghan criminal law.

• This event and the related ongoing information campaign will focus on how poppy cultivation is:

  • threatening the national security of Afghanistan;
  • ruining Afghanistan's international reputation;
  • undermining the security of local communities by funding illegal militias and terrorism;
  • reducing development assistance being provided to local communities as a result of the insecurity caused by drugs;
  • having a major negative impact on the growth of the legal economy;
  • fuelling corruption throughout Afghanistan;
  • driving a substantial increase in addiction to opium and heroin among Afghan youth and families; and
  • supplying the millions of people addicted to opium and heroin in neighbouring Islamic countries.

• he Fatwa issued by the National Council of Ulema will be displayed in all mosques and religious authorities in the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan will carry this message to local communities across Afghanistan.

• The Deputy Minister of Interior for Counter Narcotics and the Head of the Central Poppy Eradication Force will continue to visit provinces to inform local communities about the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan's plans to eradicate poppy cultivation.

• Ministries responsible for rural development, agriculture, irrigation and the economy will inform local communities about what is being done to create new alternative livelihood opportunities for poppy farmers.

• Governors and law enforcement authorities will ensure that all communities will comply with President Hamid Karzai's instruction to stop the illegal cultivation, production and trafficking in opium.

• Rural development assistance will continue to be provided to all provinces across Afghanistan. The Afghan Government will seek a major increase in assistance from the International Community for an enhanced alternative livelihoods programme in 1384 (2005). The Islamic Republic of Afghanistan appreciates the new commitments to support the government counter-narcotics strategy by the donor community. The government however urges the donors to ensure their support for National Priority Programmes through the National Development Budget and the new Counter Narcotics Trust Fund. Any investment outside these budgets should be strictly consistent with the National Development Programmes and Provincial Development Plans and under the supervision of the government at both national and provincial level.

• National Programmes: responsible ministries and international partners will collaborate to make national development programmes more effective in achieving developmental goals and, through mainstreaming of counter-narcotics, to respond to the particular challenges posed by the opium economy. Progress on national programmes will be accelerated in the focus provinces, and in this context ministries will draw on the guidance and assistance from Provincial Shuras and Provincial Development Committees. Such programmes include, but are not limited to, National Solidarity Programme, National Emergency Employment Programme, Irrigation Programme, Agriculture Programme, Afghanistan Stabilisation Programme, National Skills Development Programme, Micro-finance Programme, and National Area-based Development Programme.

• In addition, there will be a particular focus in 1383-84 (2005) on seven key provinces to provide additional assistance for alternative livelihoods. These provinces will be chosen to facilitate the effects of a substantial reduction in poppy cultivation. Helmand, Kandahar, Nangahar and Badakhshan are potential recipients of the first phase of this additional support in 1383-84 (2005) depending upon voluntary efforts to reduce or eradicate opium cultivation in the coming weeks. The former three of these areas have relatively high potential and could be become hubs for regional economic growth. The US and the UK have already agreed to provide additional assistance to these areas. Additional immediate assistance will also be provided to further three provinces based upon voluntary efforts to reduce or eradicate opium cultivation.

• Throughout the year work will continue, through Afghan ministries in collaboration with international donors and implementing partners, on testing out a wide range of new or improved activities, both agricultural and off-farm, to improve income generation and food security. Workshops will be held to share lessons, identify success, and mechanisms identified to scale up, with a view to maximising the number people with access to, and benefiting from new or improved opportunities. A mechanism to monitor impact and lessons learned will be built into the programme.

• In early 1384 (2005), the Afghan Government will agree with international donors and experts how to improve the outreach of credit to rural areas, and to develop a policy on how to tackle opium indebtedness, which is a particular problem in areas where poppy cultivation is entrenched. According to Islamic principles and our laws, all types of credits and loans given for poppy cultivation or to be paid in opium are outlawed.

• The Afghan Special Narcotics Force will be expanded to increase its effectiveness against major drugs targets with UK funding and advice. It has already destroyed over 80 tonnes of opiates, 30 tonnes of precursor chemicals, 70 drug laboratories and disrupted 2 opium bazaars. In 2005, the Afghan Government will substantially increase its efforts to destroy opium storage sites, drug laboratories and close opium bazaars. It will also arrest drug traffickers and hand them over to the prosecution authorities.

• The Counter Narcotics Police of Afghanistan (CNPA) will be expanded to over 750 officers by the end of 2005 with an effective presence in all major opium producing provinces.

• A Counter Narcotics Intelligence Fusion Cell linked to the CNPA has been operational since Dalwa 1383 (January 2005).

• UK and other international partners will provide training and mentoring for the intelligence and investigation functions of the CNPA both centrally and in key provinces.

• A National Interdiction capability will be established within CNPA with assistance from the US, UK, UNODC and France with the aim to achieve an interdiction capacity of over 300 CNPA officers by the end of 1384 ( 2005). This includes over 200 CNPA officers in the National Interdiction Unit trained by the US, UNODC and France, and a further nine Mobile Detection Teams (over 100 CNPA officers) trained and mentored by the UK.

• Governors and Chiefs of Police will be ordered to close any bazaars operating in Afghanistan which sell or trade opium.

• The Anti-Corruption Commission will focus its efforts on tackling drug-related corruption.

• The Afghan Government will continue to strengthen the Afghan National Police and the Afghan Border Police. These efforts are co-ordinated by Germany, as the lead nation, and supported by the US and other donors. The Afghan National Police, Border Police and Highway Police will receive increased counter narcotics training, facilities, communications, equipment and air support. Additionally, the Afghan border crossing points will be improved to interdict the import of chemicals and the export of drugs.

• The Afghan Government will continue to develop a more effective criminal justice system with the assistance of Italy and other international donors.

• The Counter Narcotics Criminal Justice Task Force became operational in Dalwa 1383 (February 2005) and will fast-track counter narcotics cases within the criminal justice system. 35 specialist investigators, 35 prosecutors and 15 judges will be trained and operational by the end of 1384 (2005) with the assistance and co-operation of the UK, US, Canada, Norway and UNODC.

• A secure court and prison facility will be developed at Pul-e-Charki prison in 1384 (2005) to deal with major drug trafficking cases with the assistance of the UK, US, Canada and UNODC.

• An effective counter narcotics legal framework will be developed through the completion of a review of relevant laws soon with necessary amendments adopted by the new Afghan Government in 1383-84 (2005). A new law on money laundering was adopted in late1383 (2004), and new laws on the freezing and confiscation of assets will be adopted in early 1384 (2005).

• A new court will be established in Kabul with jurisdiction to deal with major drug trafficking cases throughout Afghanistan.

• The Afghan Government will co-operate with international partners on the extradition of drug traffickers, in accordance with the provisions of the constitution of Islamic Republic of Afghanistan.

• There will be a credible, targeted and verified eradication campaign in 1383-84 (2005) led by the new Afghan Government.

• The Afghan Government has a no aerial eradication policy

• There will be no compensation for farmers who cultivate poppy.

• Efforts will be made to ensure that eradication takes place earlier than previous years so that the farmers have time for cultivation of licit crops.

• President Karzai and the Interior Minister will ensure that Governors and Chiefs of Police across Afghanistan co-operate in the 1383-84 (2005) eradication campaign.

• Eradication will be conducted in two ways:

  1. The Central Poppy Eradication Force (CPEF) will be significantly expanded in time for the start of eradication in Dalwa 1383 (February 2005). The Chiefs of Police in provinces visited by the Central Poppy Eradication Force will provide all available resources to support the security of the Force during its operations. Firm action will be taken against anyone opposing the Force.
  2. Governors, Chiefs of Police and other relevant Ministries will conduct a provincial-led eradication campaign.

• The 1383-84 (2005) eradication campaign will be monitored and verified by the Counter Narcotics Ministry and Interior Ministry with the assistance of the international community (in particular the UNODC, UK and US). High technology assets including satellite imagery will be used.

• In Dalwa 1383 (February 2005), 15 ground-based verification teams (over 120 persons) completed their training and will be deployed to key provinces to verify the eradication campaign. 15 further ground-based verification teams will be deployed in Hoat 1383 (March 2005). International co-ordinators will assist the verification effort centrally and at regional level.

• New drug addiction treatment centres will be established in Herat, Kandahar, Mazar-e-Sharif and Nangahar by the end of 1384 (2005) to supplement existing centres in Kabul, Gardez and Faizabad.

• The Afghan Government will seek funding from the international community in 2005 to provide 6 regional Government hospitals with drug treatment facilities and to develop 34 Community Based Treatment Services in provincial centres. These facilities will operate in accordance with a national drug treatment protocol to be adopted by the Afghan Government in early 1384 (2005).

• Training of trainers as social multipliers will be conducted in 1384 (2005) to increase drug awareness amongst Afghan communities.

• Outcome evaluation training for those working on demand reduction will take place in Hoat 1383 (March 2005).

• Mainstreaming of drug issues in World Bank/other donor projects within the Ministries of Health and Education will take place in 1384 (2005).

• A National Assessment of the nature and extent of drug use in Afghanistan will be undertaken by UNODC in . early 1384 (2005).

• The Government of Afghanistan calls upon other countries, especially those with high level of drug consumption, to take necessary measures in order to reduce the consumption of drug in their respective countries.

• The Afghan Government will co-operate fully with neighbouring countries within the framework of the Good Neighbourly Relations Regional Declaration on Counter Narcotics.