ECO-DCCU Revised Project Document

Letter of Agreement

UNITED NATIONS INTERNATIONAL DRUG CONTROL PROGRAMME (UNDCP)

AND 

THE SECRETARIAT OF ECONOMIC COOPERATION ORGANIZATION (ECO)

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On behalf of :

Economic Cooperation Organization

On behalf of :  

UN Drug Control Programme (UNDCP)

Dr. Abdolrahim Gavahi

Signed...................................... 

Secretary-General

Economic Cooperation Organization 

Antonio Maria Costa

Signed...................................... 

Director-General Executive Director - ODCCP

Office for Drug Control and Crime Prevention

 Date of Signature ……………………. 

Date of Signature ……………………. 

        Context of Agreement

1.      Phase 2 Project Document Work Plan – Annex 1

2.      Phase 2 Project Document Logical Framework Matrix – Annex 2

3.      Phase 2 Project Document Monitoring Sheet – Annex 3

4.      Phase 2 Project Document TOR of Programme Officer – Annex 4

5.      Phase 2 Project Document TOR of Trilingual Translator/Secretary – Annex 5

6.      Phase 2 Project Document TOR of Local Assistant – Annex 6

7.      Phase 2 Project Document TOR of Web Manager – Annex 7

8.      Phase 2 Project Document DCCU Staffing Arrangements – Annex 8

A.    CONTEXT

Background

In 1964, Iran, Pakistan and Turkey created an organization, named the Regional Cooperation for Development (RCD).

In 1977, the three countries signed the Treaty of Izmir that outlined a number of policies, programmes or directives to be implemented by the member states and, in its Article II, listed the following four purposes of the Organization:

1.     Expansion of trade among member countries.

2.     Promotion of conditions for sustained economic development.

3.     Consolidation of cultural and spiritual affinities.

4.     Contribution to world trade and striving for the removal of iniquitous trading policies that result in adverse terms of trade for developing countries.

In 1985, RCD was renamed to the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO).  In 1992, ECO was expanded to include also Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.

Consequently, the following ten countries are at present the member states of ECO: Afghanistan, Republic of Azerbaijan, Islamic Republic of Iran, Republic of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Islamic Republic of Pakistan, Republic of Tajikistan, Republic of Turkey, Turkmenistan, Republic of Uzbekistan.  The ECO region comprises population of more than 320 million people.

a.             General drug control situation in the ECO region

                Drug cartels undermine governments and corrupt legitimate business, thus affecting adversely the overall economic and security situation not only confined to a particular country but with spillover effects and direct bearing on a larger scale in a whole region. The incentive mechanism behind the drug traffic is very simple: 1 kilogram of heroin could be purchased on the Afghan/Tajik border, or on the Afghan/Iran border, for roughly 1,000 US dollars, and sold in Europe for 200,000 US dollars. Considering that a large portion of the globally laundered money at US$ 600 billion per year is transacted in the ECO region, the issue gains more importance. 

                In some large geographic area within the ECO region there exist considerable opium poppy cultivation and cannabis harvesting, as well as opium, morphine and heroin production.  While many clandestine laboratories have been destroyed by the national law enforcement agencies, new laboratories are being established and the refining of opium into morphine base and heroin is increasing in some ECO countries. 

                New drug trafficking routes are emerging through the territories of ECO Member Countries, particularly for transit traffic in drugs via Central Asia to Europe. There is a rapid spread of illicit drug trafficking in five Central Asian Member States (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan). Owing to the ready availability of opium and locally manufactured acetic anhydride, it is suspected that heroin is also being manufactured in illicit laboratories in some Central Asian States.

                Due to the increased drug trafficking in the ECO region, the highest rates of addiction in the world can, unfortunately, be found today in some of the ECO countries.  Based on the official data, it is estimated that more than 6,5 million people regularly abuse drugs in the entire ECO region. However, the real number of drug abusers in the region is strongly suspected to be much higher. The most serious drug abuse trend in recent years has been the rise in the use of injected drugs, primarily opiates, and the associated rapid spread of HIV/AIDS. Intravenous drug use has become the major vector for the spread of the disease.  

Aside from the health hazards, the illicit drug traffic also brings other hazards to the societies. It fuels various forms of crime, including arms’ dealing and smuggling of people, and also – the terrorist activities in the ECO region. The recent events in Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan testify to a fact that the drug trafficking from Afghanistan and the Afghan-based terrorism have reached a level, endangering the security and stability in the region and beyond. 

                The ECO countries account for over 90% of the global seizures of Afghan opiates. The Islamic Republic of Iran, which follows a determined policy of interdiction, has lost more than 3,000 law enforcement personnel over the last 20 years in armed conflicts with the drug traffickers’ gangs. Heavy losses of drug control staff are also reported in other ECO countries. 

b.     Specific drug control field or target area of action

ECO region is among the priority target areas for UNDCP programme development to pre-empt illicit drug activities, that is, cultivation, production, trafficking, and abuse.

Drug problems within the ECO region are inter-related.  This calls for a close cooperation and coordination in respect of planning and implementing drug control activities in the region.

The Project will offer a cost-effective course of action to strengthen drug control coordination capacities of ECO.

c.     The policy, strategy and plans of ECO for the specific field or target area of action

The Council of Ministers, in its Second Meeting on 5-6 February 1992, set up a new Technical Committee on Drug Control.  Parallel to the creation of a full-fledged technical committee with a specific mandate to promote regional cooperation in the fight against narcotics, the subject was included as a major policy issue in the "Istanbul Declaration" adopted by the ECO Council of Ministers in its Special Meeting held on 5-7 July 1993.

Various Expert Group Meetings and Technical Committee Meetings have finalized the ECO Plan of Action on Drug Control, which was on 11 May 1996 approved by the ECO Council of Ministers at its Sixth Meeting in Ashqabat (Turkmenistan) and provides a framework for measures to be taken at national and regional levels in:

-       Eradication of opium poppy crop;

-       Elimination of heroin laboratories;

-       Strengthening control of drugs and psychotropic substances used for licit purposes, as well as control of essential chemical precursors;

-       Fight against illicit traffic in narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances, including promotion of national drug control legislation, strengthening national and regional structures and institutions, exchange of drug liaison officers between member states; exchange of information and experience; training of law enforcement staff, improvement of interdiction capacities, introduction of a reward system by member states, measures against money laundering;

-       Reduction of illicit demand, promotion of treatment and rehabilitation of drug addicts.

The ECO Plan of Action on Drug Control specifically calls for the creation of a Drug Control Coordination Unit (DCCU), which "will operate under the Secretary General" and shall "in consultation with UNDCP and other relevant agencies, prepare and implement projects and programmes to strengthen national law enforcement agencies and promote cooperation among them.  It may also engage in instructive programmes and activities aimed at the full implementation of international drug conventions.  The Unit shall serve as a channel of information and legal and technical assistance to member states" (ECO Plan of Action on Drug Control, Chapter II, Section III, Item "a").

The ECO Plan of Action on Drug Control, in its Annex VI, outlines the following duties of DCCU:

1.     To prepare and undertake coordinated regional activities in consultation with member governments in the implementation of the ECO Plan of Action on Drug Control.

2.     To compile, maintain and disseminate data and information on drug related matters.

3.     To organize training programmes and other relevant courses for officials/experts of member states in priority areas.

4.     To organize meetings, seminars and conferences for drug law enforcement officers from the region.

5.     To provide legal assistance and advisory services, subject to request from member governments, for codification of anti-narcotics legislation by the member states in conformity with the UN Drug Control Conventions.

6.     To facilitate interaction between member governments and specialized international agencies/organizations by serving as a channel of communications.

d.     The institutional framework of ECO

The revised Treaty of Izmir signed on 16th September 1996, provides for the following institutional framework of ECO:

-       The Council of Ministers (COM) is the highest policy making organ of ECO.  It is composed of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs and meets annually.

-       The Council of Permanent Representatives, which consists of the Permanent Representatives/Ambassadors of the Member States accredited to the Islamic Republic of Iran as well as to the ECO, and the Director General for ECO Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Iran.

-       Regional Planning Council, which consists of the heads of the Planning Organizations of the Member States.

-       The Heads of State/Government meet biennially or more often, if considered necessary, to review the objective conditions and progress in implementation of the ECO Programmes and Projects.

-       ECO Secretariat is located in Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran, and in accordance with its organizational set-up, comprises the Secretary General, three Deputy Secretaries General, six Directors and three Assistant Directors.

-       The Assistant Director (for Coordination) is also in charge of Drug Control.

e.     Prior and ongoing cooperation in the same field or target area of action

In line with its mandate, UNDCP is providing assistance to each ECO Member State to prevent an escalation of illicit drug activities with the objective to curtail illicit drug production and drug trafficking, and to prevent an aggravation of the drug abuse situation.

During the ECO Summit in Islamabad, ECO and UNDCP on 15 March 1995 signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to promote cooperation between these two organizations in all areas of drug control, inter alia, in improving coordination of drug control activities within the ECO region.

The Consultative Session of the ECO Technical Committee on Drug Control, held in Tehran on 5-7 November 1995, and attended by representatives from three international organizations (UNDCP, EU, ICPO/Interpol), decided that the ECO Plan of Action on Drug Control should be implemented through a Drug Control Coordination Unit (DCCU) to be established at ECO Secretariat.  The Meeting also discussed opportunities for an international assistance to ECO in implementing the ECO Plan of Action on Drug Control and urged formulation by UNDCP of a Project Document to support the creation of the DCCU.

Following this, UNDCP prepared an Outline of a Project Idea "Assistance in Establishing a Drug Control Coordination Unit (DCCU) at the Secretariat of the ECO", which was approved by the UNDCP Project Review Committee (PRC) on 22 February 1996 and subsequently endorsed by ECO Secretariat.  A Preliminary Draft Project Document was afterwards prepared by UNDCP.

A UNDCP staff member, in charge of formulating the Project, visited the Project's site (ECO Secretariat in Tehran) from 7 to 13 October 1996 and discussed the Preliminary Draft Project Document with ECO Secretariat (Secretary General, Deputy Secretary General and Director in charge of drug control issues) as well as with UN Office in the Islamic Republic of Iran.  The draft was also shared with UNDCP Regional Office for South-West Asia and with UNDCP Regional Office for Central Asia.  All valuable comments and suggestions made during the above consultation process were taken into account in preparing the full-fledged draft Project Document.

Accordingly, a project titled “Assistance in Establishing a Drug Control Coordination Unit (DCCU) at the Secretariat of the ECO” was concluded between ECO and UNDCP on March 5, 1998. This Unit became operational on July 25^th 1999, following the debriefing session from the UNDCP Consultant who visited the ECO Secretariat Headquarters and prepared a revised work plan of the activities of the DCCU for the pilot phase of the Project. The following achievements have been made within the first phase of the Project:

-                     Standard equipment was procured and installed in the DCCU premises;

-                     All Member States appointed their National Coordinators for liaison with DCC;

-                     A periodic reporting system between DCCU and Member States has been established;

-                     Two DCCU Task Force Meetings on Law Enforcement and Coordination with participation of all Member States, UNDCP representatives from Vienna and Tehran were held in the ECO Secretariat;

-                     Computer needs of the focal points were assessed during the ECO-DCCU staff’s mission to the ECO Member States from 3 April to 3 May, 2000;

-                     The DCCU Web site has been developed;

-                     A provisional Glossary, containing particulars of governmental and non-governmental organizations/institutions active in the field of drug control in the ECO region as well as Provisional Country Profiles on drug situation in the Member States and Provisional Drug Trends in the ECO region for 1999 – 2000 have been prepared by DCCU and will be placed on the DCCU Web site.

B.             JUSTIFICATION

-       The drug issue and its implications in terms of both security and health related problems have a tremendous importance within the ECO region and its individual Member States.

-       The endorsement of the “security belt “ strategy by the “Six plus Two” Group, together with the approval of the Regional Action Plan vis á vis the narcotic issue in Afghanistan by the Group, call for the strengthening and further development of the current operational cooperation between UNDCP and ECO in addressing the narcotics problem of the ECO region.

-          The initial response by the ECO Member States to the first phase of the ECO–UNDCP Project underlined the strong political commitment of all ECO Member States in joining hands against the illicit narcotic scourge.

-       The establishment of the Drug Control Coordination Unit (DCCU) in the ECO Secretariat in July 1999 and its achievements in the shape of development of a Web site, drug-related country profiles, glossary of the drug control organizations active in the region and study mission report demonstrated the capability and commitment in providing the ECO Member States with a valuable service, as well as the good will of ECO Member States in enhancing their mutual narcotic control operational cooperation within a regional institutionalized framework.  

-       Due to the time constraints and technical difficulties, the assistance planned under the first phase of the ECO-UNDCP Project could not be fully delivered, and consequently the first phase of the Project could not produce all the expected outputs. At the same time, the activities implemented under the first phase of the Project have removed most of the initial obstacles on the way to a real regional drug control coordination system and prepared the ground for the strengthening of international technical assistance to the ECO Secretariat in the field of drug control.

a.     Drug problem to be addressed

        With the growing drug-related problems caused by illicit drug production and trafficking, the ten Member States of the ECO have all strengthened their national drug control systems. However, drug trafficking from Afghanistan to consumer markets in Europe, Asia, and Middle East continues with the opening up of new trafficking routes throughout the territories of ECO Member States. As a result, drug consumption in the ECO Member States shows upward trends, thus, urging the ECO countries anti-narcotic establishments and civil societies to fight against drugs. 

        The transnational nature of the criminal organizations operating in the illicit drug business coupled with the impossible task of sealing all borders around the major illicit narcotics producing areas require the setting up of effective anti-narcotic cooperation mechanisms at the regional level. In this context, all ECO Member States recognize the need for strengthening their operational cooperation links in the fight against the narcotic threat with a view to give a regional response to a regional threat. 

b.     Expected end-of-project situation

        The Project will assist ECO initially in consolidating and, later on, in widening its drug control policies and operational strategies. Capitalizing on the outputs produced under the first phase of the Project, the second phase of the Project will assist the DCCU of the ECO Secretariat in providing its Member States with technical and coordination services in the field of drug control in the region.

        In particular, the second phase of the Project will result in the improvement of the overall capability of national drug control agencies of ECO Member States in monitoring and fighting the drug issue both in their territories and as a regional threat. This achievement would be the result of the coordination services rendered to the ECO national drug control agencies by DCCU and, in the longer run, of the operational network established by the project. 

        In more concrete terms, a regular reporting system and a Regional Data Bank on narcotic issues will be established and run by the ECO-DCCU. A Web site and a secure procedure for electronic sharing of the data will facilitate the circulation of the information provided by and directed to every ECO Member State. 

        The project will also contribute to the establishment of a first regional network of drug demand reduction operators, including both governmental and non-governmental operators. As for supply reduction, drug demand reduction information will be made available to the general public through the ECO-DCCU Web site together with operational information aimed at facilitating the regional transfer of specialized know how. A first data bank on drug demand reduction will be also established within the DCCU structure. 

The ECO Secretariat will ensure sustainability of the Project’s achievements, particularly the smooth functioning of the DCCU and availability of the sufficiently trained DCCU’s staff after the end of the Project.

c.     Intended beneficiaries

The immediate beneficiary will be ECO Secretariat and the ECO Member States, who will be sharing regularly the latest up-dated information on the drug situation in the ECO region.  This will allow ECO to closely monitor the implementation of the ECO Plan of Action on Drug Control.

ECO Member States will benefit from coordination of their regional activities, as well as from the services provided to them by the DCCU (drug reporting system, publications by ECO on the drug situation in the region, new modus operandi used by illicit traffickers and the emerging drug trafficking trends, regional trends and data about internal consumption, specialized trainings, etc., as well as requirements for priority attention by ECO in drug control and the needs for further regional cooperation, etc.

In a broader context, the international drug control at large, and UNDCP's goals in particular, will benefit from the increased and better-coordinated drug control activities within the ECO region.

d.     Project strategy and institutional arrangements

In order to achieve the objective of the project and to increase the ownership of the project by the different ECO Member States, particular emphasis will be given to the participation of the already appointed National Focal Points in the design and implementation of the main operational outputs and mechanisms of the Project. In this context, the recommendations formulated by the First Meeting of the DCCU National Coordinators, held in Tehran on 28 February 2000, will be used for the Project’s second phase. This initial work plan will be then complemented and fine-tuned with the new additional inputs provided by the ECO Member States. 

As regards modus operandi of the DCCU, the second phase will maintain the overall conceptual parameters (coordination, monitoring and reviewing), designed by the UNDCP Consultant in 1999.  Taking into consideration the need for addressing the issue of drug consumption at the regional level, it will develop a drug demand reduction component by using the same conceptual parameters and implementation strategy used for drug supply reduction. Accordingly, ECO Member States National Focal Points will be requested to assign a relevant official for this specific activity for liaison with DCCU. This drug demand reduction liaison personnel would facilitate the work of DCCU in setting up a drug demand reduction regional network able to provide analysis and data on the regional narcotic drug consumption situation. These activities will also be linked to the UNDCP Global Assessment Programme (GAP), ensuring consistency and compatibility with the methodologies for data collection of the GAP.

Finally, the overall coordination dynamic will be facilitated by the implementation of regional training exercises. Taking advantage of the Turkish International Academy Against Drugs and Organized Crime (TADOC), established by the Turkish Government in collaboration with UNDCP, the Project will organize and implement regional training programmes on issues related to regional operational cooperation (both supply and demand reduction).

During the Project’s second phase, UNDCP will provide the DCCU at the ECO Secretariat with the financial and operational assistance required for the implementation of the different activities of the Project through its Office in the I.R. of Iran. UNOPS/Vienna provided the ECO Secretariat with the financial assistance/support during the Project’s first phase. The UNDCP-ODCCP Offices for Central Asia, the I.R. of Pakistan and Afghanistan will be associated  into the implementation of the different activities of the Project as required. 

 UNDCP will provide costs of recruiting and ECO Secretariat will recruit, in consultation with UNDCP Office in the Islamic Republic of Iran (Tehran), the staff for DCCU, i.e. a Programme Officer from one of the ECO Member States, who will be responsible for the daily management of all DCCU's activities, a Computer Operator/Web Manager, a Support Assistant/Tri-lingual Translator (Russian, Farsi, English), and a Local Assistant as staff of the DCCU at the ECO Secretariat.  These staff will be instrumental for ensuring the smooth functioning of the DCCU.

Upon completion of this Project, ECO Secretariat will assign, at its own expense, DCCU's staff and will ensure the continuation and consistency of DCCU's operations as well as the sustainability of the Project.

 ECO Secretariat will ensure that DCCU is directly supervised by the Assistant Director (Coordination) from ECO Secretariat, who reports to the ECO Deputy Secretary General on the DCCU's activities.

UNDCP will provide to the ECO Secretariat equipment for the DCCU. The UNDCP will authorize the UNDCP Offices in the region to purchase and install the equipment for the National Focal Points as identified and recommended by the ECO-DCCU Mission during their visit to the Member States National Focal Points in April-May 2000. This equipment will be handed over directly to their beneficiaries who will be directly responsible for the equipment use and maintenance.

ECO Secretariat will organize, with financial support from this Project, study tours for DCCU-ECO officials, who are managing DCCU, to get familiarized with the functioning of similar coordination systems outside the ECO region, e.g. at UNDCP HQs, ICPO-Interpol HQs, Caribbean Drug Control Coordination Mechanism (CCM).

The reporting system established under the first phase of the project will remain unchanged. The same will apply to the holding of Meetings of National Focal Points for both drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction. A tentative calendar of the scheduled meetings is included into the present Project Document.

ECO Secretariat will organize, through this Project, a Tri-partite Review Meeting to assess implementation of the Project, particularly the functioning of DCCU and its role in facilitating implementation of the ECO Plan of Action on Drug Control.

e.     Reasons for assistance from UNDCP and selected execution modality

        Illicit drug traffic and related crime and consumption of illicit drugs is the reason for growing concerns to many countries in the ECO region as well as to ECO neighboring countries. The emergence of Afghanistan as world wide hub for illicit opium poppy cultivation, opium derivatives production and trafficking prompted UNDCP to analyze the issue at the regional level and consequently to devise a comprehensive “security belt” strategy, aimed at reducing its impact in the region. The concept of the UNDCP “security belt” together with the identification of UNDCP/ODCCP as the most skilled and impartial implementer of any drug control related technical assistance programmes in the region has been widely recognized not only by the ECO Member States (both individually and through the ECO Secretariat) but also by a number of donor countries which have provided funding to the implementation of UNDCP technical assistance projects in the ECO region.  Currently three UNDCP/ODCCP Offices in the ECO region are actively involved in implementing various technical assistance projects in Afghanistan, I.R. of Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, I.R. of Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkey and Uzbekistan.  In this context, the Project is, on one side, complementing the national projects, which UNDCP is currently implementing in ECO Member States and, on the other, is an indispensable instrument for facilitating the setting up within the ECO Secretariat of an operational mandate on drug control/security related issues affecting its Member States and the region as a whole. 

        As the execution modalities are concerned, the overall management of the Project will remain with the ECO Secretariat. The UNDCP Office in Iran, through the UNDP Office in Iran, will act as the executing agency for the Project by providing the required administrative, financial and procurement services. 

        Considering the need for facilitating the full integration of the Drug Control Coordination Unit and of its staff within the set up of the ECO Secretariat, and keeping in mind the special status granted by the Government of the I.R. of Iran to the ECO staff, the Project will transfer to the ECO Secretariat all responsibilities related to the management and administration of the staff recruited for serving within the DCCU. Annex 8 will detail the responsibilities and duties of UNDCP and the ECO Secretariat in this respect.   

f.      Special considerations

        In March 2000, the UNODCCP briefed the UN Security Council on the issue of illicit drugs coming out of Afghanistan. The subsequent statement by the President of the UN Security Council reflected the Council’s concern over the issue and requested, inter alia, UNDCP to continue its work in facilitating the coordination of anti-narcotic efforts. In June, 2000, the Heads of State and Prime Ministers participating at the Tehran ECO Presidential Summit expressed their concerns about the deterioration of the drug control situation in the region, stressed the need for increasing their operational cooperation, and reiterated their support to the UNDCP “security belt” strategy and to the recently established Drug Control Coordination Unit at ECO. 

g.     Co-ordination arrangements

This Project has been developed in accordance with the Memorandum of Understanding between the ECO and UNDCP signed on 15 March 1995, the ECO Plan of Action on Drug Control, approved by the Council of Ministers of ECO on 11 May 1996, and the recommendations of the First Meeting of DCCU National Focal Points held in the ECO Secretariat on February 28, 2000. 

ECO Secretariat will utilize DCCU for communication/coordination with the National Drug Control Coordinating Bodies and other counterparts, such as National Central Bureaus of ICPO/Interpol, RILO's, etc., and will ensure that this regional mechanism cooperate with, rather than duplicate any already existing national and regional information systems.

UNDCP Office in the I.R. of Iran, in consultation with and support from the ODCCP Office for Central Asia, the ODCCP Office in Afghanistan and the UNDCP Office in the I.R. of Pakistan, will undertake coordination and cooperation at the field level. 

h.     Counterpart support capacity

ECO Secretariat has sufficient support capacities to implement the Project with some international assistance, to be provided under this Project.