Helping regions in Myanmar which are wracked by conflict move away from opium production is good for the economy and will help solidify the country's peace process. That's according to Jeremy Douglas, Regional Representative for UNODC, speaking on Wednesday, following the launch of the agency's latest Myanmar Opium Survey. Opium is refined to make heroin, and although the total cultivation area has "decreased significantly" this year, several key states where often inter-ethnic conflict is...

The scourge of human trafficking needs to become "a real priority for international cooperation," the UN Secretary-General urged. The plea from António Guterres came as the General Assembly adopted a new Political Declaration to fight trafficking in persons, during a high-level meeting in New York. The two-day meeting to appraise the UN Global Plan of Action over the issue, heard moving testimony during the opening session, from a victim of human trafficking who said survivors needed to hear...

Recent attacks on commercial vessels off Somalia indicate that the issue of piracy has never gone away despite a five-year lull in activity. The warning comes from UNODC after three ships were hijacked or ambushed over the past month. Alan Cole heads UNODC's Maritime Crime Programme which is based in Nairobi, Kenya.

Methamphetamine, or "crystal meth", isn't as widely used as heroin in Afghanistan, where much of the world's opium crop is grown, but - according to Martin Raithelhuber, an expert on illicit synthetic drugs with UNODC - it has the "potential" to become more severe.

Synthetic drugs are of growing concern in Afghanistan, according to UNODC. Its first report on the subject reveals that the authorities there are increasingly seizing the drug methamphetamine, also known as meth or crystal meth. Afghanistan leads the world in opium production, with 4,800 metric tonnes in 2016.

As part of West Africa Democracy Radio's coverage of the 16 days of activism to end violence against women, in partnership with the UN, journalist Sheriff Bojang Jrs interviews Veronic Wright, Senior Regional Legal Adviser at UNODC Regional Office for West and Central Africa. On 'the prevention and prosecution of sexual and gender-based crime and protection of victims', Ms. Wright dwells on the challenges in investigating and prosecuting cases etc.

Lack of a "large ransom" delayed the release of 26 hostages held by Somali pirates for nearly five years, according to a representative from the UNODC. The hostages were crew members of the FV Naham 3, an Omani-flagged fishing vessel which had been hijacked by the Somali pirates, off the coast of the Seychelles in 2012. They were released on October 22 nd. Priyanka Shankar has been speaking to Alan Cole, the head of UNODC's Global Maritime Crime Programme, about their release.

Opium production in Afghanistan has increased by 43% according to a survey released on 23 October by the UNODC. 4800 metric tons of opium has been produced in the past year, compared to 3300 metric tons during the previous year. According to the UNODC, the sudden increase is largely driven by a higher opium yield per hectare. Priyanka Shankar spoke to Coen Bussink, the team leader of illicit crop monitoring at UNODC headquarters in Vienna, Austria.

Amado de Andrés, Team Leader de la UNODC para México, Centroamérica y el Caribe, habla con Norha Restrepo acerca del Programa Integrado para Guatemala, el cual fue lanzado en la Ciudad de Guatemala.

Entretien avec Thomas Pietschmann qui dévoile les dernières tendances mondiales du trafic de drogues. Il nous parle de saisies récentes ainsi que l'usage de la drogue chez les jeunes.