UNODC helps discover new money for rose farmers, tackle high-level computer crime, writes Poramet Tangsathaporn
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime ( UNODC ) believes that countries in the greater Mekong subregion ( GMS ) need to cooperate cross-border and cross-sectorally to combat illicit drugs.
UNODC executive producer Ghada Fathi Waly stated in a new virtual meeting with the Bangkok Post that tackling illicit drug gardening requires finding a way to assist producers in turning to reliable sources of income.
” The farmers who grow crops like opium poppies are trying to provide basic requirements for their people. We need to make sustainable lives at scale for producers, provide business education and access to markets, enable women in rural communities, and educate young people while being concerned towards the atmosphere”, she said.
That calls for a lot more funding from the global community than what is currently available.
Ms. Waly spoke at the foreign meeting” From Alternative Development to Sustainable Development Goals: Empowering Alternative Development to Address Global Challenges” that the Royal Project Foundation had organized in Chiang Mai early this month.
She claimed that Thailand is a worldwide leader in finding creative and sustainable ways to support these farmers by enabling them to transition from growing opium poppies to growing high-land plants in cold climates through the Royal Project Foundation, which aid them in earning a sustainable income.
Ghada Fathi Waly. UNODC, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime
A crucial partner
Thailand has long been a crucial UNODC lover in Laos and Myanmar. With this energy, Thailand may help push morphine out of the Golden Triangle, the border region of Thailand, Laos and Myanmar, and in other nations in the GMS place, she said.
She cited the fundamental changes that Thailand can make to the local drug market, including ketamine and methamphetamine, as well as chemical drugs.
Methamphetamine production has increased rapidly, and a sizable number of synthetic drugs were found next month.
” Last month, countries in East and Southeast Asia seized 190 kilograms of meth. The vendors in the area have likewise expanded to include morphine and other chemical drugs. Opium production has also increased significantly in recent years in Myanmar, and it appears to have stabilized at higher rates this time, she said.
She argued that local assistance is now more crucial than ever. Thailand could use its leadership responsibility to strengthen border control and facilitate the GMS’s use of information sharing and prevent trafficking routes from being destroyed more than displaced.
She noted that while there is also a need to prevent illicit drugs from entering the area, there is also a need for humanitarian medication treatment, long-term prevention initiatives, and raising awareness.
” The key is to follow a sensible approach to protect people’s health and well-being while completely respecting their individual rights,” she continued.
She said the UNODC has been working with Thailand to strengthen drug treatments as well as HIV prevention, treatment, and treatment, including a move away from forced treatment methods.
However, there is still a lot of work to be done in the area to protect the rights of those who use illegal substances.
People may exercise their personal free will in the treatment of their own. We must reduce the number of people who are currently serving jail sentences for minor drug offenses, and we will continue to collaborate with Thailand and our companions on these issues,” she said.
Cyber acts grow
During the Covid-19 crisis, international crime expanded to include online frauds and illegal online games. According to Ms. Waly, the pandemic led to organized crime organizations to shift their focus away from cybersecurity.
People all over the world are at risk of attacks and virtual frauds, she said, and the risk of people becoming victims of human trafficking is rising because they are forced to take part in these crimes.
She continued,” Crooks from around the world rely on the country’s underground banking and illegal betting system for wealth laundering.”
There was a need for more cooperation between the regional justice devices.
“UNOD C is working with Thailand and other countries to enhance criminal knowledge analysis and information-sharing, as well as to improve rules, regulations, and guidelines. We are even providing targeted capacity-building on crime, money laundering and mortal trafficking”, she added.
Transnational organized crime organizations make use of legitimate blunders to create new online offences that can be quickly expanded to include people all over the world.
UNODC has been assisting governments around the world in identifying the spaces that prevent them from responding. Additionally, the UNODC has increased complex investigation and raised awareness of sophisticated cybercrimes.
The company also has brought together officers, lawyers, judges, and officials from several places to form network and prevent criminals from changing jurisdictions to prevent justice.
The UNODC has been pleased to support the creation of a new UN convention to combat cybercrime. Next year’s signing ceremony for the treaty will take place in Hanoi, and we will begin providing countries with technical assistance in putting it into practice, she said.