Context:
Release of UNODC Report “Southeast Asia Opium Survey 2023: Cultivation, Production, and Implications”.
Report Highlights:
- Assess opium poppy cultivation in Southeast Asia.
- Golden Triangle Opium economy sees steady growth in 2023.
- World’s top opium source – Myanmar (after the decline in Afghanistan)
- Indications of substantial opium cultivation in Sagaing (along Indo-Myanmar border)
Golden Crescent:
- Comprises illicit opium production areas – Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan.
- 2 routes –
- Northern Route – Opium and heroin are trafficked to the Russian Federation by way of Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan.
- Southern Route – Heroin travels from Afghanistan through Pakistan and Iran by sea to South Asia, Africa and Oceania region.
Golden Triangle:
- Comprises illicit opium production region covering – Thailand, Myanmar and Laos
- Meet at the confluence of the Ruak and Mekong Rivers.
United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC):
- UN agency established in 1997.
- Headquarters – Vienna
- Addressing issues related to drugs, transnational organized crime, corruption, and terrorism on a global scale.
- Mandated by its member States to assist in implementation of:
- United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (UNTOC)
- United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC)
Source: UNODC
Previous Year Question
About three-fourths of world’s cobalt, a metal required for the manufacture of batteries for electric motor vehicles, is produced by
[UPSC Civil Services Exam – 2023 Prelims]
(a) Argentina
(b) Botswana
(c) the Democratic Republic of the Congo
(d) Kazakhstan
Answer: (c)
