There are also around 15 million poppies in Albion.

The Special Rapporteur welcomes the steady and remarkable reduction in opium poppy cultivation.

Urges all the Governments of countries where opium poppy has not been cultivated for the licit production of opiate raw materials, in the spirit of collective responsibility, to refrain from engaging in the commercial cultivation of opium poppy, in order to avoid the proliferation of supply sites

Some speakers expressed concern about the increased level of opium poppy cultivation in Afghanistan.

Reference was made to the annual surveys conducted by UNODC of opium poppy and coca bush cultivation.

Some speakers expressed concern about the increased level of opium poppy cultivation in Afghanistan.

We are pleased to have been able to achieve a 21 per cent reduction in opium poppy cultivation in the current year.

(b) Increasing the awareness of the Afghan population about the problems and threats emanating from the illicit cultivation of opium poppy and the production of and trafficking in illicit narcotic drugs

(b) Increasing the awareness of the Afghan population about the problems and threats emanating from the illicit cultivation of opium poppy and the production of and trafficking in illicit narcotic drugs

There remains a need to secure a sustained decrease in opium poppy cultivation, production and trafficking into 2006 and beyond.

In South Asia, East Asia and the Pacific, sustainable livelihood projects and programmes will continue to be developed and implemented in the opium poppy growing areas.

The Afghan Government, in cooperation with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, has taken important steps this year in reducing opium poppy cultivation.

Recognizing the strong and continuing commitment made by the Transitional Administration of Afghanistan at the institutional, legal and administrative levels to eliminate opium poppy cultivation by 2013,

Alternative development and illicit crop eradication monitoring and evaluation, 1998 2000, 2000 2002 and 2002 2004

The new Government of Afghanistan has been responding forcefully to the opium threat and, in December 2004, a loya jirga on countering narcotics was convened and reaffirmed the opium poppy ban.

The aim is to break the vicious cycle of poverty through identification and propagation of alternative livelihoods and the sustainability of the opium poppy elimination programmes that have been successfully implemented in the region.

A number of representatives reported on activities and significant achievements achieved as a result of international cooperation in the eradication of illicit opium poppy cultivation and in curbing illicit opium production in their countries.

Although the recent report of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime noted some progress in cutting back opium poppy cultivation, Afghanistan risks becoming a narco State.

It was acknowledged that there was a need for an approach in which measures, including the controlled eradication of opium poppy fields and the creation of alternative livelihoods, as well as law enforcement and information activities, would be applied in the right sequence.

Mr. Kyaw Tint Swe (Myanmar) said that he was encouraged by the overall downward trend in the cultivation of illicit opium poppy and the coca bush since the twentieth special session of the General Assembly.

Poppy cultivators who willingly submitted poppy seed to the authorities were given support for alternative cash crops under the New Destiny Project launched in April 2002.

In West Asia and Central Asia, cultivation of opium poppy in Afghanistan feeds an increasing flow of heroin, which in turn facilitates crime and terrorism, threatening the economic and social stability of the country and the region.

Some commented that there was a need for an approach in which measures, including the controlled eradication of opium poppy fields and the creation of alternative livelihoods, as well as law enforcement and information activities, would be applied in the appropriate sequence.

Taking note of the Constitution of Afghanistan, in article 7 of which the Government of Afghanistan expresses its strong resolve to fight against the illicit cultivation of opium poppy and the production of and trafficking in opium and other illicit narcotic drugs,

It was emphasized that the sustainability of such eradication efforts should be ensured and that particular efforts were needed to alleviate the poverty of former opium poppy growers, in particular during the transitional period, after they had given up opium poppy cultivation.

The European Union congratulates President Karzai and the Government of Afghanistan on the significant achievement of a 21 per cent reduction in opium poppy cultivation, from 130,000 hectares in 2003 2004 to 104,000 hectares in 2004 2005.

Taking note of the Constitution of Afghanistan, in article 7 of which the Government of Afghanistan expresses its strong resolve to fight against the illicit cultivation of opium poppy and the production of and trafficking in opium and other illicit narcotic drugs,

Taking note of the Constitution of Afghanistan, in article 7 of which the Government of Afghanistan expresses its strong resolve to fight against the illicit cultivation of opium poppy and the production of and trafficking in opium and other illicit narcotic drugs,

Taking note of the Constitution of Afghanistan, in article 7 of which the Government of Afghanistan expresses its strong resolve to fight against the illicit cultivation of opium poppy and the production of and trafficking in opium and other illicit narcotic drugs,

Considering that opiate raw materials and opiates derived therefrom are not just ordinary commodities that can be subjected to the operation of market forces, and that, therefore, market economy considerations alone should not determine the cultivation of opium poppy,

2. Expresses its support for the efforts of Member States aimed at strengthening regional cooperation in order to counter the threat to the international community posed by the illicit cultivation of opium poppy in Afghanistan and its illicit trade

Several representatives expressed support for the efforts of the Government of Afghanistan, UNODC and the international community aimed at the elimination of illicit opium poppy cultivation and the promotion of sustainable alternative livelihoods in Afghanistan.

In 43 States (48 per cent of respondents), the national plans included illicit crop eradication and other law enforcement measures targeting opium poppy (21 States), coca bush (6 States) and or cannabis (38 States).

Referring to the positive results of annual surveys, those representatives expressed their gratitude to UNODC and to donor countries for supporting opium poppy surveys, training national authorities in monitoring systems and promoting alternative development and the creation of alternative livelihoods.

Responses were received from all countries where significant illicit coca bush cultivation takes place (Bolivia, Colombia and Peru) and from the majority of those where illicit opium poppy cultivation takes place (Afghanistan, Colombia, the Lao People's Democratic Republic, Mexico, Myanmar and Viet Nam).

A project to enhance intelligence capacity was started in 2005 and UNODC also gave Pakistan early warning about the re emergence of opium poppy cultivation in the North West Frontier and Baluchistan Provinces, which led to the eradication of 41 per cent of the new cultivation.

We hope that the Government of Afghanistan can help its farmers to reduce their economic reliance on poppy cultivation by ensuring security and enhancing local governance, along with the promotion of agricultural diversification and the improvement of access to alternative sustainable income generating activities.

5. Urges Afghanistan to maintain illicit drug control among its highest priorities, as stipulated in its Constitution and the Counter Narcotics Implementation Plan, with a view to enhancing its efforts to combat the illicit cultivation of opium poppy, the production of illicit drugs and trafficking in illicit drugs and precursors

Urges Afghanistan to maintain illicit drug control among its highest priorities, as stipulated in its Constitution and the Counter Narcotic Implementation Plan, with a view to enhancing its efforts to combat the illicit cultivation of opium poppy, the production of illicit drugs and trafficking in illicit drugs and precursors

Urges Afghanistan to maintain illicit drug control among its highest priorities, as stipulated in its Constitution and the Counter Narcotic Implementation Plan, with a view to enhancing its efforts to combat the illicit cultivation of opium poppy, the production of illicit drugs and trafficking in illicit drugs and precursors

Urges Afghanistan to maintain illicit drug control among its highest priorities, as stipulated in its Constitution and the Counter Narcotics Implementation Plan, with a view to enhancing its efforts to combat the illicit cultivation of opium poppy, the production of illicit drugs and trafficking in illicit drugs and precursors

In East Asia and the Pacific, the main achievement was the steady reduction of opium poppy cultivation in the Golden Triangle, a historic achievement that, if sustained, will make a significant contribution to ending opium production in the area.

The Afghanistan Opium Survey 2005, released earlier this month by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, registered a decrease in opium poppy cultivation in Afghanistan for the first time since 2001, with the area devoted to drug crops declining by an impressive 21 per cent.