About 90 per cent of global heroin production originates in Afghanistan. The UK, as Afghanistan’s partner nation in counter-narcotics work, is working with the Afghan Government and the international community to bring about a sustainable reduction in the cultivation, production and trafficking of opium.

The programme

The Afghan Counter-Narcotics Programme is part of the wider UK strategy to support the Government of Afghanistan in implementing the National Drug Control Strategy. The Strategic Programme Fund is one of several sources of funding from across Whitehall for this Programme.

The Afghan Counter-Narcotics Programme implements projects in five areas:

• disrupting trafficking networks
• leadership
• provincial capacity
• strengthening and diversifying legal rural livelihoods
• mainstreaming counter-narcotics into the wider rule of law.

Funding

The Afghan Counter-Narcotics Programme’s funding comes from a variety of sources, which reflects the Programme’s cross-over between government departments.

Within the Afghan Counter-Narcotics Programme, the FCO, Home Office, Customs and Revenue, Serious Organised Crime Agency, Ministry of Defence and Department for International Development are all represented. Of the £45.8 million spent in 2006-7, £16.3 million came from Strategic Programme Fund contributions.

Geographical priorities

Our efforts are primarily focussed on Afghanistan itself. This year, a project is also in place to develop cross-border security between Afghanistan and Iran. Projects have previously involved working with Afghanistan’s other neighbours on similar cross-border issues.