Emergency Grant Aid for the Assistance to the Afghan Counter Narcotics Trust Fund (CNTF)

June 27, 2006

On June 27 (Tue), the Government of Japan decided to extend emergency grant aid of five million dollars (550 million yen) to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) which operates the Afghan Counter Narcotics Trust Fund (CNTF).
It is vital for Afghanistan to improve its security situation, in order to maintain its peace and achieve its reconstruction. However, terrorists including those belonging to the Taliban and other illegal armed groups are continuing their activities, with opium poppies that are cultivated widely in the country as the source of funding. Narcotics-related income in Afghanistan is as much as $2.7 billion, or equivalent to 52% of official GDP, and 87% of the world opium production comes from Afghanistan. The drug problem in Afghanistan is not only preventing the country's security situation and sound economy from improving but also seriously affecting in Central Asian and European countries with smuggled narcotics.

In January 2006, Afghanistan formulated the National Drug Control Strategy to improve the situation, but as it lacks enough funds to carry out projects to support alternative livelihood before poppy planting in autumn this year, UNDP, which manages the CNTF, has requested assistance from Japan.
Japan has been providing support to all areas such as democratization process, security improvement and reconstruction to achieve the "consolidation of peace" in Afghanistan. Mindful of the importance of improving security and taking measures on counter narcotics, Japan has decided to provide this emergency assistance for Afghanistan.

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