Research Drug Trafficking and Border Control: UNODC World Drug Report 2014

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Research

Drug Trafficking And Border Control


Drug trafficking represents a major challenge for the Islamic Republic of Iran. The
geographical location of the country, particularly its porous 1,923 km-long Eastern
border with Afghanistan - the world's largest illicit opium producer - and Pakistan,
has turned it into a major transit country for illicit drugs. In response to this
challenge, the country has built one of the strongest counter-narcotics enforcement
capabilities in the region over the years. According to the UNODC World Drug Report
2014, Iran accounted for 74% of the world's opium seizures and 25% of the world's
heroin and morphine seizures in 2012.
The Islamic Republic of Iran reportedly spends millions of dollars annually on border
control, including for the construction of expensive barriers along its borders with
Afghanistan and Pakistan. More than 3,700 national law enforcement officials have
been killed and over 12,000 have been maimed in counter-narcotics operations over
the last three decades.
In addition to opium and heroin trafficking, the Islamic Republic of Iran also faces
emerging trends of illicit production and trafficking in Amphetamine-Type Stimulants
(ATS). Over the last few years, there has been a sudden increase of reported
seizures of high purity crystalline Methamphetamine (locally known as "Shisheh").
National authorities have also detected greater reliance on in-country production of
ATS, mostly Methamphetamines. According to the 2014 Global Synthetic Drugs
Assessment, Methamphetamine trafficking from the Islamic Republic of Iran to East
and South-East Asia also appears to have spread to Europe.
Moreover, another rising challenge is represented by the increasing use of maritime
routes for the trafficking of drugs and illicit chemicals from/to the region. Since the
beginning of 2012, there have been an increasing number of reports made by the
drug enforcement authorities of the Islamic Republics of Iran and Pakistan and the
Persian Gulf Arab states on the illegal use of maritime transport for the trafficking of
drugs and illicit chemicals from/to the region.

Changing climate; Changing economy


Accelerating the transition to a renewables-based energy system represents a
unique opportunity to meet climate goals while fueling economic growth, creating
new employment opportunities and enhancing human welfare. The world is united
in the commitment to realise this opportunity, attested by the inclusion of
renewable energy targets both in the energy plans of 164 countries as well as in the
Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) that will drive the implementation of the
Paris Agreement on climate. Decisions on energy sector investments made today
will influence economic growth and development for the coming decades. They will
also define our ability to decarbonise energy, an essential element of action on
climate change. The transition to a renewables-based system can help meet this
objective, while generating new sources of growth, increasing incomes, creating

jobs and improving the health and wellbeing of millions. The need for scaling up
renewables is now undisputed, and the full range of benefits they can bring has
come to the fore in global discussions. As countries consider options at their
disposal, understanding the socio-economic benefits of the transition to a renewable
energy future is of vital importance. Renewable Energy Benefits: Measuring the
Economics provides the first global quantification of the macroeconomic impacts of
renewable energy deployment. It finds that doubling the share of renewables by
2030 would bring a range of positive impacts including an increase in global gross
domestic product (GDP) up to 1.1 percent, improvement of global welfare by 3.7
percent and over 24 million people working in the renewable energy sector. This
report provides the latest evidence that mitigating climate change through the
deployment of renewable energy and achieving other socio-economic objectives are
mutually beneficial. Thanks to the growing business case for renewable energy, an
investment in one is an investment in both. A full understanding of these benefits
can tip the balance towards low-carbon investments and future-proof our energy
system.

Multinationals vs Start-ups
Supporting entrepreneurs and the self-employed - Microfinance

Micro-enterprises are enterprises employing fewer than 10 people and which have an annual
turnover or annual balance sheet total or maximum EUR 2 million. They represent over 90%
of European enterprises and are thus decisive for boosting jobs, growth and investment
in Europe.
Lack of access to finance is one of the main obstacles micro-enterprises face. Microfinance,
which includes guarantees, microcredit, equity and quasi-equity extended to persons and microenterprises that experience difficulties accessing credit, can help overcome it. Microcredit is a
loan of up to EUR 25 000.
If you are a micro-entrepreneur and would like to apply for a micro loan find more information
about EU microfinance support.
Access to finance
In particular for vulnerable groups with a difficult access to the conventional credit market and
for start-ups as well as existing micro-enterprises, a significant unmet demand for
microfinance exists. Therefore, the Commission is helping entrepreneurs access financing by
supporting microcredit providers through
funded instruments from the European Progress Microfinance Facility and
guarantees under the Employment and Social Innovation (EaSI) programme
The Commission also supports microfinance via the European Social Fund.
Creating a sustainable microfinance ecosystem
Microcredit providers play an important role in channeling the EU support to entrepreneurs.
However, bottlenecks at the level of microcredit providers may make it difficult for entrepreneurs
to effectively access funding and benefit from the EU funding. In order to overcome these,
the Commission established the EaSI Technical Assistance through which it:
provides to microcredit providers an institutional assessment or a microfinance
institutional rating
offers targeted capacity building through tailored trainings
organises workshops, seminars and exchange visits between microcredit providers

operates a dedicated helpdesk


The EaSI Technical Assistance is implemented as a part of the fi-compass platform.
Developing common standards: European Code of Good Conduct for Microcredit
Provision
The European microcredit market is a young and growing sector which is quite heterogeneous
due to the disparity of the legal and institutional frameworks in the Member States and
the diversity of the microcredit providers. As a consequence, lending practices in microcredit
vary considerably.
The Commission has developed the European Code of Good Conduct for Microcredit
Provision with the objective of setting out good practice guidelines that will better enable
the sector to face the challenges of accessing long-term finance. To be able to benefit from an
EaSI Microfinance Guarantee or EaSI Technical Assistance, non-bank microcredit providers
have to sign up to the Code and banks have to endorse it.
EaSI MicPro acts as a source of information about microcredit providers in your country.

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