Thailand

This UNV short-term assignment (7 - 23 August, 2003) with United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) involves maintaining a web site that serves as a "one-stop" location for all relevant regional drug control information. The project, "Regional Co-operative Mechanism to Monitor and Execute the ACCORD Plan of Action," is strategic institution-building in nature in that it will facilitate the implementation of the ACCORD Plan of Action which was adopted at the International Congress "In pursuit of a drug-free ASEAN", Bangkok, October 2000.

It aims to improve regional operational coordination on drug control issues among ASEAN countries and China on the basis of mutually shared information and monitoring. The project will establish a regional drugs information database into which participating countries and organizations will feed information related to its drug control activities and projects and to the progress made in the implementation of the ACCORD Plan of Action. This information will be regularly updated and made permanently accessible to all parties involved. The database will support focused policy research and analytical work on drug control trends and issues as well as facilitating evidence-based advocacy.

Information and data will be constantly updated and made available on a website which will serve as a “one-stop” location for all relevant regional drug control information. The data collection system will collect relevant drug control indicators from the ACCORD Member Countries and other partners in four key areas of drug control activities: 1) advocacy and public information; 2) drug demand reduction; 3) law enforcement; and 4) alternative development to replace illicit crops. GIS and data mapping technology – in collaboration with WHO’s HealthMap Programme - will provide user-friendly graphical representation of key drug control indicators and other information.

The information portal will serve as a regional repository for national work plans and drug reports, drug control project information and searchable open source intelligence.

The web site is already under construction in-house by the UNODC web master and project team. Content and editorial control is expected to remain in-house. The short-term UNV is providing a "professional eye," reviewing the current site with the project team, making recommendations as to how to improve it and initiating the required changes.