Government success at persuading farmers to voluntarily refrain from poppy cultivation, farmers’ apprehension that the official ban on opium cultivation could be enforced by eradication, and relatively low farm-gate prices have led to a 21 per cent decline in Afghan opium cultivation, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) said today.

With preparations for Afghanistan’s legislative elections taking place in the shadow of escalating violence, the United Nations Security Council today condemned “terrorist acts or other forms of violence” aimed at disrupting the political process, and called on the international community to make up a nearly $30 million shortfall to fund the poll.

Despite the positive impact of campaigning and voter registration ahead of Afghanistan’s parliamentary and provincial elections, the joint United Nations-Afghan team is urging national and international security forces to respond quickly to keep the process on track, amid escalating violence against candidates, election workers and others.

While the upcoming parliamentary and provincial elections that will complete Afghanistan’s political transition are a vital step, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan warns in a new report that the overall objective – to restore peace and stability in the war-torn country under very difficult circumstances – remains to be met.