http://css.unodc.org/unodc/feed/costas-corner.jspxCosta's Cornerhttp://css.unodc.org/unodc/en/costas-corner/bashing-the-bankers.htmlBankers are getting a run for their money these days. Their greed, arrogance and deception have shaken people's confidence in their profession and the trust of the institutions that conspired with them to cause the crisis -- hedge and investment funds, insurance companies, rating and audit agencies  Wed, 19 Nov 2008 6:50:17 PM CEThttp://css.unodc.org/unodc/en/about-unodc/costas-corner/raping-the-planet.htmlClimate change and environmental sustainability are high priorities today. A shocking truth is that criminals are profiting from the destruction of our planet.Wed, 15 Oct 2008 4:15:37 PM CESThttp://css.unodc.org/unodc/en/about-unodc/costas-corner/lopium-du-terrorisme.htmlLe 17 septembre dernier, je me suis rendu à Paris principalement pour parler de l'Afghanistan. Dans un article d'opinion publié dans Le Monde du 19 septembre, j'ai souligné les liens qui existent entre l'insurrection et le commerce d'opium. J'ai également attiré l'attention sur le fait que les talibans pourraient proclamer un moratoire sur la culture d'opium dans les zones qu'ils contrôlent.Tue, 23 Sep 2008 5:13:59 PM CESThttp://css.unodc.org/unodc/en/about-unodc/costas-corner/synthetic-drugs.htmlLast week in Bangkok I launched the latest report from UNODC called Amphetamines and Ecstasy: 2008 Global ATS Assessment . It provides a sharp picture of the situation of synthetic drugs around the world. It shows that for many people, synthetic drugs have become the tonic for fast and competitive times. Around the world, people are popping pills and powder known as amphetamine-type stimulants (or ATS). In the West, it is usually used as a "party drug" or to enhance performance (also known as cheating), among professional athletes. In the East, it is being taken to stay alert in manual jobs, like on assembly lines or long-haul trucking.  Wed, 17 Sep 2008 1:24:01 PM CESThttp://css.unodc.org/unodc/en/about-unodc/costas-corner/rewards-for-unbridled-imagination-.htmlThe Secretary-General has encouraged staff not to be risk-averse, to be creative, and to push the boundaries in order to innovate. At UNODC, we take this message seriously. In fact, for the second year in a row UNODC staff have won more than a fifth of the UN21 awards that honour staff initiatives to improve the effectiveness of UN programmes and services. More than 20% of the awards from an Office with less than 2% of the UN's staff! Not bad.Mon, 21 Jul 2008 3:37:41 PM CESThttp://css.unodc.org/unodc/en/about-unodc/costas-corner/drug-addiction-a-is-for-abstinence.htmlI have been arguing for some time, based on evidence from the World Drug Report, that the world drug problem is stabilizing. But containing the problem does not go far enough. If we are to reduce the number of people who are dependent on drugs, then more attention must be paid to drug prevention and treatment.Thu, 17 Jul 2008 4:30:00 AM CESThttp://css.unodc.org/unodc/en/about-unodc/costas-corner/amsterdam.htmlAccording to economic science, the greater the availability of a commodity on the market, the more likely its consumption (via the price effect, but also thanks to psychological factors). Does this only apply to normal markets? My Office has examined whether there is a statistical relationship between availability of drugs and their use, and reached the same conclusion. Not everybody accepts the argument. Inevitably in public meetings I have been asked:  how do you explain the fact that cannabis consumption is not higher in the Netherlands than in neighboring countries, although in the Netherlands cannabis is available in coffee shops? The issue has even evolved into a mini-cause celebre in some corners of the NGO and YouTube crowd . Since UNODC is interested in examining evidence to support policy (we have done so in Australia, Japan and Sweden), I decided to go to Amsterdam to study its experience. Mon, 23 Jun 2008 2:05:50 PM CESThttp://css.unodc.org/unodc/en/about-unodc/costas-corner/afghanistan.htmlUNODC's crop surveys on coca, opium and cannabis are considered the gold standard for reliable data on the cultivation of illicit drugs. The same goes for our reports on monitoring verification of drug eradication. It is sometimes forgotten that there are people behind these numbers - real heroes who are out in the field (on foot, camel, horse, motorcycle, and all terrain vehicle) talking to farmers, and measuring first hand how much coca or poppy is being grown. From Morocco to Burma, from Afghanistan to Colombia, Peru, and Bolivia we have hundreds of specialists reporting, through UNODC, how the drug situation in evolving on the supply side.Tue, 03 Jun 2008 3:01:46 PM CESThttp://css.unodc.org/unodc/en/about-unodc/costas-corner/greening-the-un.htmlWhen the UN Secretary-General recently visited the United Nations Office at Vienna (UNOV) he was impressed with the new "M" building (meeting facility) that has been generously given to the Vienna International Centre (VIC) by the host country. He was not only impressed by the modern look of the building, he praised its state-of-the-art environmentally friendly features - for example, sensors that adjust air temperature and flows depending on the number of people in the room, or the heating system that is based on steam produced from the city's incineration facility. Mon, 05 May 2008 7:02:00 PM CESThttp://css.unodc.org/unodc/en/about-unodc/costas-corner/less-crime-for-more-development.htmlBeing called the Office on "drugs and crime" is pretty sinister. It says what we are against, not what we are for. We are known as being the centre of the UN's fight against "uncivil society", and for battling the "dark side of globalization". But I would prefer to tell people what we are in favour of, namely security and justice for all. Fri, 18 Apr 2008 3:51:19 PM CEST