Peace and illicit drugs at the margins: - A borderland view of

Peace and illicit drugs at the margins: A borderland view of Afghanistan’s SDG 16 1 Why a borderland view? A borderland perspective on the framing of the The borderlands need instead to be seen as key SDGs questions the top-down and centralised points of engagement and intervention. [...] persons and providing services to returnees They are economically and geopolitically from neighbouring countries.5 They are also important and are locations of innovation and centres of drug production, processing, use and political dynamism.4 They are centres of trade addiction, and are violent and conflict ridden and the transit of licit and illicit goods, and people. [...] Furthermore, neither the global will now evolve, given the diverse interests nor the Afghan framing of SDG 16 targets and and position of the Taliban, regional powers, indicators make any reference to the role of and the Afghan government and the country’s opium poppy cultivation in the illicit economy. [...] The framing of counter- economy of the opium poppy, or the actors and narcotics issues in the ANDPF II also reveals stakeholders involved in drug production and the inability of the Afghan government to move trade now, and how these have changed since beyond the existing policy repertoire and their 2001. [...] The Ministry of Afghanistan’s fractured landscape? Economy and the Chief Executive Office were on the one side of the process, producing Thus, we are left within an A-SDG alignment documents and forming “executive committees” document where, as noted, most of the SDG to discuss these matters, while the Ministry 16 targets and indicators are set at a national of Finance and the presidential palace.