Monitoring the evolution of illicit economies in Afghanistan

Since the Taliban’s takeover in 2021, the potential future for illicit economies and organised crime within the country and the region more broadly has been in flux. In collaboration with the University of Birmingham, the Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime (GI-TOC) has been developing a new infrastructure for monitoring the evolution of illicit markets and the political economy in Afghanistan and the region more broadly. 

The GI-TOC has conducted fieldwork and published research and analysis as part of the Serious Organised Crime & Anti-Corruption Evidence (SOC ACE) Research Programme, funded by the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO). The project explores what the new Taliban regime in Afghanistan means for illicit economies in the country, the region, and the global community more broadly, and how they may evolve in the future. The analysis aims to stimulate evidence-based policy, greater multilateral cooperation, and more effective responses to contain the problem and inform the discussions on Afghanistan’s role within international drug policy.