(a)

Alternative Development strategies: Development implies changes in the economic, social and
environmental situation of individuals, households, groups, institutions, firms and countries.
Alternative development is an approach aimed at reducing the vulnerabilities that lead to involvement in
illicit crop cultivation and ultimately eliminating such cultivation. Alternative development can break the
vicious cycle of rising illicit drug production, weakening rule of law, decreasing growth of the licit
economy, decreasing investment in licit sectors, strengthening organized crime and increasing violence by
effectively promoting factors fostering a sustainable licit economy. In the long run, this can attract
investment and help to develop the necessary infra-structure, thereby changing and sustaining the livelihood
of rural communities.

Emerging of Alternative Development Initiative: Emerging in the late 1980s from the more narrowly
focused crop substitution initiatives of the 1970s and the integrated rural development approach of the
1980s, the concept of alternative development has been implemented around the world for over 40 years.
Its evolution effectively began in Thailand in the 1960s, but it has also been implemented in the Andean
region since the early 1980s, in the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Lebanon, Morocco, Myanmar and
Pakistan since the early 1990s and Afghanistan since the late 1990s.
The concepts of “crop substitution”, followed by “integrated rural development” and subsequently
“alternative development”, were promoted by the United Nations Fund for Drug Abuse Control
(UNFDAC), one of the predecessor organizations of the United Nations International Drug Control
Program (UNDCP) and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), which further refined
the concept of alternative development. Alternative development initiatives are now applied in most of the
main countries of illicit opium or coca production and to a lesser extent in areas where cannabis is
cultivated.

(b)

The major development objectives and strategies:

Major development goals- There are some major goals to uphold while performing development
initiative;
� Economic growth
� Social justice (equality/ equity)
� Participation by the people
� Eradication of hunger and poverty as well as other basic needs (see also MDG goals)
� Environmental sustainability (see MDG 7 and Rio Conference).

Achieving human rights for all- A comprehensive set of development objectives is contained in the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights from 1948, which was ratified by 193 countries. Other important
human rights conventions are-
� Discrimination against women (ratified by about 160 countries by 1999)
� Civil and political rights (about 140 countries)
� Rights of the child (ratified by nearly all countries)
� Economic, social and cultural rights (about 140 countries).
Securing basic needs for all- The basic needs concept is guided by the action program passed by a
conference organized by the UN International Labor Organization (ILO) in 1976. According to it, basic
needs comprise (ILO, 1976):
� The minimum requirements for food, housing and clothing of an individual and of his or her family;
� Vital public services, especially drinking water, sanitary facilities, public transport, health and access to
basic education; and
� Elementary human rights.

Participatory development- Participation. It is the opposite of marginalization and beneficiary syndrome

thinking. Not development for, but for, by and WITH the poor/the people concerned. Political systems and
development policy organizations should be reorganized on a participatory basis and support development
from below. Independence/Autonomy. Freedom from servitude, a claim to self-determination should not
be denied to any country nor any individual; the same applies to the right to autonomous development.

Conventional or Alternative: In contrast to development in general, the alternative development

objectives of strengthening the economic and social development of the target areas. Alternative
development initiative fulfill a serious task of developing rural society, may require a focus on traditional
rural development, showing how close alternative development and traditional rural development can be.
Alternative development is aimed at contributing to an enabling environment for long-term rural
development without illicit cultivation. Alternative development initiative rigid with integrated rural
development, crop diversification, human development, ensuring human rights, food security and health
safety. On the other hand alternative development doing betterment in sectors like gender equality, civil-
political or social rights, economic growth, social justice poverty alleviation and so on.
Thus one can say alternative development approach are way better than the conventional one.
 (c)

MDG and its success:

As my discern prospects MDG has not been deliberately successful implementing all goals in line.

The latest report on the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) states that Bangladesh has managed
to achieve the poverty alleviation target three years before the stipulated time. However, we have not been
able to achieve success in all eight goals. The Human Development Report contains an assessment of
the achievements towards the
MDG goals as of 2005. Overall, there is quite some progress made but much of it is driven by the
large progress in populous China, but also in South Asia and Southeast Asia and to a lesser extent
in Latin America. However, the situation in many African countries has deteriorated since 1990.