Securitização e dessecuritização da folha de coca na Amazônia andina: o papel do UNODC

Abstract

The work aims to analyze the process of securitization and desecuritization of the coca leaf in the Bolivian Amazon, focusing on the actions of the UN and UNODC. A qualitative content analysis approach is used, the study is based on primary sources, such as UNODC annual reports, using bibliographic review as its methodology. Despite of, the text addresses International Security Studies and the theory of securitization, highlighting the importance of the Copenhagen School in this debate. Furthermore, the coca leaf securitization process is brought up as well as the concept of desecuritization, which is the reverse of this process. Relevant documents such as United Nations reports and the contribution of these organizations to the perception of the coca leaf as a global threat are analyzed. Furthermore, a case study is carried out in the Bolivian Amazon, using the UNODC annual reports from 2011 and 2021. This monitoring of coca cultivation in the region is analyzed, seeking to understand the desecuritization process and its implications, which show the importance of UNODC monitoring of the desecuritization of the coca leaf, providing data and information that deconstructs the previously implemented international threat narrative. Therefore, the work highlights the relevance of the process of desecuritization of the coca leaf in the Bolivian Amazon, influenced by the actions of UNODC, with an analysis of the annual reports that the Office prepares, allowing us to understand the evolution of coca cultivation in the region.