INCB Secretary visits the Islamic Republic of Iran

The Secretary of the International Narcotics Control Board, Mr. Koli Kouame, on behalf of the Board, took part in an official visit to the Islamic Republic of Iran from 29 November to 1 December 2008 to witness the efforts undertaken by the Government of Iran in drug control. Mr. Kouame was part of a delegation composed of diplomats and representatives of international organizations based in Vienna.

 

INCB President and INCB Secretary visit the Vatican

The President of the International Narcotics Control Board, Professor Hamid Ghodse, and the Secretary of the Board, Mr. Koli Kouame, visited the Vatican on 26 November 2008. Professor Ghodse and Mr. Kouame met with the Monsignor Pietro Parolin, Under-Secretary of State for Relations with States and had exchange of views on the world drug situation and what the faith-based organizations, in particular the Vatican can do, to promote worldwide efforts against drug abuse. During their visit, they also briefly met with His Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI.

 

INCB President and INCB Secretary participate in the forty-third session of the Sub-commission on Illicit Drug Traffic and Related Matters in the Near and Middle East, in Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran

The President of the International Narcotics Control Board, Professor Hamid Ghodse and the Secretary of the Board, Mr. Koli Kouame attended the forty-third session of the Sub-commission on Illicit Drug Traffic and Related Matters in the Near and Middle East, held in Tehran from 16 to 20 November 2008. During his visit, Professor Ghodse delivered a keynote address and met with Dr. Manouchehr Mottaki, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran and with Dr. Esmail Ahmady Moghadam, Adviser to President and Secretary-General of the Drug Control Headquarters, to discuss drug control matters in Iran and regional cooperation efforts. Mr. Koli Kouame attended the proceedings of the Subcommission and held discussions with the participants regarding their country's cooperation with INCB.

 

Mission to Mauritius

An INCB mission visited the Republic of Mauritius from 21 to 24 October 2008. The mission was conducted by Dr. Joseph Bediako Asare, member of the International Narcotics Control Board, accompanied by Ms. Beate Hammond of the INCB Secretariat.

The mission met with the Minister of Health and Quality of Life of Mauritius, the Solicitor-General of Mauritius, the Commissioner of Police as well as other senior officials from the Prime Minister's Office, the Ministry of Health and Quality of Life, the National Agency for the Treatment and Rehabilitation of Substance Abusers (NATReSA), the Mauritius Revenue Authority (Customs) and the National AIDS Coordinator. In addition, the mission visited several non-governmental organizations involved in prevention, treatment and rehabilitation of drug abusers. Discussions focused on the Government experience in implementing the three international drug control conventions and its cooperation with INCB regarding the control of narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances and precursors.

The findings of the mission will be reflected in the next INCB Annual Report, to be published in early 2009.

 

Mission to Romania

An INCB mission visited Romania from 13 to 15 October 2008. The mission was conducted by Dr. Carola Lander, member of the International Narcotics Control Board, accompanied by Ms. Midori Kanda of the INCB Secretariat.

The mission met with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Public Health, representatives from the police and customs as well as the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Romania Project Office and the Southeast European Cooperative Initiative (SECI) Center.

The mission also visited two facilities providing treatment and rehabilitation services. The discussions focussed on issues related to the Government's cooperation with INCB regarding the control of narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances and precursor chemicals, measures to combat drug abuse and illicit drug trafficking and the availability of narcotic drugs for the treatment of pain.

The findings of the mission will be reflected in the next INCB Annual Report, to be published in early 2009.

 

Mission to Japan

An INCB mission visited Japan from1 to 3 October 2008. The mission was conducted by Mr. Raymond Yans, member of the International Narcotics Control Board, accompanied by Ms. Margarethe Ehrenfelnder of the INCB Secretariat.

The mission met with the Deputy Director-General of the Foreign Policy Bureau within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Director-General of the Criminal Affairs Bureau of the Ministry of Justice, the Councilor of the Pharmaceutical and Food Safety Bureau of the Ministry of Health, the Compliance and Narcotics Division, the Office on Narcotics Control Department, the Japanese Coast Guard, the Tokyo Customs Office and the National Police Agency. The discussions focused on the Government's national drug control policy, the Government's experience in implementing the three international drug control conventions and its cooperation with INCB regarding the control of narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances and precursors. In addition, the mission discussed the achievements made with regard to prevention of drug abuse, and collected updated information on current trends in drug abuse and trafficking in Japan. The mission also visited a treatment centre for drug addicts.

The findings of the mission will be reflected in the next INCB Annual Report, to be published in early 2009.

 

Mission to Ukraine

An INCB mission visited the Ukraine from 13 to 16 May 2008. The mission was conducted by Dr. Carola Lander and Ambassador Melvyn Levitsky, members of the International Narcotics Control Board, accompanied by Ms. Gisela Wieser-Herbeck of the INCB Secretariat.

The mission met with the Minister of Health and his Deputy, the Deputy Minister of Interior, the Deputy Head of the Security Services of Ukraine, officials of the Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Education and Science, the Ministry of Labor and Social Policy, the Ministry of Family, Youth and Sports, the Security Service of Ukraine and the State Committee on Border control. The mission also met the UNDP Resident Representative, the Head of the WHO Country Office in Ukraine and officials of the Embassy of the Russian Federation in Ukraine. The discussions focused on the Government's experience in implementing the three international drug control conventions through its national legislation and its national drug control policy. The mission discussed the existing controls applied to the cultivation, manufacture, distribution of, and trade in, narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances and their precursors. In addition, the mission gathered updated information on current trends in drug abuse and trafficking in Ukraine.

The findings of the mission will be reflected in the next INCB Annual Report, to be published in early 2009.

 

Mission to Ethiopia

An INCB mission visited Ethiopia from 26 to 28 March 2008. The mission was conducted by Professor Tatyana Borisovna Dmitrieva, Second Vice-President of the Board and Chairperson of the Standing Committee on Estimates, accompanied by Mr. Pavel Pachta, Deputy Secretary of the Board.

The mission held discussions with the Minister of Health, the Minister of Justice and the Minister of Federal Affairs as well as with senior officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Drug Administration and Control Authority (DACA), the Federal Police Commission and the Customs Authority. The discussions focused on issues related to the Government's cooperation with INCB regarding the control of narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances and precursors, measures to combat drug abuse and illicit drug trafficking and the availability of narcotic drugs for the treatment of pain.

The mission also visited the customs unit at the Addis Ababa airport and two treatment centers for drug addicts, and met with representatives from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the World Health Organization (WHO).

The findings of the mission will be reflected in the next INCB Annual Report, to be published in early 2009.

 

Mission to the United Arab Emirates

An INCB mission visited the United Arab Emirates (UAE) from 21 to 25 January 2008. The mission was conducted by Professor Sevil Atasoy and Mr. Raymond Yans, Board members, accompanied by Mr. Rossen Popov from the INCB Secretariat.

The mission met with the Director General for Criminal Security and other senior officials of the Ministries of Interior, Health, Justice and Foreign Affairs in Abu Dhabi. The INCB delegation visited the Customs, Port and Free Zone Authorities in Dubai and Sharjah. The mission held discussions with the authorities on issues related to the Government's cooperation with INCB regarding the control of narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances and precursors, and the abuse of and trafficking in such substances in the country.

The findings of the mission will be reflected in the next INCB Annual Report, to be published in early 2009.

 

 

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