INCB President meets civil society representatives
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VIENNA, 15 March - The International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) President, Mr. Werner Sipp, held today the by now traditional annual informal dialogue with civil society organizations, arranged by Vienna NGO Committee on Drugs. The dialogue, moderated by the VNGOC Chair, Mr. Esbjörn Hörnberg, took place at the margins of the 60 th session of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs. |
Mr. Sipp expressed his appreciation for the exchange as the inputs and insights of civil society, particularly at grassroots level, have proved valuable to the work of INCB, especially during country missions. Mr. Sipp noted that through those meetings, grass root organisations provide the Board with information on the drug abuse situation on the ground and the actions by those organisations to contribute to addressing those needs. The INCB President addressed questions from the floor on a range of issues, including the rights of indigenous peoples, the use of cannabis for medical purposes and the principle of proportionality.
In his concluding remarks, Mr. Hörnberg thanked Mr. Sipp for the openness he had shown towards civil society organisations, his readiness to engage in dialogue and take questions from the floor. The open and frank dialogue that had been established over the years forms part of the ongoing cooperation between INCB and civil society and was expected to continue at future meetings of the Commission.