INCB President welcomes cooperation with UNODC and WHO to support Member States in addressing the world drug problem
VIENNA, 12 March 2018 - Speaking at a special event at the margins of the 61 st session of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs, the President of the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB), Dr. Viroj Sumyai, expressed his appreciation to the Heads of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) for accepting his invitation to engage in a tripartite cooperative initiative to further support Member States in implementing the outcome document of the thirtieth special session of the General Assembly on the world drug problem (UNGASS 2016).
The INCB President underlined that demand reduction and improved access to pain relief medicines in low-income counties, both part of the UNGASS outcome document, have long been central to the work of INCB. He noted the special chapter on treatment, rehabilitation and social reintegration for drug use disorders in INCB's Annual Report 2017. He also highlighted that INCB is currently preparing a new special report on the availability of internationally controlled drugs, which will be finished in time for the CND high-level session in 2019. INCB Learning activities in a number of regions were also mentioned. Dr. Sumyai's statement at the event is available here.
At the special event, entitled "Countries at the centre: INCB, UNODC and WHO supporting Member states in implementing UNGASS 2016", Dr. Sumyai was joined by: the Executive Director of UNODC, Mr. Yury Fedotov; the Assistant Director General for Drug Access, Vaccines and Pharmaceuticals of WHO, Dr. Mariângela Batista Galvao Simao; the Chair of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs, Ambassador Alicia Buenrostro Massieu; Ambassador Pedro Moitinho, Post-UNGASS Facilitator (CND); as well as Mr. Jean-Luc Lemahieu, Director, Policy Analysis and Public Affairs (UNODC); and Mr. Andrés Finguerut, Secretary of INCB.
Following the event, the Heads of INCB, UNODC and WHO released a joint statement entitled "Working together for the health and welfare of humankind".