Mission to Paraguay

An INCB mission visited Paraguay from 3 to 7 December 2018. The mission was conducted by Mr. Luis Alberto Otárola Peñaranda, member of the Board, and Ms. Beatriz Ospina Aragón of the INCB secretariat. The last INCB mission visited Paraguay in 2005. The mission was organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The objective of the mission was to review the drug control situation in Paraguay and the full implementation of the three United Nations drug control conventions to which Paraguay is a party, including reporting to and cooperation with INCB in accordance with the Conventions. The situation of, and the actions by the Government to counter drug trafficking, to prevent drug abuse and to provide treatment and rehabilitation for drug dependent persons were also discussed.

The mission met with Mr. Hemasiri Fernando, Secretary, Ministry of Defence; Hon. Thalatha Atukorale, Minister of Justice and Prison Reforms; Hon. Jayantha Jayasuriya, Attorney General; Ambassador Ravinatha P. Aryasinha, Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Mr. Pujitha Jayasundara, Inspector General of Police; Professor Saman Abeysinghe, Chairman of NDDCB; Dr. Samantha Kithalawaarachchi, Director of Presidential Task Force on Drug Prevention; Commissioner Generals of Customs, Excise, and Prisons, as well as senior officials in the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Health. The mission also had discussion with NGOs and visited Nawadiganthaya Treatment Center.

The findings of the mission will be reviewed by the Board at its 125th session in May 2019.

 

Mission to Jamaica

A mission of the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) visited Jamaica from 26 to 30 November 2018. The mission was conducted by Mr. Bernard Leroy, member of the Board, and Mr. Stefano Berterame of the INCB Secretariat. The previous INCB mission visited Jamaica in 2001. The mission was organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade.

The objective of the mission was to review the drug control situation in Jamaica and the implementation of the three international drug control conventions to which the country is a party and the compliance with their requirements. The mission also reviewed the efforts of the Government of Jamaica in countering drug trafficking and drug-related criminal activities as well as the actions to prevent drug abuse and to ensure access to treatment and rehabilitation services for drug dependent persons.

The mission met with the Minister of National Security, the Honourable Dr. Horace Chang and with Minister of Justice the Honourable Delroy Chuck. The mission also met with senior officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, the Ministry of Justice, the Attorney General's office, the Ministry of National Security, the Ministry of Health; the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sports; the Ministry of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries; Ministry of Education, Youth and Information.

In addition, the mission met with officials from the Cannabis Licensing Authority the National Council on Drug Abuse, the Ministry of Science and Technology, the Science Research Council, the National Council on Science and Technology, the Jamaica Constabulary Force, the Jamaica Defence Force, the Jamaica Customs Agency, the Financial Investigations Division, the Port Authority of Jamaica, the Port Security Corps, and the Jamaica Civil Aviation Authority. The mission also visited the facility of the Drug Treatment Centre "Patricia House".

The findings of the mission will be reviewed by the Board at its 124th session in February 2019.

 

Mission to the United Kingdom

An INCB mission visited the United Kingdom from 15 to 18 October 2018. The mission was conducted by Prof. Francisco E. Thoumi, member of the Board, and Ms. Beate Hammond of the INCB Secretariat. The last INCB mission visited the United Kingdom in 2007. The mission was organized by the Home Office.

The objective of the mission was to review the drug control situation in the United Kingdom and the full implementation of the three United Nations drug control conventions to which the United Kingdom is a party, including reporting to and cooperation with INCB in accordance with the Conventions. The situation of, and the actions by the Government to counter drug trafficking, to prevent drug abuse and to provide treatment and rehabilitation for drug dependent persons were also discussed. The mission met with Ms. Victoria Atkins, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Home Office as well as with other high-level officials of the Home Office, Department of Health and Social Care, Public Health England, Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs, National Crime Agency, Ministry of Justice/Her Majesty's Prison & Probation Service, Border Force, National Police and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

In addition, at the request of and accompanied by officials from the Home Office and Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the mission visited a site where cannabis is cultivated to produce pharmaceutical cannabis-based preparations. The mission also went to the Club Drug Clinic in London and held consultations with several civil society groups as well as with the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Drug Policy Reform .

The findings of the mission will be reviewed by the Board at its 123rd session in November 2018 and will be reflected in the 2018 INCB Annual Report, to be published in early 2019.

 

Mission to Tunisia

From 16 to 18 October 2018, INCB undertook a mission to Tunisia. The mission was led by Prof. Dr. Jallal Toufiq, First Vice-President of the Board, and Ms. Hanifa Rebbani of the INCB secretariat. The mission was coordinated by the National Bureau of Narcotics of the Ministry of Health.

The objectives of the mission were to review the implementation of the three international drug control treaties by Tunisia and examine drug policy developments since the last mission of the Board in 2002.

The mission met with H.E Mr. Imed Hammami, Minister of Health and held meetings with senior officials from the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Education and the customs administration.

The mission also conducted site visits of the treatment and rehabilitation centre "Amal" in J'bel el Oust and the Emergency Medical Assistance centre in Tunis. A meeting with an NGO dealing with drug prevention and rehabilitation was also held.

The findings of the mission will be reviewed by the Board at its 123rd session in November 2018 and will be reflected in the 2018 INCB Annual Report, to be published in early 2019.

 

Mission to Qatar

From 1 to 3 October 2018, INCB conducted a mission to the State of Qatar. The mission was conducted by Prof. Dr. Sevil Atasoy, member of the Board, and Mr. Stefano Berterame of the INCB secretariat. The mission was coordinated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and met with senior officials from the Ministry of Interior (General Directorate of Drugs Enforcement and General Directorate of Criminal Investigation), the Ministry of Public Health (Pharmacy and Drug Control Department), the Ministry of Environment and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The mission visited also the Naufar Treatment and Rehabilitation Centre, the Drug Stores of the Pharmacy and Drug Control Department, and the customs facilities at the Hamad International Airport.

The findings of the mission will be reviewed by the Board at its 123rd session in November 2018 and will be reflected in the 2018 INCB Annual Report, to be published in early 2019.

 

Mission to Luxembourg

From 25 to 28 September 2018, INCB undertook a mission to the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. The mission was led by Mr. Bernard Leroy, member of the Board, and Ms. Hanifa Rebbani of the INCB secretariat. The mission was coordinated by the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs. The mission met with the Deputy Director of Political Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, and held meetings with senior officials from the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Interior security and the customs and excise administration.

The INCB delegation also visited the Center for Addiction Prevention and the Penitentiary Center of Luxembourg (CPL).

The findings of the mission will be reviewed by the Board at its 123rd session in November 2018 and will be reflected in the 2018 INCB Annual Report, to be published in early 2019.

 

Mission to the United Arab Emirates

From 10 to 12 September 2018, INCB undertook a mission to the United Arab Emirates. The mission was led by Prof. Dr. Wei Hao, Second Vice-President of the Board, and Mr. Imrich Betko of the INCB secretariat, and coordinated by the Federal General Department of Anti-Narcotics of the Ministry of Interior. The mission met with the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, and held meetings with senior officials from the Ministry of Health and Prevention, the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The INCB delegation also visited the General Department of Forensic Science & Criminology of Dubai Police and the National Rehabilitation Center in Abu Dhabi. A further site visit was undertaken to a customs facility in Jebel Ali port.

The findings of the mission will be reviewed by the Board at its 123rd session in November 2018 and will be reflected in the 2018 INCB Annual Report, to be published in early 2019.

 

Mission to Nepal

The International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) recently undertook a country mission to Nepal from 5 to 7 September 2018. The mission was led by Ms. Jagjit Pavadia, Member of the Board and Vice-Chair of the Standing Committee on Estimates, who was accompanied by Mr. Martin Dessart of the INCB Secretariat.

The objective of the mission was to review the implementation of the three international drug control conventions by Nepal, examine drug policy developments since the last mission of the Board in 2007, and assess what emerging drug control issues facing the country. The mission was organized by the Ministry of Home Affairs of Nepal.

During the country visit, the mission met with H.E. Mr. Ram Bahadur Thapa, Minister for Home Affairs for Nepal. Additionally, the mission held meetings with officials from the Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Health and Population, Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs. The mission also met with the Resident Coordinator for UNDP in Nepal as well as the country representative for WHO in Nepal. The mission also conducted a site visit of Asara Treatment and Rehabilitation Centre in Kathmandu. Additional meetings were held with various NGOs dealing with drug treatment, prevention and rehabilitation based in Nepal.

The findings of the mission will be reviewed by the Board at its 123rd session in November 2018 and will be reflected in the 2018 INCB Annual Report, to be published in early 2019.

 

Mission to Germany

An INCB mission visited the Federal Republic of Germany from 3 to 5 September 2018. The mission was conducted by Prof. Dr. Jallal Toufiq, First Vice-President of the Board, and Mr. Adrian Moicean of the INCB Secretariat. The last mission to the Federal Republic of Germany took place in July 2003. The mission was organized by the Ministry of Health.

The objective of the mission was to review the drug control situation in the Federal Republic of Germany and the Government's compliance with the three international drug control conventions to which Germany is a party. The situation of, and the actions by the Government to counter drug trafficking, to prevent drug abuse and to provide treatment and rehabilitation for drug dependent persons as well as the availability of narcotic drugs including cannabis, and psychotropic substances for medical purposes were also discussed.

The mission met with the Federal Drugs Commissioner as well as with high level officials of the Federal Ministry of Health, the Federal Ministry of Interior, the Federal Foreign Office, the Federal Ministry of Finance, the Central Customs Authority and the President accompanied by high level officials of the Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices (BfArM). The mission also met with the Drugs Commissioner of the Federal Land Berlin and conducted a visit to the Customs Administration at the airport Berlin-Tegel.

The mission visited NGO's active in drug abuse prevention in Berlin such as Patrida (substitutiontherapy), Birkenstube (a "supervised drug consumption facility") and Tannenhof (inpatient rehabilitation centre) and also had meetings with NGO representatives from Deutsche AIDS-Hilfe, Deutsche Hauptstelle fur Suchgefahren and Fixpunkt.

The findings of the mission will be reviewed by the Board at its 123rd session in November 2018 and will be reflected in the 2018 INCB Annual Report, to be published in early 2019.

 

Mission to Mauritius

The International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) recently undertook a country mission to Mauritius from 23 to 26 July 2018. The mission was led by Mr. Bernard Leroy, Rapporteur of the Board, and Mr. Martin Dessart of the INCB Secretariat.

The objective of the mission was to review the implementation of the three international drug control conventions by Mauritius, examine drug policy developments since the last mission of the Board in 2008, and assess what emerging drug control issues are facing the country. The mission was organized by the Ministry of Defence and Rodrigues of Mauritius.

During the country visit, the mission met with Prime Minister of Mauritius, Minister of Defence and Rodrigues, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister of Health and Quality of Life, Attorney General, Minister of Education, Deputy Commissioner of the Mauritius National Police and the Commissioner of Prisons. Additionally, the mission held meetings with officials from the Mauritius Revenue Authority, Customs Authority, Financial Intelligence Unit as well as the Forensic and Scientific Laboratory. The mission also conducted a site visit of Melrose Maximum Security Prison. Additional meetings were held with various NGOs dealing with drug treatment, prevention and rehabilitation based in Mauritius.

The findings of the mission will be reviewed by the Board at its 123rd session in November 2018 and will be reflected in the 2018 INCB Annual Report, to be published in early 2019.

 

Mission to Mongolia

INCB undertook a mission to Mongolia from 4 to 6 July 2018. The mission was led by Prof. Dr. Wei Hao, Second Vice-President of the Board, and Ms. Tatiana Jehl of the INCB Secretariat.

The objective of the mission was to review implementation of the three international drug control conventions by Mongolia and to examine drug policy developments since the last mission of the Board in 1999. The mission was organized by the Ministry of Justice and Home Affairs, together with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The mission met with the Deputy Minister of Justice and Home Affairs of Mongolia, as well as with high-level officials from the Ministry of Health and Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the National Police Agency, Professional Inspection Agency, and Customs General Administration of Mongolia. The mission visited the National Mental Health Center and the National Institute of Forensic Science and held a technical consultation meeting. A meeting was also held with the UNDP Resident Coordinator in Mongolia.

The findings of the mission will be reviewed by the Board at its 123rd session in November 2018 and will be reflected in the 2018 INCB Annual Report, to be published in early 2019.

 

Mission to the Republic of Armenia

From 25 to 28 June 2018, INCB undertook a mission to the Republic of Armenia to discuss the country's implementation of the three drug control conventions, to which it is a State Party. The mission was led by Prof. Dr. Galina Korchagina, member of the Board, and Mr. Paul Rabbat of the INCB Secretariat. It was coordinated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia.

While in Armenia, the INCB delegation held meetings with several senior drug control stakeholders including the Deputy Minister of Health, the Deputy Minister of Justice, the Deputy Minister of Education and Science, the Head of the General Department on the Fight against Organised Crime of the Armenian Police, the Head of the Department of International Organisations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Head of the Division on Monitoring Drugs and Drug Addiction. A meeting was also held with the UNDP Resident Coordinator in Armenia.

The INCB delegation carried out site visits to the Republican Narcological Centre of Armenia, ARPIMED, a drug manufacturer in Armenia, and to the Bagrateshen customs facility on the Armenian-Georgian Border. Meetings were also held with representatives from civil society organisations.

The findings of the mission will be reviewed by the Board at its 123rd session in November 2018 and will be reflected in the 2018 INCB Annual Report, to be published in early 2019.

 

Mission to the Netherlands

From 11 to 14 June 2018, INCB undertook a mission to the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The mission was led by Amb. David Johnson, member of the Board, and Mr. Paul Rabbat of the INCB Secretariat. It was coordinated by the Nutrition, Health Protection and Prevention Department of the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport. Over the course of the mission, meetings were held with representatives from the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport (Nutrition, Health Protection and Prevention Department, Office of Medicinal Cannabis) , the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Social Development Department, Counter-terrorism and National Security Division), the Ministry of Justice and Security, the Public Prosecution Service, the Dutch National Police and the Ministry of Finance (National Office Dutch Customs, Fiscal Intelligence and Investigation Service).

The INCB delegation also visited the Netherlands Forensic Institute, the Trimbos Institute, the Joint Inspection Centre customs facility at Schiphol airport as well as a shelter/use facility for individuals suffering from drug and alcohol use disorders in Utrecht aimed at providing them with social and other services and ultimately reintegrating them into Dutch society.

The findings of the mission will be reviewed by the Board at its 123rd session in November 2018 and will be reflected in the 2018 INCB Annual Report, to be published in early 2019.

 

Mission to Botswana

An INCB mission visited Botswana from 5 to 7 June 2018. The mission was led by Prof. Dr. H. H. Sevil Atasoy, member of the Board, and Ms. Marketa Jackova of the INCB secretariat. The objective of the mission was to review the implementation of the three international drug control treaties by the Republic of Botswana and to examine drug control developments since the last mission of the Board in 1985.

The mission was organized by the Ministry of Health and Wellness and coordinated by the Ministry of International Affairs and Cooperation. The mission met the Minister of Health and Wellness, Hon. Dr. Alfred R. Madigele, and other high-level officials from the Ministry of Health and Wellness, the Ministry of International Affairs and Cooperation, the Ministry of Defence, Justice and Security, the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development, the Ministry of Nationality, Immigration and Gender Affairs, the Ministry of Employment, Labour Productivity and Skills Development, and the Unified Revenue Service.

The mission also held a meeting with the World Health Organization (WHO) Country Office in Botswana and visited the Police Forensic Science Laboratory in Gaborone. In addition, the mission met representatives of a non-governmental organization that provides substance abuse education, prevention, and rehabilitation services to the general public.

The findings of the mission will be reviewed by the Board at its 123rd session in November 2018 and will be reflected in the 2018 INCB Annual Report, to be published in early 2019.

 

Mission to France

The INCB delegation, led by Prof. Dr. Jallal Toufiq, First Vice-President of the Board, and Mr. Paul Rabbat of the INCB Secretariat, held meetings with the Minister of Solidarities and Health, the President of the Interministerial Committee on drugs and addictive behaviours, the President of the law commission of the French National Assembly, members of Parliament as well as senior officials from the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Justice, Health, Education and Interior, representatives of customs and law enforcement agencies as well as health regulatory authorities. A meeting and exchange of views was also held with representatives of French civil society groups.

The INCB representatives held discussions with the French Observatory of Drugs and visited a drug consumption room, the Pierre Nicole treatment and prevention facility and the Psychiatric facility at Bichat Hospital. A further site visit was undertaken to a customs facility at Roissy Charles de Gaulle airport.

The findings of the mission will be reviewed by the Board at its 123rd session in November 2018 and will be reflected in the 2018 INCB Annual Report, to be published in early 2019.

 

Mission to Estonia

An INCB mission visited Estonia from 4 to 6 April 2018. The mission was led by Mr. Cornelis de Joncheere, member of the Board, and Ms. Marketa Jackova of the INCB secretariat. The objective of the mission was to review the implementation of the international drug control treaties by Estonia and to examine drug control developments since the last mission of the Board in 2006.

The mission was coordinated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and included meetings with officials from the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Interior, Police and Boarder Guard Board, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Social Affairs, the State Agency of Medicines, the National Institute for Health Development, the Tax and Customs Board and the Estonian Forensic Science Institute. A field visit was organized to the port of Tallinn as well as to the Estonian Post.

The mission also held a meeting with the World Health Organization (WHO) Country Office in Estonia and visited two hospitals in Tallinn, one providing opioid substitution treatment and the second providing palliative care. In addition, the mission met with several non-governmental organizations (NGOs).

The findings of the mission will be reviewed by the Board at its 122nd session in May 2018 and will be reflected in the 2018 INCB Annual Report, to be published in early 2019.

 

 

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