Statement by Prof. Sevil Atasoy, President,
International Narcotics Control Board (INCB)
2025 Thematic Discussions of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs
Opening session
Vienna, 30 September 2025
Mr. Chair, Madam Waly, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,
It is an honour to represent the International Narcotics Control Board at the opening of the 2025 thematic discussions of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs. The Board looks forward to engaging with the Commission and Member States in the days ahead to advance the implementation of the three international drug control conventions and to ensure the effective functioning of the international drug control system for licit trade in controlled substances. Our shared objective remains clear: to safeguard health and welfare globally.
Allow me to briefly highlight several cross-cutting issues that will be addressed during these discussions - namely, cooperation, data collection and analysis, technological innovation, capacity building and resource mobilization.
The Board is collaborating closely with Member States to address two critical drug control challenges, both of which demand continued international cooperation.
First, through the INCB precursor control and GRIDS programmes, we are supporting Governments in responding to the serious public health threat posed by the rapid proliferation of synthetic drugs. INCB is actively preventing and reducing the illicit manufacture of drugs through technological innovation and enhanced monitoring systems.
Last year, the Board assessed two fentanyl precursors and 16 precursors of amphetamine-type stimulants, recommending their international control. We monitored nearly 28,000 shipments - comprising 32,000 tons and 5 billion litres - of controlled precursor chemicals through the PEN Online system. Additionally, over 700 shipments of more than 136,000 tons and 3 million litres of non-controlled precursor chemicals were tracked through PEN Online Light. Use of the PICS system helped prevent the diversion of 2,600 tons and 500,000 litres of precursor chemicals. Notably, international cooperation facilitated by the INCB PEN Online platform recently thwarted an attempt to divert three tons of the fentanyl precursor 1-boc-4-piperidone, enough to produce an estimated 1.4 to 3.3 tons of fentanyl.
Under the INCB GRIDS Programme, nearly 25,000 incidents involving 850 unique new psychoactive substances across 160 countries were processed through the IONICS system, bringing the total number of recorded events to over 100,000 by 2024. Operations such as Zodiac and African Star led to significant seizures and interceptions of illicitly manufactured pharmaceuticals. GRIDS also issued operational alerts to help Governments counter the diversion and misuse of veterinary pharmaceuticals, and conducted 45 events for 1,300 officials to coordinate operational responses through GRIDS regional technical officers based in Almaty, Bangkok, Cairo, Lagos, Mexico City and New Delhi.
Second, turning to licit requirements for controlled substances, INCB data continues to reveal persistent disparities in the availability of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances for medical purposes. At the same time, our data and analysis indicate that the global supply of opiate raw materials exceeds reported demand. This discrepancy may stem from inaccurate estimates of medical needs submitted by some countries. To address this, INCB Learning trained, by the end of 2024, 1,462 officials from 154 countries through e-learning modules and virtual and in-person training. In 2025, INCB Learning training has been held for countries in the Horn of Africa and West Africa.
To ensure adequate supply for medical and scientific use, in 2024 INCB processed over 8,500 estimates and assessments for more than 4,000 tons of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances used in anaesthesia, pain management, opioid agonist therapy, and the treatment of neurological and mental health conditions.
These achievements - made possible through collaboration with Member States - are a testament to multilateralism in action and the tangible translation of treaty provisions for the benefit of humankind.
However, our efforts are increasingly constrained by resource limitations. The liquidity crisis affecting the United Nations regular budget is impacting INCB's operations. Postponement of INCB country missions hinders our ability to support treaty implementation. Online only meetings - such as the 142nd INCB session in February - limit the Board's capacity to deliberate and process critical estimates and assessments.
Also, without stable extrabudgetary resources, the impactful work of the precursor control (that being part of the Board's mandate under the 1988 Convention should be funded by regular budget resources) and GRIDS programmes and INCB's digital transformation initiative (Next Generation IDS) will cease. Thousands of shipments of precursor chemicals will go unmonitored. Reviews of chemicals for possible international control will be delayed. Incidents involving hundreds of dangerous substances will remain unprocessed. Operations will be suspended, increasing the risk to public health. The issuance of operational alerts will stop, depriving national authorities of vital intelligence needed to interrupt trafficking in potent synthetic opioids and veterinary pharmaceuticals.
INCB remains firmly committed to supporting the Commission and Member States in fulfilling their treaty obligations and achieving the shared goal of protecting health and welfare. But to do so, we must be entrusted with sufficient resources.
Thank you.