For information only - not an official document
UNIS/NAR/1382
09 May 2019
The International Narcotics Control Board elects new officers and continues treaty monitoring work at its 125th session
VIENNA, 10 May 2019 (UN Information Service) - The International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) opened its 125th session on 6 May 2019 in Vienna, Austria.
The Board's Standing Committee on Estimates met on the first day of the session to continue its work reviewing estimated requirements for narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances and precursor chemicals for licit purposes. This is part of the Board's work to ensure the availability of internationally controlled substances for medical and scientific purposes while preventing their diversion to illicit channels, trafficking and abuse.
On 8 May 2019, the Board held a dialogue with the Vienna NGO Committee on Drugs on the topic of young people and drugs. Following presentations by civil society representatives, made in person and through video messages, members of the Board and civil society exchanged views on the challenges in preventing and addressing drug abuse among young people. Recognizing the importance of preventing drug use, which is a treaty obligation, participants agreed that prevention efforts should be evidence-based and focused on the individual, to ensure effectiveness. The Board announced at the meeting that it had decided to include a thematic chapter on young people and drugs in its Annual Report for 2019, to provide concrete recommendations to governments and civil society on this important issue. The 2019 annual report will be published in early 2020.
Also on 8 May, the Board held its election of officers for the coming year, with the following results:
• Cornelis P. de Joncheere, President
• Wei Hao, First Vice-President
• David T. Johnson, Second Vice-President and Chair of the Standing Committee on Estimates
• H. H. Sevil Atasoy, Rapporteur
• Galina A. Korchagina, Vice-Chair of the Standing Committee on Estimates
• Jagjit Pavadia, Chair of the Committee on Finance and Administration.
The Board also elected members to its Standing Committee on Estimates (Jagjit Pavadia, Raúl Martin del Campo Sánchez, Luis A. Otárola Peñaranda, Viroj Sumyai) and Committee on Finance and Administration (Raúl Martin del Campo Sánchez, Bernard Leroy, Francisco E. Thoumi).
Mr. de Joncheere thanked the former President, Dr. Viroj Sumyai, and Bureau for their work on behalf of the Board over the past year. The new President of the Board expressed his commitment to working together with the Board over the coming year to continue supporting Member States and the international community in addressing the world drug problem.
During the session, which will continue until 17 May, the Board will continue to focus on its cooperation with Governments, in particular by reviewing the status of compliance with the international drug control conventions and the findings of the country missions it had conducted since January 2019. The Board remains in an ongoing dialogue with Governments with a view to promoting implementation of the drug control conventions, and above all to promote health and well-being.
The Board will also continue its dialogue with international organizations, with consultations planned with the Executive Director of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the Chair of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) and officials of the World Health Organization (WHO).
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INCB is the independent, quasi-judicial body charged with promoting and monitoring Government compliance with the three international drug control conventions: the 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, the 1971 Convention on Psychotropic Substances, and the 1988 Convention against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances. Established by the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs of 1961, the thirteen members of the Board are elected in a personal capacity by the Economic and Social Council for terms of five years.
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For further information, please contact:
INCB Secretariat
Tel.: (+43-1) 26060-4163
Email: incb.secretariat[at]un.org
www.incb.org