For information only - not an official document
UNIS/NAR/1498
11 June 2025
INCB President Professor Sevil Atasoy highlights INCB's impact on availability of controlled medicines and drug trafficking to Economic and Social Council
NEW YORK/VIENNA, 11 June (UN Information Service) - The President of the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB), Professor Sevil Atasoy, presented the Board's 2024 reports to the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) on Tuesday at United Nations Headquarters in New York.
The INCB annual report reviews the functioning of the international drug control system and highlights critical drug control developments. Presenting the thematic chapter of the report on the rapid expansion of the illicit synthetic drug industry, the INCB President highlighted the work of INCB's precursor control and Global Rapid Interdiction of Dangerous Substances (GRIDS) programmes in 2024 to mitigate the major threat that this poses to public health globally. This included: assessing and recommending the international control of two fentanyl precursors and 16 precursors of amphetamine-type stimulants; monitoring nearly 28,000 licit shipments of 32,000 tons and 5 billion litres of internationally controlled precursor chemicals through the INCB Pre-Export Notification (PEN) Online system; tracking licit shipments of more than 136,000 tons and more than 3 million litres of internationally non-controlled precursor chemicals through the PEN Online Light system; and preventing, through use of the INCB Precursors Incident Communication System (PICS) the diversion of 2,600 tons and 500,000 litres of precursor chemicals to illicit drug manufacture. Under the INCB GRIDS Programme, nearly 25,000 incidents in 160 countries involving 850 unique new psychoactive substances were processed through the IONICS system, bringing the total number of events recorded to over 100,000. Forty five events were conducted for 1,300 officials to coordinate operational responses through GRIDS regional technical officers based around the world.
Professor Atasoy also presented INCB's work to ensure the supply of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances for medical and scientific purposes, highlighting that in 2024 INCB reviewed and approved or established over 4,000 estimates for more than 1,500 tons of narcotic drugs used in anaesthesia, pain management and opioid agonist therapy and processed over 4,500 annual assessments and modifications for more than 2,500 tons of psychotropic substances used in the treatment of neurological and mental health conditions and opioid agonist therapy.
The INCB President noted persistent disparities between regions in the consumption of opioid analgesics for use in anaesthesia and the treatment of pain and the consumption of several psychotropic substances for the treatment of mental and neurological conditions and substance use disorders. While noting some promising signs of progress, significant concerns remained for Africa, South Asia, and Central America and the Caribbean, as almost all consumption of opioid analgesics continues to be concentrated in Western Europe, North America, and Oceania.
Another critical issue brought by INCB to the attention of the Council's Management Segment meeting is the availability of controlled substances for the treatment of opioid use disorder. About ten per cent of people with opioid use disorder have access to opioid agonist therapy. In some countries with a high prevalence of people who inject drugs, access to methadone, buprenorphine, and opioid agonist therapy services remains limited - or is even non-existent.
During her intervention, Professor Atasoy said: "Ensuring access to internationally controlled substances during humanitarian emergencies, including situations resulting from armed conflict, is essential. The conventions provide for the expedited movement of such substances during emergencies and INCB urges countries to make full use of these provisions."
Highlighting the concrete achievements made together with Member States, the INCB President cited the drug control mechanisms as "fine examples of multilateralism at work and treaties being translated into action for the benefit of all". In closing, President Atasoy noted that these efforts are dependent upon sustained resources and that the regular budget liquidity crisis of the United Nations Secretariat is already affecting the work of INCB, with, for example, critical country missions postponed.
The 2024 INCB reports contain recommendations for governments and international and regional organizations to advance the implementation of the three international drug control conventions, which are among the most-widely ratified United Nations treaties, and progress on the Sustainable Development Goals, especially SDG 3 on health and well-being and SDG 16 on peace, justice and strong institutions.
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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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