United Nations

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UNIS/NAR/1279
17 May 2016

International Narcotics Control Board renews President's mandate and elects new Bureau at 116th session in Vienna

VIENNA, 17 May (UN Information Service) - The International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) renewed the mandate of its President, Werner Sipp, and elected a new Bureau for a one-year term at its 116th session, which opened today in Vienna.

Upon re-election, the President of the Board, Mr. Werner Sipp, thanked the outgoing Bureau for its work over the past year and thanked the members of the Board for their confidence and support. President Sipp stated "I am committed, during my Presidency, to ensuring that the momentum of the United Nations General Assembly special session on the world drug problem, held in New York in April this year, is maintained, to ensure that the agreements made there are translated into action".

During this session, which will continue until 27 May, the Board will review the compliance of more than 200 countries and territories with the three international drug control treaties.

In the course of its two-week session and as part of its ongoing cooperation with Member States, the Board will review the functioning of the international drug control system, examine drug control implementation at the national level and discuss what actions to propose to governments to enhance the operation of their national drug control systems.

During the session, INCB will examine the licit movement of narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances and precursor chemicals, and the supply of opiate raw materials and demand for opiates for medical and scientific purposes.

Through its Standing Committee on Estimates, the Board will also examine the requirements for narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances for medical and scientific purposes. The Board will also discuss ways to prevent diversion of precursor chemicals to illicit channels, and latest developments and efforts to address the emergence of new psychoactive substances.

The composition of the INCB Bureau following the 17 May elections:

• Werner Sipp - President of the Board
• Jagjit Pavadia - First Vice-President and Member of the Committee on Finance and Administration
• Viroj Sumyai - Second Vice-President of the Board and Chair of the Standing Committee on Estimates
• Sri Suryawati - Rapporteur and Member of the Standing Committee on Estimates
• Wei Hao - Vice-Chair of the Standing Committee on Estimates

Officers elected by the Board:

• Raymond Yans - Chair of the Committee on Finance and Administration
• Bernard Leroy - Member of the Standing Committee on Estimates
• Richard P. Mattick - Member of the Standing Committee on Estimates
• Ahmed Kamal Eldin Samak  - Member of the Standing Committee on Estimates
• Francisco E. Thoumi - Member of the Standing Committee on Estimates
• Alejandro Mohar Betancourt - Member of the Committee on Finance and Administration
• Jallal Toufiq - Member of the Committee on Finance and Administration

Further biographical details as well as information on the functions, work and reports of the International Narcotics Control Board are available at www.incb.org

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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
Telephone for media inquiries: (+43-1) 26060 4163
Email: secretariat[at]incb.org 
Website:  www.incb.org