For information only - not an official document
UNIS/NAR/1396
13 December 2019
VIENNA, 13 December (United Nations Information Service) - Cornelis P. de Joncheere, President of the International Narcotics Control Board, addressed Member States at the reconvened sixty-second session of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) this morning. Both CND and INCB are committed to upholding the drug control treaties, and the CND has been a strong partner in our efforts to improve the world drug situation.
The President reported that INCB had transmitted to the Commission a recommendation to place MAPA, methyl-alpha-phenylacetoacetate, a pre-precursor used in the illicit manufacture of amphetamine and methamphetamine, under international control when the Commission next meets in March 2020. The INCB President stressed that it was necessary to find an encompassing solution to address the continuing emergence of designer precursors used in illicit drug manufacture and expressed the hope that the Commission would take up the related policy discussion at its meeting next year. He also informed the Commission that the Board has finalized its annual report for 2019 to be launched on 27 February 2020.
The President noted that the Commission's Ministerial Declaration of March this year and the 2016 special session of the General Assembly both reaffirmed the centrality of the three international drug control conventions and stressed the Board's commitment to continue working with States to promote full compliance with the provisions of the conventions, enhance dialogue with Governments and ensuring availability of controlled substances for medical and scientific purposes while preventing diversion, trafficking, illicit production and manufacture and abuse.
The President highlighted other activities of the Board in 2019 such as the successful hosting of an Open Dialogue with Member States on access and availability of controlled substances for medical use during its 126th session in November. This is part of the ongoing work to expand opportunities to exchange views with governments and the conduct of 15 treaty implementation country monitoring missions, the second largest number of country mission in recent years. Referring to the goal of the conventions of safeguarding public health and well-being, the President voiced his concern about the continued disparity across countries in availability of controlled substances for medical purposes and expressed his wish to work together with WHO and UNODC in this field.
Cornelis P. de Joncheere thanked the outgoing Executive Director of UNODC, Yury Fedotov, on behalf of the whole Board for his tireless efforts to improve the world drug situation, and his support of INCB's work, which had been important in enabling the Board to discharge its treaty-mandated functions and wished him well in the future. The President also conveyed warm words of welcome to Ghada Fathi Waly, the incoming Executive Director of UNODC, to whom he extended the cooperation and support of the Board.
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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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