For information only - not an official document
UNIS/MA/271
25 February 2020
VIENNA, 25 February (UN Information Service) - Journalists are invited to cover the 63rd session of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) to be held between 2 and 6 March in Vienna, Austria.
The opening session will be addressed by Ghada Waly, Executive Director of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Cornelis de Joncheere, President of the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) and Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) (tbc) followed by statements by representatives of the regional groups.
Resolutions under consideration by the Commission address topics including strengthening partnerships with the private sector and improving the collection and analysis of data to strengthen evidence-based responses to the world drug problem; involving youth in drug prevention efforts and ensuring the access to and availability of controlled substances for medical and scientific purposes as well as promoting alternative development approaches to illegal crop cultivation.
The whole list of draft resolutions can be found here.
The 63rd Session is expected to bring together around 2,000 participants from Member States, parliaments, inter-governmental organizations, civil society, and the scientific community.
More than 100 side events will take place during the 63rd session of the CND on topics ranging from generation equality to prevention, treatment and care of people with drug use disorders involving communities and families; countering synthetic drug threats; the fight against drug trafficking; alternative development for sustainable livelihoods; research and data on drug supply and trafficking and youth participation in drug use prevention.
The full list of side events is available here.
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Media accreditation
Media representatives who wish to cover the 63rd session of the CND, and who are not accredited to the Vienna International Centre, should email press.vienna[at]un.org for accreditation.
Access to the M-building is via Gate 1 of the Vienna International Centre (VIC).
Journalists are invited to attend plenary meetings and the side events.
Member States will make transcriptions and statements available to journalists at their own discretion.
Join the conversation on Twitter by using the hashtag #CND2020 and follow @UNODC, @GhadaFathiWaly, @CND_tweets and @UN_Vienna for updates.
Further information can be found here.
Draft Agenda of the 63rd Session of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs is available here.
For further details on scheduling procedures, click here.
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For further information, please contact:
Sonya
Yee
Speechwriter and Spokesperson, UNODC
Telephone: (+43 1) 26060-4990
Mobile: (+43-699) 1459-4990
Email: sonya.yee[at]un.org
or
Brian
Hansford
Advocacy Section Chief, UNODC
Telephone: (+43 1) 26060-83225
Email: brian.hansford[at]un.org
or
Anne
Thomas
Public Information Officer, UNIS Vienna
Telephone: (+43-1) 26060-5588
Mobile: (+43-699) 1459-5588
Email: anne.thomas[at]un.org
