For information only - not an official document

UNIS/MA/22
24 June 2013

Media Advisory

UNODC to launch World Drug Report 2013 in Vienna
on Wednesday 26 June

Media invited to Press Briefing on Wednesday 26 June at 1.30 p.m. at the Vienna International Centre, C-Building, Conference Room 2, 7 th floor

VIENNA, 12 June (UN Information Service) - The media are invited to a press briefing by the Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Yury Fedotov on Wednesday 26 June at 1.30 p.m. in Conference Room 2 in the C building.  The Press briefing will be followed by a technical briefing (from 2.00 to 2.30 pm) for journalists on the World Drug Report by UNODC experts.

The press conference will be webcast live at http://www.unis.unvienna.org/unis/en/webcast.html

The World Drug report will be launched during a special event of the fifty-sixth session of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs, devoted to the commemoration of the United Nations International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking which will be held on Wednesday, 26 June 2013, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and from 3 to 6 p.m. in Boardroom D, in the C-Building of the Vienna International Centre.  This event is also open to journalists. More information on the 2014 high-level review is available at http://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/commissions/CND/session/session-57.html.

The World Drug Report 2013 presents a comprehensive overview of the latest developments in drug markets, covering production, trafficking, consumption and related health consequences. This year's report contains new global data on the number of people who inject drugs and those who inject drugs and are also living with HIV, showing progress and setbacks during the 2008-2011 period.

Copies of the report are available under embargo for representatives of the media.

The thematic focus of this year's report is on the phenomenon of new psychoactive substances (NPS), which can have deadly consequences for their users but are hard to control, with dynamic, fast-mutating producers and "product lines" which have emerged over the past decade. The report includes a review of different NPS categories identified and used around the world.

For media accreditation:

Media representatives who wish to attend the special event of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs and/or the press briefing and who are not accredited to the VIC should contact press@unvienna.org.

Please register for the press briefing by Friday 21 June by writing to press@unvienna.org. For information on facilities and general information for the media, write to anne.thomas[at]unvienna.org  or call + 43 1 26060 5588.

For more information about the special session of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs go to: http://www.unodc.org/documents/commissions/CND-session56/WDR/2013_World_Drug_Report_leaflet.pdf.

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For further information on the press briefing, technical briefing and the special event of the CND, please contact:

Preeta Bannerjee
Information Officer, UNODC
Telephone: (+43-1) 26060-5764
Mobile: (+43) 699-1459-5764
Email: preeta.bannerjee[at]unodc.org