UNIS/NAR/1468
30 January 2023
VIENNA, 30 January (UN Information Service) – The International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) commenced its 136th session today welcoming the new Member Pavel Pachta from Czechia. Mr. Pachta was elected by the Economic and Social Council for a term ending in 2025.
During the session, the Board will review the findings of its missions to Kyrgyzstan and the United States, both of which took place in December 2022. The Board will agree on recommendations for the respective Governments and will remain in dialogue with the Governments on their implementation. Following a hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, INCB is resuming its country missions, which also include meetings with civil society organizations.
The Board will continue its work to improve the reporting mechanisms for Member States on cannabis and related substances. Accurate reporting is becoming increasingly important due to the rising volume of licit cultivation of and international trade in cannabis and related substances for medical and scientific purposes.
The Board will also review the recent successes of its Global Rapid Interdiction of Dangerous Substances (GRIDS) programme in preventing dangerous non-medical synthetic opioids and new psychoactive substances from reaching people. The training and awareness-raising activities conducted under the GRIDS and INCB Learning programmes form part of the Board’s support to Member States towards full implementation of the three drug control conventions as well as reaching the health and welfare goals of the conventions, which also contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals. The status of activities to update the database underlying the international drug control system will also be considered.
The Board will hold consultations with the Chair of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs in preparation for the upcoming 66th session of the Commission.
The 136th session will continue until 3 February 2023.
The INCB Annual Report 2022, a supplement on availability with the title “No Patient Left Behind: Progress in Ensuring Adequate Access to Internationally Controlled Substances for Medical and Scientific Purposes”, and the Precursors Report 2022 will be launched by the President of the Board in Vienna on 9 March 2023.
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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
Tel.: (+43-1) 26060-4163
Email: incb.secretariat[at]un.org
www.incb.org
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