Assessment of the drug control situation by UNODC 110th session of the INCB

Speech by Yury Fedotov, Director General/Executive Director, UNODC

Mr. President,
Members of the Board,
Ladies and gentlemen,

Allow me to begin by congratulating President Naidoo on his election, and to say thank you to President Raymond Yans for his hard work and dedication.

And congratulations to the new members.

I look forward to continuing our work together, particularly in this important period following the High-Level Review of the CND and leading to the UNGASS on the world drug problem in 2016.

As you may know, the 2014 World Drug Report will be launched on 26 June in Vienna at a special event of the CND.

The report devotes a thematic chapter to the control of precursors. My thanks to the INCB Secretariat for the good cooperation in this area.

This chapter notes the success of improved monitoring, strengthened international cooperation and joint actions, often undertaken under the auspices of the INCB.

It also highlights the vulnerabilities leading to diversion, stemming from a globalized trade involving the use of ever-more intermediaries and brokers in the supply chain.

There are instruments available at the international level to deal with these challenges. But they have yet to be effectively used in a number of countries, and their universal implementation would be an important step forward.

The report also addresses the new regulatory frameworks in the States of Colorado and Washington, and in Uruguay.

While it may still take some time to evaluate the overall impact of these changes, based on existing research it appears likely that, with declining risk perceptions and increased availability, use may increase. We will continue to follow developments closely.

Additional challenges identified in the report include the continued increase in the production of amphetamine-type stimulants, and a strong rise in the production of NPS.

Furthermore, there remain serious gaps in service provision, with only one in six problem drug users having access to or having received drug dependence treatment services.

Every year, up to 200,000 people die as a result of drug abuse, mostly as a result of overdose - a preventable condition if adequate measures are in place.

Moreover, 13% of the total number of people who inject drugs are living with HIV, and 52% are living with hepatitis C.

The new set of data on access to services for prevention, treatment and care of HIV presented in this year's World Drug Report can support Member States in addressing this crucial area more effectively.

As we saw at the recent High-Level Review, there is broad understanding and agreement among Member States on the importance of evidence-based, health-centred approaches to address the world drug problem.

I particularly welcome the clear recognition of the value of science in these efforts.

The Scientific Consultation organized by UNODC during the High-Level Review helped to further strengthen links with the academic community, and we are considering ways to maintain this engagement on a regular basis.

The UNODC model law is also being revised to better reflect the health and human rights-centred approach to drug control, and we hope to conclude this process by October.

This action follows a CND resolution requesting UNODC to carry out a review of the drug control model provisions in consultation with the INCB and WHO, in particular with the aim of improving access to controlled medication.

The review covers several issues that are directly related to the mandate of the INCB, and we look forward to receiving your feedback on the current text.

At the same time, UNODC is continuing its efforts to enhance regional and inter-regional coordination to pursue and dismantle drug trafficking networks.

Our new "networking the networks" initiative aims at promoting closer cooperation between existing law enforcement coordination centres and platforms to help leverage their combined strength.

Ladies and gentlemen,

The Joint Ministerial Statement resulting from the High Level Review reaffirmed the international drug conventions as the health and human rights-centred cornerstone of the drug control system.

I think we can all agree that this provides a strong basis for the continued dialogue on global drug policy as we head towards the 2016 UNGASS.

The CND at its 57th session adopted by consensus a resolution entitled "Special session of the General Assembly on the world drug problem to be held in 2016", which paves the way for the UNGASS preparations, and specifies the leading role to be played by the CND.

The Commission, under its chair, Ambassador Shamaa, has immediately started implementation of the resolution, in particular through the initiation of a broad process of consultation with all stakeholders.

A new website, ungass2016.org, has also been created to support this.

INCB has been invited to actively participate, and I am looking forward to receiving the contribution of the Board to this very important process.

Thank you for your attention, I wish you a productive session.

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