Commission on Narcotic Drugs

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Regular and intersessional meetings of the Commission

The Commission holds annual sessions for the duration of one week in the first half of the year, as well as one-day reconvened sessions at the end of each year to consider administrative and budgetary matters. The Commission has a maximum number of eight working days for its session, pursuant to Economic and Social Council resolution 1991/39. In order to examine draft decisions, draft resolutions and specific technical issues, a Committee of the Whole is convened concurrently with the annual session of the Commission.

Inter-sessional meetings of the Commission are convened to finalize the provisional agenda of the Commission; to address organizational and substantive matters; and to provide continuous and effective policy guidance. The Commission also holds informal joint meetings of donor and recipient countries on the planning and formulation of projects, pursuant to its resolution 44/16.

Thematic debate / Round table discussions

Specific themes are addressed by the Commission at each session under the agenda item "Thematic debate". Panellists, selected for their expertise and on the basis of geographical distribution, are invited to participate in the debate on the theme under consideration.

In order to make the debate more efficient, focussed and interactive, the Commission has decided to replace the thematic debate in the plenary with a series of round tables for a trial period of two years. The first three round table discussions were held at the 54 th session of the Commission in 2011 and focused on regional and international cooperation in combating the world drug problem, the principle of joint and shared responsibility and public health and safety issues. The round tables at the 54 th session in 2012 will focus on how to prevent diversion of precursor substances and other counter narcotics efforts.

Annual Reports Questionnaire (ARQ)

At the reconvened 53rd session of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs, in December 2010, Member States adopted a revised Annual Report Questionnaire (ARQ), to enable the monitoring of and the biennial reporting to the Commission on the implementation by Member States of the Political Declaration and Plan of Action on International Cooperation towards an Integrated and Balanced Strategy to Counter the World Drug Problem, as well as for the reporting to the Commission mandated by the three international drug control conventions. The first reports resulting from the revised ARQs will be considered by the Commission on Narcotic Drugs at its 55th session in 2012.