Countries voting during final session of 69th Commission on Narcotic Drugs
Vienna (Austria), 13 March 2026 — The 69th session of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) wrapped up today in Vienna after five days of deliberations on emerging drug trends, treaty implementation, governance issues and international cooperation. The session brought together 2078 participants, including representatives from 134 Member States, 20 intergovernmental organizations, nine United Nations entities and 198 non-governmental organizations, reflecting broad and high-level engagement, highlighting the Commission’s central role as the United Nations’ global policymaking platform on drug-related matters.
In his closing remarks, the Chair of the 69th session, H.E. Ambassador Andranik Hovhannisyan of Armenia, thanked Member States for their constructive engagement and reaffirmed the importance of multilateral cooperation in responding to complex and interconnected drug challenges.
The UNODC Acting Executive Director John Brandolino likewise highlighted the importance of dialogue and partnership, stressing that: “Preserving that spirit of openness, cooperation and compromise will be essential if we are to continue making progress.” He emphasized that, amid global uncertainty, the Commission remains a valuable and increasingly rare forum where diverse perspectives come together to advance collective responses to the world drug problem.
Under agenda item 5(e), the Commission advanced the establishment of the Expert Panel mandated by resolution 68/6, to prepare actionable recommendations to strengthen the implementation of international drug control treaties before the 2029 review. During its 69th session, the Commission filled the remaining seats allocated to the Eastern European Group and the Western European and Other States Group and appointed Natalie Yu- Lin Morris-Sharma from Singapore as Co-Chair by acclamation, completing the composition of the nineteen-member multidisciplinary panel of independent experts.
In carrying out its treaty-mandated functions, the Commission decided to place three substances under international control following recommendations from the World Health Organization. Two of the substances, both highly potent synthetic opioids (N-pyrrolidino isotonitazene and N-desethyl etonitazene), are linked to serious overdose risks, while MDMB-FUBINACA, a synthetic cannabinoid, is associated with severe adverse health effects.
The Commission adopted five resolutions aimed at strengthening international cooperation and promoting balanced, evidence-based approaches to drug policy.
The Commission adopted a resolution to reinforce the implementation of Article 13 of the 1988 Convention, which calls upon Member States to enhance regulatory and criminal justice efforts and to strengthen cooperation with the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) and relevant partners in preventing the diversion of equipment and related materials used for illicit drug production and manufacture, while ensuring their access and availability for medical and scientific purposes.
To combat the criminal exploitation of licit supply chains, the Commission adopted a resolution calling for stronger supply chain integrity measures — from “know your customer” practices to enhanced customs cooperation and real-time information sharing — to prevent traffickers from misusing licit supply chains for synthetic drug production and trafficking.
The Commission also adopted, through a resolution, an Appendix to complement the UN Guiding Principles on Alternative Development, promoting climate-sensitive, gender-responsive and community-driven strategies for sustainable transition away from illicit drug economies.
To stay ahead of evolving synthetic drug threats, the Commission adopted a resolution to improve early warning mechanisms, emphasizing the importance of data collection, enhanced monitoring, risk assessment and real-time information sharing in enabling faster public health and law enforcement responses to new psychoactive substances and precursors, including pre-precursors and designer precursors.
Finally, the Commission adopted a resolution that promotes integrated and coherent systems of scientific evidence-based drug-related public health responses — from prevention and treatment to recovery and improved access to and availability of controlled medicines — grounded in human rights, gender-responsiveness and coordinated cross-sector action.
Together, these outcomes reflect the Commission’s ongoing dedication to protecting health, developing a coordinated response to the synthetic drugs threat, and promoting viable licit economic alternatives to the illicit cultivation of drug crops and other drug-related activities.
The CND is the policymaking body of the United Nations, with primary responsibility for drug control and other drug-related matters. It is responsible for monitoring the world drug situation, developing evidence-based drug control strategies and recommending measures to address the world drug problem.
