Director-General/Executive Director
17 March 2017
Madam Chair,
Distinguished Participants,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
We can all be proud that the diamond session has successfully concluded this evening. I congratulate all of you on a week filled with rewarding discussions, decisions, meetings and numerous side-events.
The 60th Session was also the first meeting of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs, which was attended by the Director-General of the World Health Organization Margaret Chan.
Special thanks to you Madam Chair for your leadership and commitment, congratulations to the vice-chairs, especially the Chair of the COW, UNGASS facilitator, Ambassador Moitinho , and to all delegations, as well as to our partners from civil society and the scientific community.
Thanks to your diligent work, the Commission has provided further guidance on the follow-up to UNGASS, also in light of the 2019 target date of the 2009 Political Declaration and Plan of Action.
You have succeeded in charting a clear course towards 2019 and the 62nd session of the CND.
Allow me to quote from the resolution on this matter:
"The efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals and to effectively address and counter the world drug problem are complementary and mutually reinforcing"
These words are the driving force behind all our work to deliver a balanced and comprehensive approach to the world drug problem.
Together we have made a commitment under the international drug control conventions to the health and welfare of people and communities everywhere-An enduring promise to millions of children, women and men that we must uphold.
Based on your wisdom, the Commission has also placed 12 new substances under control in our ongoing efforts to prevent the manufacture of deadly illicit drugs. The scheduling of two fentanyl precursors and an analogue is just one example of this indispensable work.
Your decisions will help strengthen international cooperation, further promote alternative development, improve coordination on precursors and non-scheduled substances, enhance law enforcement training, prevent drug use among children, and address the health harms of new psychoactive substances.
UNODC remains firmly committed to working with you in partnership with relevant UN agencies, and across our field network to implement your decisions and the UNGASS recommendations globally.
By doing so, we will be contributing to the fulfilment of the 2030 Agenda.
Ambassador Angell-Hansen,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
In so many ways, the diamond session has been extraordinary. It has been a session of records regarding the number of participants and side-events. But more importantly, your meeting has achieved a significant step forward in the follow-up to UNGASS.
The UNGASS outcome document has also given focus, clarity and maturity to our global efforts. I am grateful for the trust and support you have shown in UNODC, and we will do whatever we can to live up to your expectations.
I cannot conclude without saying how grateful I am to my UNODC colleagues: DTA Director, John Brandolino, and the head of the Secretariat to the Governing Bodies, Jo Dedeyne, as well as the many other staff who support the Commission.
Distinguished participants,
My thanks once again for all your efforts and I wish you a safe journey home.