Director General/Executive Director
Distinguished participants,
I am happy to welcome you to this side event showcasing the continuing efforts to increase access to controlled drugs for medical purposes.
My thanks to Australia, the co-sponsor of this event.
And a warm welcome to the panelists, including representatives from WHO and the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC).
And my thanks to the speakers from Italy, India and Panama, who are sharing with us the experience they have gained in implementing recent legislation and policies to increase access to controlled drugs, specifically for the relief of pain related to health conditions such as cancer.
Ensuring access to controlled medicines for medical use, while preventing their diversion for illicit purposes, is a fundamental objective of the international drug conventions.
The reason that opioids are controlled under the international drug control conventions in the first place is the harm associated with misuse and abuse.
But it should not be forgotten that the conventions seek to achieve a balance between preventing diversion and abuse on the one hand, and ensuring availability for medical purposes on the other. Both aspects share a common concern - namely, the protection and promotion of health and public safety.
I am therefore happy to see the increased interest and dialogue on these issues, and the renewed focus on meeting the medical and health needs of patients.
UNODC is supporting these efforts through the Joint Global Program, which coordinates the work of UNODC, WHO and UICC to increase access to controlled drugs for medical purposes, and provide technical assistance and guidance to Member States.
This follows the Discussion Paper prepared by UNODC for the 54th session of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs; the INCB's 2010 Annual Report, and its Supplement on "Availability of internationally controlled drugs: ensuring adequate access for medical and scientific purposes"; and the WHO's revised policy guidelines on "Ensuring balance in national policies on controlled substances: guidance for availability and accessibility of controlled medicines".
I welcome the work done thus far under the Joint Global Program and as part of the UNODC global programme on this subject, including a revision of parts of the Model Law related to the availability and accessibility of controlled drugs for medical purposes, and the initiation of a pilot effort in Ghana.
I am confident that together we can help to ensure that people around the world are able to receive appropriate treatment for conditions requiring the use of controlled medications.
Thank you.