Director General/Executive Director
Delivered on behalf of the UNODC Executive Director by Director, Division for Treaty Affairs
Excellencies,
Ladies and gentlemen,
On behalf of UNODC Executive Director Yury Fedotov, I am pleased to welcome you to this intersessional meeting of the Committee on Narcotic Drugs.
In the Ministerial Declaration adopted in March, Member States pledged to accelerate implementation of joint commitments to address and counter the world drug problem.
I am very pleased to see that the Commission went straight to work.
Already in June you agreed a multi-year workplan with a concrete timeline to address challenges identified in the Declaration.
This action and dedication are very encouraging as the international community works towards the 2024 mid-term review.
Your focus at this intersessional is very timely, with discussions addressing the rise in drug production and trafficking; the expansion and diversification of drug markets; and the specific risks of synthetic opioids and misused prescription drugs, is particularly timely.
World drug challenges remain formidable, whether we are talking about opium production and cocaine manufacture; new psychoactive substances; synthetic opioids or methamphetamine trafficking.
More people and more communities are suffering from the consequences of drug use.
By reaffirming commitment in March to balanced, health- and rights-based action anchored in the international drug control conventions, your countries stood up together for people in need.
As the leading provider of legislative and technical assistance to implement the drug conventions, UNODC is here to support you.
UNODC also serves as guardian of conventions against organized crime and corruption, and we promote UN standards on crime prevention and criminal justice. We are thus able to offer integrated, comprehensive support to address the broad range of drug challenges.
UNODC is helping set international prevention and treatment standards, to strengthen evidence- and rights-based services and to broaden access.
We are advancing public health and criminal justice responses to drugs; giving farmers economically viable alternatives to illicit drug crop cultivation; fostering cross-border cooperation against illicit drug and precursor trafficking; and shielding global supply chains and virtual networks from exploitation by criminals.
UNODC's work through its global programmes and network of field offices around the world is backed by our research.
We place at the disposal of Member States our data analysis capacities and state-of-the-art Lab with its broad offer of scientific and forensic services, resources and toolkits.
UNODC is proud to support the international community in building up effective responses to fast-evolving challenges.
Excellencies,
Ladies and gentlemen,
By adopting the Ministerial Declaration, your countries committed "to safeguarding our future and ensuring that no one affected by the world drug problem is left behind."
The world has now embarked on a decade of action to deliver on the Sustainable Development Goals. The UN seeks to mark its seventy-fifth anniversary in 2020 by renewing our collective commitment to multilateralism.
The CND stands as an example of what we can achieve by working together. I hope you will take advantage of this meeting to further advance cooperation to address shared drug challenges, and better serve the people who need us.
I wish you fruitful discussions. Thank you.