Welcome to the United Nations
Contribution by the Chair of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs To the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development 2022 Theme:
“Building back better from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) while advancing the full implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development”
I. Introduction
This contribution is submitted by H.E. Mr. Ghislain D'HOOP (Belgium), the Chair of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) at its sixty-fifth session, in response to a letter from the President of the Economic and Social Council of 23 November 2021, inviting the Commission to provide an input to the 2022 High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF). The 2022 HLPF will be held under the auspices of ECOSOC at the UN headquarters in New York from 5 to 15 July 2022, focused on the theme “Building back better from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) while advancing the full implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development”. The present input aims to highlight the guidance and key measures put forth by the CND which contribute from the perspective of the world drug problem to building back better after the COVID-19 pandemic, all while striving to meet the commitments contained in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030.
The Commission on Narcotic Drugs, established to assist the ECOSOC in supervising the application of the international drug control conventions, is the policymaking body of the United Nations with prime responsibility for drug control matters, together with the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice (CCPCJ), acts as the governing body of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). While the CND works on a large portfolio of issues, the ones addressed in this contribution do not reflect the work of the Commission in its entirety but instead focus on the 2022 theme and the selected SDGs, namely SDGs 4 (Quality Education), 5 (Gender Equality), 14 (Life below Water), 15 (Life on Land) and 17 (Partnerships for the Goals).
This contribution covers the period March 2021-February 20221 and will, therefore, mainly focus on the action taken during the sixty-fourth session of the Commission, chaired by H.E. Ambassador Dominika KROIS (Poland). The main 64th session was held from 12 to 16 April 2021 in a hybrid format due to restrictions forced by the COVID-19 pandemic, combining an in-person component in the Vienna International Centre with a large online presence. The session was attended by 1,400 participants representing 132 Member States, 7 United Nations Bodies and Agencies, 17 intergovernmental organizations and 76 non-governmental organizations. At the margins of the 64th session, 111 side events were organized, co-sponsored by Member States, United Nations entities, international and regional organizations and civil society - covering all aspects of the world drug problem. More information for the 64th session is available at: https://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/commissions/CND/session/64_Session_2021/session-64-of-the-commission-on-narcotic-drugs.html.
During its 64th session, the Commission also held intersessional thematic discussions from 19 till 21 October 2021 on the full implementation of all international drug policy commitments contained in the 2009 Political Declaration and Plan of Action, the 2014 Joint Ministerial Statement and the 2016 UNGASS outcome document, as reiterated in the 2019 Ministerial Declaration on “Strengthening Our Actions at the National, Regional and International Levels to Accelerate the Implementation of Our Joint Commitments to Address and Counter the World Drug Problem”. The 2021 Thematic Discussions focused on three specific challenges identified in the 2019 Ministerial Declaration, namely (i) the increasing links between drug trafficking, corruption and other forms of organized crime; (ii) the low value of confiscated proceeds of crime related to money-laundering arising from drug trafficking at the global level; and (iii) the increased criminal misuse of information and communications technologies for illicit drug-related activities. The event gathered nearly 600 participants worldwide, and all three topics included a strong focus on the impacts of COVID-19 and specific proposals to build back better. More information is available at: https://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/commissions/CND/session/64_Session_2021/thematic-sessions.html
As per usual practice and following the mandates from ECOSOC, the Commission also held from 20 to 24 September 2021 the meetings of the Heads of National Drug Law Enforcement Agencies (HONLEAS) in Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, Asia and the Pacific, and Africa, as well as the meeting of the Subcommission on Illicit Drug Traffic and Related Matters in the Near and Middle East. These meetings identify salient policy and enforcement issues in their regions, establish working groups to analyse the issues, and then bring their reports and recommendations to the attention of the Commission. To adjust to the restrictions derived from the pandemic, the 2021 editions were held in a scaled-down, virtual format, and also included a strong COVID-19 and “building back better”- perspective. More information on the 2021 Extraordinary Sessions of the CND subsidiary bodies can be accessed via: https://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/commissions/CND/Subsidiary_Bodies/extraordinary-sessions-of-the-subsidiary-bodies-of-the-commission-on-narcotic-drugs_2021.html.
The regular sixty-fifth session of the Commission will be held from 14 till 18 March 2022 and more information is posted on the following website: https://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/commissions/CND/session/65_Session_2022/65CND_Main.html .
During its 65th session, the Commission will devote special attention to the issue of availability and access to controlled substances for medical and scientific purposes. There is immense value in stepping up the Commission’s efforts in addressing this issue, as ensuring the availability and access to controlled substances for medical and scientific purposes is a commitment enshrined in the three international drug control conventions. Notwithstanding the universally recognized medical indispensability of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances, millions of people continue to suffer due to limited access to controlled medicines, thereby making this a major global health problem. A unified global effort in this area is especially critical today, in light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, which has exacerbated interruptions of the controlled medicines supply chain in several parts of the world. To highlight the importance of this issue, the CND will organize a series of events throughout the course of the year 2022, beginning with a high-level kick-off event on the first day of the 65th regular session. The series of events is envisaged to culminate in a one-day Special Forum tentatively in October, which will dedicate a day to raising awareness on the issue and the need for sustainable funding in this area.
