Special Session of the General Assembly on the World Drug Problem to Be Held in 2016

A/RES/70/181View PDF

Who adopted this document and its mandates?

A Resolution of the General Assembly, under agenda item 107 International drug control, published in 2016.

What other versions does this mandate have?

2 versions · 2015–2016

Year	Symbol	Title	Word length	Text similarity
2016	A/RES/70/181	Special session of the General Assembly on the world drug problem to be held in 2016	1,302	20%Compare
2015	A/RES/69/200	Special session of the General Assembly on the world drug problem to be held in 2016	921	–

What subjects does this mandate have?

15 subjects

Children Conferences Consultations Drug Control Drug Policy Drug Traffic Drug Treatment Hiv/Aids Prevention Human Rights International Cooperation Narcotic Drugs Recommendations Technical Cooperation Women Youth

What’s in this document?

27 operative paragraphs

Welcomes Commission on Narcotic Drugs resolution 58/8 of 17 March 2015;³

³Ibid., 2015, Supplement No. 8 (E/2015/28), chap. I, sect. C.

Decides that the special session of the General Assembly on the world drug problem shall be convened for three days, from 19 to 21 April 2016, at United Nations Headquarters in New York, following the fifty-ninth session of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs, scheduled to be held in March 2016;

Also decides that the organizational arrangements for the special session shall be as follows:

The special session shall consist of a general debate and interactive, multi-stakeholder round tables conducted in parallel with the plenary;

The opening of the special session shall include statements by the Secretary-General, the President of the General Assembly, the Chair of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs, the Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, the President of the International Narcotics Control Board and the Director-General of the World Health Organization;

The general debate shall include statements by the regional groups, Member States, observer States and observers, relevant international organizations and representatives of non-governmental organizations;

Representatives of non-governmental organizations in consultative status with the Economic and Social Council are invited to participate in the special session in accordance with the rules of procedure and established practice of the General Assembly;

In accordance with the rules of procedure and practice developed for other special sessions of the General Assembly, the President of the Assembly, in consultation with the Commission on Narcotic Drugs, which will take into consideration inputs from other relevant stakeholders, including civil society, shall draw up a list of representatives of relevant non-governmental organizations, representatives of civil society and the scientific community, academia, youth groups and other relevant stakeholders that may participate in the special session, with due regard to geographical balance;

The Commission on Narcotic Drugs, as the entity leading the preparations for the special session, shall address in an open-ended manner, supported and guided by the President of the General Assembly, the organizational arrangements, including chairing arrangements, speakers and participation, for the following round tables, while considering the Political Declaration and Plan of Action on International Cooperation towards an Integrated and Balanced Strategy to Counter the World Drug Problem,Error: Reference source not found in line with Assembly resolutions 67/193 and 69/201:

Round table 1: Demand reduction and related measures, including prevention and treatment, as well as health-related issues; and ensuring the availability of controlled substances for medical and scientific purposes, while preventing their diversion (“drugs and health”):

Demand reduction and related measures, including prevention and treatment, as well as health-related issues, including HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment and care;

Ensuring the availability of controlled substances for medical and scientific purposes, while preventing their diversion;

Round table 2: Supply reduction and related measures; responses to drug-related crime; and countering money-laundering and promoting judicial cooperation (“drugs and crime”):

Domestic, regional and cross-regional responses to drug-related crime; and countering money-laundering, including, where appropriate, in connection with the financing of terrorism, and promoting judicial cooperation in criminal matters;

Addressing emerging issues, including new psychoactive substances, precursors and the misuse of the Internet;

Round table 3: Cross-cutting issues: drugs and human rights, youth, women, children and communities:

Addressing drug-related issues in full conformity with the purposes and the principles of the Charter of the United Nations, international law and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights⁴ and other relevant international law, including the three drug control conventions;

⁴Resolution 217 A (III).

Drugs and youth, women, children and communities;

Round table 4: Cross-cutting issues: new challenges, threats and realities in preventing and addressing the world drug problem in compliance with relevant international law, including the three drug control conventions; strengthening the principle of common and shared responsibility and international cooperation:

New challenges, threats and realities in preventing and addressing the world drug problem in compliance with relevant international law, including the three drug control conventions;

Strengthening the principle of common and shared responsibility and enhancing international cooperation, including technical assistance, leading up to 2019;

Round table 5: Alternative development; regional, interregional and international cooperation on development-oriented balanced drug control policy; addressing socioeconomic issues:

Drugs, addressing socioeconomic issues and fostering alternative development, including preventive alternative development;

Enhancing regional, interregional and international cooperation on development-oriented, balanced drug control policy;

A summary of the salient points raised during the round tables will be prepared by the Chairs of those round tables, to be presented at the plenary;

Requests the Commission on Narcotic Drugs, as the entity leading the preparations for the special session by addressing all organizational and substantive matters in an open-ended manner, to report to the General Assembly at its special session on the preparations that have been undertaken for the session, through the Chair of the Board tasked by the Commission with the preparations for the special session, which was established by the Commission by its decision 57/2 of 4 December 2014;⁵

⁵See Official Records of the Economic and Social Council, 2014, Supplement No. 8A (E/2014/28/Add.1), chap. I, sect. B.

Also requests the Commission on Narcotic Drugs to produce a short, substantive, concise and action-oriented document comprising a set of operational recommendations, based upon a review of the implementation of the Political Declaration and Plan of Action, including an assessment of the achievements as well as ways to address long-standing and emerging challenges in countering the world drug problem, within the framework of the three international drug control conventions and other relevant United Nations instruments, and decides that the document, to be recommended for adoption at the plenary of the special session, should, inter alia, address measures to reach an effective balance between supply and demand reduction and address the key causes and consequences of the world drug problem, including those in the health, social, human rights, economic, justice and security fields, in line with the principle of common and shared responsibility;

Reiterates the importance of an inclusive preparatory process, including extensive substantive consultations, and encourages organs, entities and specialized agencies of the United Nations system, relevant international and regional organizations, civil society, academia, the scientific community and other relevant stakeholders to continue to fully contribute to the process by actively participating in the preparations by the Commission on Narcotic Drugs, in accordance with the relevant rules of procedure and established practice;

Encourages all Member States, observer States and observers to consider being represented at the special session at the highest possible level;

Also encourages all Member States, observer States and observers to consider the possible participation of youth representatives at the special session;

Reaffirms its decision, taken in resolution 67/193, to conduct the special session and its preparatory process from within existing regular budget resources;

Invites Member States and other donors to provide extrabudgetary resources for the purposes set out in the present resolution, in accordance with the rules and procedures of the United Nations.

Who adopted this document and its mandates?

What other versions does this mandate have?

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