Üsküdar University Vice Rector Prof. Sevil Atasoy was re-appointed as the Board President with the votes of the board members in the elections held during the 146th session of the United Nations International Narcotics Control Board INCB.
Prof. Atasoy expressed gratitude to member states and other partners due to the continuous cooperation that is vital for strengthening the implementation of drug control conventions and protecting public health and welfare.
Üsküdar University Vice Rector Prof. Sevil Atasoy was re-elected as the President of the United Nations (UN) International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) for the 3rd time.
In the elections held during the 146th session of INCB, which took place in Vienna, the capital of Austria, Prof. Sevil Atasoy was re-appointed as President with the votes of the board members.
The 146th session of INCB began on June 22 with a meeting of the Standing Committee on Estimates, where estimated needs for controlled substances used by governments for medical, scientific, and industrial purposes were assessed. The estimation and assessment system is critically important in ensuring the availability of internationally controlled narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances, and precursor chemicals for medical, scientific, and industrial purposes.
In the elections held on June 23 within the scope of the session, Prof. Atasoy was re-elected as President, and a new Bureau was also formed for a one-year term.
In the new Bureau, in addition to Prof. Sevil Atasoy, Zukiswa Zingela, Member of the Standing Committee on Precursors, will serve as First Vice-President; David T. Johnson, Chair of the Standing Committee on Estimates, Chair of the Finance and Administration Committee, and Member of the Standing Committee on Precursors, will serve as Second Vice-President; and Pierre Lapaque, Member of the Standing Committee on Estimates, Member of the Standing Committee on Precursors, Member of the Standing Committee on GRIDS and Related Programmes, and Member of the Finance and Administration Committee, will serve as Rapporteur.
Furthermore, the Board elected Emmanuel B. K. Luyirika as Vice-Chair of the Standing Committee on Estimates; Jagjit Pavadia as Chair of the Standing Committee on Precursors, Member of the Standing Committee on Estimates, and Member of the Standing Committee on GRIDS and Related Programmes; Cornelis P. de Joncheere as Chair of the Standing Committee on GRIDS and Related Programmes and Member of the Finance and Administration Committee; Lin Lu as Member of the Standing Committee on Precursors, Member of the Standing Committee on GRIDS and Related Programmes, and Member of the Finance and Administration Committee; César T. Arce Rivas as Member of the Standing Committee on Estimates; Sawitri Assanangkornchai as Member of the Standing Committee on Estimates and Member of the Standing Committee on GRIDS and Related Programmes; and N. Larissa Razanadimby as Member of the Standing Committee on Estimates.
Prof. Sevil Atasoy, commenting after her re-election as president, thanked the board members for their trust and support. Prof. Atasoy expressed her gratitude to the member states and other partners for their continuous cooperation, which is vital for strengthening the implementation of drug control conventions and protecting public health and welfare.
The United Nations International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) is an independent and quasi-judicial body responsible for monitoring and promoting Governments' compliance with the three international drug control conventions.
The Board carries out its work under the 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, the 1971 Convention on Psychotropic Substances, and the 1988 United Nations Convention against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances.
The 13 members of the INCB, established under the 1961 Single Convention, are elected by the United Nations Economic and Social Council in their personal capacity for five-year terms.
