Switzerland reappointed to UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs

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The Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) was established by the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) in 1946. It is the UN’s central body for international drugs policy. It formulates recommendations for UN member states, manages programmes run by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and makes decisions on monitoring and classifying narcotics, psychotropic substances and precursor chemicals used to make to drugs.

Switzerland has been appointed to the CND a number of times (1961–1975, 1988–1995, 1997–2001 and 2004–2011) and has always contributed actively to the commission's work and discussions. It will continue to advocate for a drugs policy that is based on health and human rights and for the implementation of the recommendations set out by the United Nations General Assembly Special Session (UNGASS) in April 2016 and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. For international drugs policy, Switzerland's four-pillared approach to drugs – which is based on prevention, therapy, harm reduction and law enforcement – is a model solution.

CND members are elected from among the 54 members of ECOSOC. For this election, the Western European and Others Group (WEOG) was allocated five seats for six nominees. Elected alongside Switzerland (44 votes) were Belgium (50 votes), Australia and Canada (both 48 votes) and France (43 votes). With 33 votes, the United Kingdom was not appointed to the CND. Switzerland’s reappointment to the commission strengthens its presence in a key international body and allows it to take part in actively shaping the development of global drugs policy.