Addressing and Countering the World Drug Problem Through a Comprehensive, Integrated and Balanced Approach

A/RES/79/191View PDF

Who adopted this document and its mandates?

A Resolution of the General Assembly, under agenda item 109 International drug control, published in 2024.

What other versions does this mandate have?

2 versions · 2023–2024

Year	Symbol	Title	Word length	Text similarity
2024	A/RES/79/191	Addressing and countering the world drug problem through a comprehensive, integrated and balanced approach	8,609	60%Compare
2023	A/RES/77/238	Addressing and countering the world drug problem through a comprehensive, integrated and balanced approach	7,339	–

Who cites this mandate in the budget?

1 entity

Entity	(Sub-)Programme	Title	Total mandates cited	Expenditure
	Programme 13	International drug control, crime and terrorism prevention and criminal justice	377

Historical expenditure covers the complete programme or subprogramme, not this mandate. For an overview of all UN entities and programmes, see UN entities and programmes.

Who cites this mandate in the budget?

1 entity

Entity	(Sub-)Programme	Title	Total mandates cited	Expenditure
	Programme 13	International drug control, crime and terrorism prevention and criminal justice	377	—

Historical expenditure covers the complete programme or subprogramme, not this mandate. For an overview of all UN entities and programmes, see UN entities and programmes.

Which reports were submitted under this mandate?

2 reports · 2024–2026

Year	Symbol	Title		Mandate resolution
2026	A/81/138	Addressing and countering the world drug problem report of the Secretary-General		A/RES/79/191
2024	A/79/120	Addressing and countering the world drug problem through a comprehensive, integrated and balanced approach report of the Secretary-General		A/RES/77/238

What subjects does this mandate have?

5 subjects

Drug Control Drug Policy Drug Traffic International Cooperation Narcotic Drugs

What’s in this document?

60 operative paragraphs

Reaffirms the determination of Member States to address and counter the world drug problem, while also recognizing the need to address its key causes and consequences, including those in the law enforcement, health, justice, social, public security, human rights and economic fields, in line with the principle of common and shared responsibility, further reaffirms the determination of Member States to address public health, safety and social problems resulting from drug abuse, and recognizes the value of comprehensive and balanced policy interventions, including those in the field of the promotion of sustainable and viable livelihoods;

Reaffirms its commitment to respecting, protecting and promoting all human rights, fundamental freedoms and the inherent dignity of all individuals and the rule of law in the development and implementation of drug policies;

Reiterates its commitment to promoting the health, welfare and well-being of all individuals, families, communities and society as a whole and to facilitating healthy lifestyles through effective, comprehensive, scientific evidence-based demand reduction initiatives at all levels, covering, in accordance with national legislation and the three international drug control conventions, prevention, early intervention, treatment, care, recovery, rehabilitation and social reintegration measures, as well as initiatives and measures aimed at minimizing the adverse public health and social consequences of drug abuse;

Calls upon Member States to promote bilateral, regional and international cooperation with and technical assistance to the States most affected by illicit crop cultivation and the illicit production, manufacture, transit, trafficking, distribution and use of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances, including synthetic drugs, in developing and implementing comprehensive and integrated policies, including through intelligence-sharing and cross-border cooperation, and by reinforcing national programmes aimed at education, prevention, early intervention, treatment, care, rehabilitation and social reintegration;

Welcomes the ongoing efforts to strengthen cooperation in addressing and countering the world drug problem and to ensure that regional and subregional organizations and transregional initiatives consistently undertake comprehensive, balanced and scientific evidence-based strategies and policies;

Calls upon Member States to engage in effective cooperation and practical action, including North-South, South-South and triangular cooperation, in cooperation with the international development community and other key stakeholders, aimed at addressing and countering the world drug problem on the basis of the principle of common and shared responsibility;

Also calls upon Member States to strengthen regional, subregional and international cooperation in criminal matters, as appropriate, including judicial cooperation in the areas of, inter alia, extradition, mutual legal assistance and transfer of proceedings, in accordance with the three international drug control conventions and other international legal instruments and national legislation, and to strive to provide appropriate resources to national competent authorities, including through the provision of targeted technical assistance to requesting countries;

Encourages Member States to promote prevention, as part of a comprehensive and balanced strategy for drug demand reduction and treatment of drug use disorders, using scientific evidence-based practices that reflect respect for human rights and dignity, including the right to enjoy the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health and well-being, including mental health and psychosocial support services, promoting non-stigmatizing attitudes in the development and implementation of scientific evidence-based policies, and in this regard takes note of the second updated edition of the International Standards on Drug Use Prevention and the International Standards for the Treatment of Drug Use Disorders, developed by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime in collaboration with the World Health Organization;

Recognizes drug dependence as a complex, multifactorial health disorder characterized by a chronic and relapsing nature, with social causes and consequences, that can be prevented and treated through, inter alia, effective scientific evidence-based drug treatment, care and rehabilitation programmes, including community-based programmes, and also recognizes the need to strengthen capacity for aftercare and the rehabilitation, recovery and social reintegration of individuals with substance use disorders, including through mental health and psychosocial support services and, as appropriate, through assistance for effective reintegration into the labour market and other support services;

Encourages Member States to develop quality assurance mechanisms for drug prevention, treatment, including for comorbidities, sustained recovery and related support services that reduce the adverse health and social consequences of drug abuse with a view to ensuring continuous improvement, through, inter alia, effective supervision of drug treatment and rehabilitation facilities by competent domestic authorities, including to prevent any possible acts of cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, in accordance with national legislation and applicable international law;

Calls upon Member States to promote and implement scientific evidence-based approaches to prevention, treatment, care and recovery, as well as other public health interventions to address the harm associated with illicit drug use as part of comprehensive, systematic and sustainable demand reduction initiatives;

Encourages Member States to promote the inclusion in national drug policies, in accordance with national legislation and as appropriate, of elements for the prevention and treatment of drug overdose, in particular opioid overdose, including the use of opioid receptor antagonists, such as naloxone, to reduce drug-related mortality;

Urges Member States to increase the availability, coverage and quality of scientific evidence-based prevention measures and tools, especially life skills programmes with demonstrated effectiveness, that target relevant age and risk groups in multiple settings, including in educational institutions, in both the public and private sectors, reaching youth in school as well as out of school, among others, including by providing children and youth with evidence-based information on drug abuse and its harmful effects and consequences as well as through drug use prevention programmes and public awareness-raising campaigns, including by using the Internet, social media and other online platforms, to develop and implement prevention curricula and early intervention programmes for use in the education system at all levels, as well as in vocational training, including in the workplace, and to enhance the capacity of teachers and other relevant professionals, as well as that of parents and guardians, to provide or recommend counselling, prevention and healthcare services, and opportunities to choose healthy lifestyles, and to promote safe and drug-free environments;

Invites Member States to consider enhancing cooperation among public health, education and law enforcement authorities when developing and implementing scientific evidence-based drug use prevention initiatives;

Acknowledges the important advances made in prevention science, establishing prevention as one of the main components of comprehensive, scientific evidence-based demand-reduction initiatives to address the non-medical and non-scientific use of controlled drugs, and also acknowledges that effective early prevention strategies and measures focused on addressing, inter alia, adverse childhood experiences as well as individual and environmental, including social, risk and protective, factors, contribute significantly to the positive engagement of children, youth and adults with their families and in educational settings, workplaces and communities;

Reiterates the strong commitment of Member States to improve access to controlled substances for medical and scientific purposes by appropriately addressing existing barriers in this regard, while concurrently preventing the diversion and abuse of and trafficking in such substances, and to strengthen, as appropriate, the proper functioning of national drug control systems and domestic assessment mechanisms and programmes, with a view to promoting the safety, health and welfare of humankind, in cooperation with the International Narcotics Control Board, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, the World Health Organization and other relevant United Nations system agencies, to identify, analyse and remove impediments to the access to and availability of controlled substances for medical and scientific purposes, including for the relief of pain and suffering, and address existing barriers in this regard, including affordability, within appropriate control mechanisms, as required by the three international drug control conventions and, for that purpose, to consider the provision of technical and financial assistance, upon request, to developing countries;

Urges Member States to enact comprehensive measures aimed at stemming the abuse, diversion and misuse of prescription drugs, in particular through the establishment of awareness-raising initiatives targeting the general public and healthcare providers, and in this regard encourages Member States to establish and strengthen partnerships and information exchange with industries, in particular with chemical and pharmaceutical industries and other relevant private sector entities, bearing in mind the important role that these industries can play in addressing and countering the world drug problem;

Also urges Member States to develop and carry out comprehensive, balanced, scientific evidence-based and forward-looking strategies at all applicable levels to effectively address and counter challenges posed by the illicit manufacture of and trafficking in synthetic drugs, as well as their distribution, consumption and use for non-medical and non-scientific purposes, including interventions related to prevention, treatment and recovery support, measures aimed at minimizing the adverse public health and social consequences of synthetic drug use, particularly overdose, including by raising awareness of and improving access to the prevention and treatment of drug overdose, as well as preventing and countering drug-related crime and violence and the trafficking and diversion of synthetic drugs, their precursor chemicals, including non-scheduled and designer precursor chemicals, and equipment used in the illicit manufacture of synthetic drugs;

Calls upon Member States to strengthen national and international action to address the emerging challenge of new psychoactive substances, including their adverse health consequences, and the evolving threat of amphetamine-type stimulants, including methamphetamine, underscores the importance of building the capacity of law enforcement agencies to detect and identify these substances, enhancing information-sharing, cross-border cooperation and early warning networks to prevent their abuse and diversion, developing appropriate national legislative, prevention and treatment models and supporting scientific evidence-based review and scheduling of the most prevalent, persistent and harmful substances, and notes the importance of preventing the diversion and the misuse of pharmaceuticals containing narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances and precursors, while ensuring their access and availability for medical and scientific purposes, including for the relief of pain and suffering, and addressing existing barriers in this regard, including affordability;

Urges Member States to reduce the adverse health and social consequences of the world drug problem through a comprehensive approach, including by utilizing existing United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime technical assistance tools, and ensuring that scientific evidence-based treatment is available;

Urges Member States and other donors to continue to provide bilateral and other funding for the world drug problem response, including in particular the HIV/AIDS response, including to the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, and to strive to ensure that such funding contributes to addressing the growing HIV/AIDS epidemic among people who inject drugs, and HIV/AIDS in prison settings, in the spirit of the pledge made in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development to leave no one behind;

Invites relevant national authorities to consider, in accordance with their domestic law and the three international drug control conventions, including in national prevention, treatment, care, recovery, rehabilitation and social reintegration measures and programmes, in the context of comprehensive and balanced drug demand reduction efforts, effective scientific evidence-based measures aimed at minimizing the adverse public health and social consequences of drug abuse, including appropriate medication-assisted therapy programmes, injecting equipment programmes as well as antiretroviral therapy and other relevant interventions that prevent the transmission of HIV, viral hepatitis and other blood-borne diseases associated with drug use, and to consider ensuring access to such interventions, including in treatment and outreach services, prisons and other custodial settings, and promoting in that regard the use, as appropriate, of the technical guide for countries to set targets for universal access to HIV prevention, treatment and care for people who inject drugs, issued by the World Health Organization, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS;

Encourages Member States to consider alternative, non-custodial measures for persons accused of minor, non-violent drug-related offences, to promote, consistent with the three international drug control conventions and domestic law, and in accordance with national, constitutional, legal and administrative systems, alternative or additional measures with regard to conviction or punishment in cases of an appropriate nature, and to ensure that law enforcement drug control efforts are both consistent with States’ commitments to effectively addressing and countering the world drug problem as well as their human rights obligations;

Calls upon Member States to promote and implement effective criminal justice responses to drug-related crimes to bring perpetrators to justice that ensure legal guarantees and due process safeguards pertaining to criminal justice proceedings, including practical measures to uphold the prohibition of arbitrary arrest and detention and of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment and to eliminate impunity, in accordance with relevant and applicable international law and taking into account United Nations standards and norms on crime prevention and criminal justice, and ensure timely access to legal aid and the right to a fair trial;

Encourages Member States to promote proportionate national sentencing policies, practices and guidelines for drug-related offences, whereby the severity of penalties is proportionate to the gravity of offences and both mitigating and aggravating factors are taken into account, including the circumstances enumerated in article 3 of the United Nations Convention against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances of 1988 and other relevant and applicable international law, and in accordance with national legislation;

Reiterates its commitment to protect the safety and assure the security of individuals, societies and communities by intensifying efforts to prevent and counter the illicit cultivation, production and manufacture of and trafficking in narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances, as well as drug-related crime and violence, through, inter alia, more effective drug-related crime prevention and law enforcement measures, as well as by addressing links with other forms of organized crime, including firearms trafficking, money-laundering, corruption and other criminal activities, mindful of their social and economic causes and consequences, including environmental consequences;

Calls for strengthening common efforts of Member States to promote the use of new technologies and means to counter illicit trafficking of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances and their precursor chemicals, including through the darknet and the surface web and social networks, as well as to prevent the use of electronic payment systems and virtual assets, including those provided by virtual asset service providers, and non-cash assets, for these purposes, through continued development and implementation of measures aimed at mitigating risks associated with these assets and preventing their misuse and abuse for illicit drug-related purposes;

Calls upon Member States to enhance national, regional, subregional, interregional and international capacity, and utilize existing and relevant regional and, as appropriate, subregional and international networks for the exchange of operational information to respond to the serious challenges posed by the increasing links between drug trafficking, corruption and other forms of organized crime, including trafficking in persons, illicit trafficking in firearms, cybercrime and money-laundering, and, in some cases, terrorism, including money-laundering in connection with the financing of terrorism, by using an integrated and multidisciplinary approach, such as through promoting and supporting reliable data collection, research and, as appropriate, intelligence- and analysis-sharing to ensure effective policymaking and interventions, by using, inter alia, existing United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) technical assistance tools;

Also calls upon Member States to promote and strengthen the exchange of information and, as appropriate, drug-related criminal intelligence among law enforcement and border control agencies, including through the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime multilateral portals and regional information centres and networks, and to promote joint investigations and coordinate operations, in conformity with national legislation, and training programmes at all levels, in order to identify, disrupt and dismantle organized criminal groups operating transnationally that are involved in any activities related to the illicit production of and trafficking in narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances and the diversion of their precursors and related money-laundering;

Further calls upon Member States to adopt and strengthen coordinated border management strategies, if needed, to prevent, monitor and counter the illicit production, manufacture and trafficking of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances, including when associated with other forms of transnational organized crime, such as trafficking in firearms, illicit financial flows, smuggling of goods and of bulk cash, and money-laundering, and also calls upon Member States to provide technical assistance, upon request, including where appropriate the provision of equipment and technology, along with necessary training and maintenance support, to increase the capacity of border and law enforcement agencies, in particular for developing countries;

Encourages Member States to enhance national, regional, subregional, interregional and international capacity, and utilize existing and relevant regional and, as appropriate, subregional and international networks for the exchange of operational information to prevent and counter money-laundering and illicit financial flows stemming from drug trafficking and related crimes, including terrorist financing, and, as appropriate, through the detection, investigation and prosecution of such activities, with the view to effectively addressing safe havens, and to identify and mitigate money-laundering linked to new technologies, as well as emerging money-laundering methods and techniques, by using, inter alia, existing United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime technical assistance tools;

Recognizes that transit States continue to face multifaceted challenges, and reaffirms the continuing need for cooperation and support, including the provision of technical assistance, to, inter alia, enhance their capacities to effectively address and counter the world drug problem, in conformity with the 1988 Convention;

Reiterates its commitment to strengthen specialized, targeted, effective and sustainable technical assistance, including, where appropriate, adequate financial assistance, training, capacity-building, equipment and technological know-how, to requesting countries, including transit countries, through and in cooperation with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, as well as the World Health Organization and other relevant United Nations entities and international and regional organizations, within their respective mandates, so as to help Member States to effectively address the health, socioeconomic, human rights, justice and law enforcement aspects of the world drug problem;

Encourages Member States to ensure that measures to prevent the illicit cultivation of and to eradicate plants containing narcotic and psychotropic substances respect fundamental human rights, take due account of traditional licit uses, where there is historical evidence of such use, and of the protection of the environment, in accordance with the three international drug control conventions, and also take into account, as appropriate and in accordance with domestic law, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples;

Also encourages Member States to improve the assessment of the impact of demand and supply reduction strategies, including the impact of alternative development programmes and preventive alternative development programmes, as appropriate, with a view to increasing the effectiveness of such programmes, including through the use of relevant human development indicators, criteria related to environmental sustainability and other measurements in line with the Sustainable Development Goals, and further encourages Member States to examine and address the harmful impacts of illicit drug-related activities on the environment, which lead to illegal deforestation, the pollution of soil and water, and negative consequences on food safety, and to seize the opportunities offered by alternative development with regard to the conservation and sustainable use of the environment and the protection of biodiversity, as well as to develop other policies and strategies to properly address those impacts;

Recognizes the need for strengthening sustainable crop control strategies that may include, inter alia, alternative development, eradication and law enforcement measures, and in this regard encourages Member States to consider development-oriented interventions to address the illicit cultivation of drug crops and other illicit drug-related activities, while ensuring that both men and women benefit equally from them, including through job opportunities, improved infrastructure and basic public services and, as appropriate, access and legal titles to land for farmers and local communities;

Reiterates its commitment to strengthen subregional, regional and international cooperation, in accordance with the principle of common and shared responsibility, to support comprehensive and sustainable alternative development programmes, including, as appropriate, preventive alternative development, in close collaboration with all relevant stakeholders at the local, national and international levels, and to develop and share best practices towards implementing the United Nations Guiding Principles on Alternative Development,²⁴ taking into account all the lessons learned and good practices, in particular by countries with extensive expertise in alternative development, and in this regard recalls its resolution 72/197 of 19 December 2017, as well as Commission on Narcotic Drugs resolution 67/3 of 22 March 2024;²⁵

²⁴Resolution 68/196, annex.

²⁵See Official Records of the Economic and Social Council, 2024, Supplement No. 8 (E/2024/28), chap. I, sect. B.

Urges relevant international financial institutions, United Nations entities, non-governmental organizations and the private sector, as appropriate, to consider increasing their support, including through long-term and flexible funding, for the implementation of comprehensive, balanced and scientific evidence-based development-oriented drug control programmes and viable economic alternatives for the promotion of inclusive economic growth and support for initiatives that contribute to poverty eradication, inter alia, alternative development, including, as appropriate, preventive alternative development programmes, based on identified needs and national priorities, for areas and populations affected by or vulnerable to the illicit cultivation of drug crops, and encourages Member States to develop measures for rural development, improving infrastructure and social inclusion and protection, as well as for addressing the consequences of illicit crop cultivation and the manufacture and production of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances on the environment, with the incorporation and participation of local communities;

Calls upon Member States to ensure the participation of local communities, farmers, women, Indigenous Peoples and persons in vulnerable situations in the design and implementation of alternative development programmes and to secure alternative livelihoods, preferably before removing existing livelihoods earned from the cultivation of illicit crops;

Also calls upon Member States to mainstream a gender perspective into and ensure the full, equal, meaningful and effective participation and leadership of women in all stages of the development, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of drug policies and programmes, including drug prevention, treatment, sustained recovery, reintegration and related support services, to develop and disseminate gender-sensitive and age-appropriate measures that take into account the specific needs and circumstances faced by women and girls with regard to the world drug problem, in line with the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action,²⁶ and the outcomes of its review conferences, and, as States parties, implement the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women,²⁷ and bearing in mind the importance of targeted interventions that are based on the collection and analysis of data, including age- and gender-related data, in meeting the specific needs of drug-affected populations and communities;

²⁶Report of the Fourth World Conference on Women, Beijing, 4–15 September 1995 (United Nations publication, Sales No. E.96.IV.13), chap. I, resolution 1, annexes I and II.

²⁷United Nations, Treaty Series, vol. 1249, No. 20378.

Requests the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime to continue to support Member States, upon request, in mainstreaming a gender perspective into their policies and programmes related to the world drug problem, and invites the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN-Women) and other relevant United Nations entities, within their mandates, to cooperate with the Office in this regard;

Encourages the consideration of the specific needs and possible multiple vulnerabilities of women drug offenders when imprisoned, taking into account the United Nations Rules for the Treatment of Women Prisoners and Non-custodial Measures for Women Offenders (the Bangkok Rules);

Calls upon Member States to adapt their drug policies and to consider, when developing comprehensive, balanced and scientific evidence-based policies to address and counter the world drug problem, measures, programmes and actions that respond to the specific needs of members of society in situations of vulnerability;

Encourages Member States to identify and take advantage of opportunities to conduct collaborative research and continuously share the latest scientific research, taking into account the contributions of the national, regional and international scientific community, including academia, on the most effective demand and supply reduction strategies, and to develop improved best practices on interventions to reduce demand for and supply of illicit drugs, in accordance with the three international drug control conventions and drug policy commitments;

Invites Member States to promote and improve the systematic collection of information and gathering of evidence as well as the sharing, at the national and international levels, of reliable and comparable data on drug use and epidemiology, including scientific data on any risks or damage to health and societal consequences that are caused by abusing drugs, including in vaporized form, on the scope and patterns of illicit drug use, and on social, economic and other risk factors, as well as on the links between drug policies and human rights, to promote, as appropriate, through the Commission on Narcotic Drugs and the World Health Assembly, the use of internationally recognized standards, such as the International Standards on Drug Use Prevention, and the exchange of best practices, and to formulate effective drug use prevention strategies and programmes in cooperation with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, the World Health Organization and other relevant United Nations entities;

Also invites Member States to provide the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime with information on best practices and programmes recently implemented, consistent with the three international drug control conventions, in order to assess recent developments and current and future challenges;

Stresses the need for national statistical capacity-building to support Member States in improving the quality and availability of drug statistics and to respond effectively to data-collection requests from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, invites international and regional organizations, as well as civil society, affected communities and academia, to support Member States in this regard, upon their request, invites Member States to regularly report data and information relating to all aspects of the world drug problem to the Office through the annual report questionnaires, and invites the Commission on Narcotic Drugs, as the central policymaking body of the United Nations system on drug-related matters, to strengthen the capacity of the Office to collect, analyse, use and disseminate accurate, reliable, objective and comparable data and to reflect such information in the World Drug Report;

Invites Member States to consider the need to review the set of national drug policy metrics and tools for the collection and analysis of accurate, reliable, disaggregated, comprehensive and comparable data to measure the effectiveness of programmes to address all relevant aspects of the world drug problem, including, as appropriate, as related to the 2030 Agenda;

Encourages Member States to promote data collection, research and the sharing of information, as well as the exchange of best practices on preventing and countering drug-related crime and on drug supply reduction measures and practices, in order to enhance the effectiveness of criminal justice responses, within the framework of applicable law;

Requests the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime to continue to assist Member States, upon request, with data collection, research and, as appropriate, intelligence- and analysis-sharing to disclose the extent of the links between illicit drug trafficking and other transnational criminal activities, in particular firearms trafficking, and to continue its already existing research on these links, subject to the availability of extrabudgetary resources;

Calls upon Member States to intensify efforts to prevent and counter the illicit cultivation, production and manufacture of and trafficking in narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances, as well as drug-related crime and violence, through, inter alia, more effective drug-related crime prevention and law enforcement measures consistent with national legislation and international law, including applicable human rights obligations, as well as by addressing links with other forms of organized crime, including firearms trafficking, money-laundering, corruption and, in some cases, terrorism, as well as other transnational criminal activities, mindful of their social and economic causes and consequences;

Reaffirms the importance of an integrated approach in drug policies, including by strengthening partnerships between the public health, development, human rights, justice and law enforcement fields, as well as the private sector, in particular chemical and pharmaceutical industries, and by facilitating inter-agency cooperation and communication, where appropriate;

Recognizes that civil society, the scientific community, academia, the private sector and affected communities play a significant role in addressing and countering the world drug problem by analysing drugs issues, in delivering services and in evaluating the human rights impact of drug policies, and encourages, where appropriate, the participation of civil society and affected communities in the design, implementation and provision of relevant scientific evidence in support of the evaluation of drug control policies and programmes;

Reaffirms the importance of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and its field offices in building capacity at the local level in addressing and countering the world drug problem, encourages the Office to maintain an effective level of support for national and regional efforts, requests all Member States to provide the fullest possible financial and political support to the Office by widening its donor base, as appropriate, and increasing voluntary contributions, in particular general-purpose contributions, so as to enable it to continue, expand, improve and strengthen, within its mandates, its operational and technical cooperation activities, and requests the Office to continue to collaborate with relevant intergovernmental, international and regional organizations involved in addressing and countering the world drug problem, as appropriate, in order to share best practices and scientific standards and to maximize the benefits from their unique comparative advantage;

Requests the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and the International Narcotics Control Board to continue to strengthen cooperation with the World Health Organization and other competent United Nations entities, within their respective mandates, as part of a comprehensive, integrated, balanced and scientific evidence-based approach to addressing the world drug problem and strengthening health and social welfare measures to do so, including through effective prevention, early intervention, treatment, care, recovery, rehabilitation and social reintegration, in cooperation, as appropriate, with civil society and the scientific community, and to keep the Commission on Narcotic Drugs appropriately updated;

Requests the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, in close cooperation with Member States, the International Narcotics Control Board, and pertinent United Nations entities, intergovernmental and regional organizations and the scientific community and civil society, to continue to support Member States, upon request, in strengthening their capacity to develop their reporting mechanisms, including through technical assistance, by identifying gaps in the current drug statistics and by exploring possibilities to strengthen existing data-collection and analysis tools at the national level; and to provide technical assistance to Governments so as to facilitate the implementation of and enable them to fully meet their obligations under the conventions and give adequate follow-up to subsequent resolutions of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs, the Economic and Social Council and the General Assembly;

Urges Member States to continue to actively cooperate with the International Narcotics Control Board in the exercise of its treaty-mandated role, and reiterates the need to ensure that an appropriate level of resources is made available to the Board;

Encourages all relevant United Nations entities, in close cooperation with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, to support Member States in developing and implementing balanced, comprehensive, integrated, multidisciplinary, scientific evidence-based, development-oriented and sustainable responses to the world drug problem, while respecting human rights, within the framework of the three international drug control conventions;

Welcomes the adoption by the Commission on Narcotic Drugs of the new workplan for the thematic discussions to be held from 2024 to 2028, in preparation for the final review of 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 in 2029, encourages the Commission to continue to work on and support Member States in their implementation and sharing of scientific and evidence-based best practices in addressing and countering the world drug problem, and invites the Commission to continue to examine how its subsidiary bodies can better contribute to the implementation of, inter alia, the outcome document of the thirtieth special session of the General Assembly and all relevant commitments by ensuring that the Commission is informed of regional and domestic concerns, developments and best practices arising from all relevant stakeholders, including contributions from the scientific community, academia and civil society;

Takes note of the report of the Secretary-General,²⁸ and requests that he submit to the General Assembly at its eighty-first session a report on the implementation of the present resolution.

²⁸A/79/120.

Who adopted this document and its mandates?

What other versions does this mandate have?

Who cites this mandate in the budget?

Who cites this mandate in the budget?

Which reports were submitted under this mandate?

What subjects does this mandate have?

What’s in this document?

Table of contents

Who cites this mandate in the budget?