DUSHANBE, 15.03.2017. /NIAT «Khovar»/. On 13 March 2017, the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation opened an information stand in the central lobby of the United Nations Office in Vienna for delegations and guests at the 60th Session of the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND).

Taking part in the opening ceremony were UN Under-Secretary-General, UNODC Executive Director Yury Fedotov and SCO Secretary-General Rashid Alimov. Yury Fedotov spent some time at the stand and praised the fact that the SCO and the United Nations Office on Drug and Crime have stepped up their cooperation.

The SCO’s information stand highlights the organisation’s role in promoting cooperation and efforts by its member states in fighting illegal drug trafficking. It features banners that show detailed charts and tables to highlight the SCO’s achievements in fighting the scourge of drugs, the core principles of the three-level mechanism for maintaining regular contact on fighting drugs, and the state and prospects of international cooperation in an area which the SCO views as a priority.

People who visited the SCO stand were especially interested in The Statement of Member States of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization to the Special Session of the General Assembly on the World Drug Problem that was circulated in the six official UN languages, as well as booklets prepared for the anniversary CND session with detailed information on cooperation within the SCO on fighting drug trafficking.

Taking part in the 60th Session of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs are delegations from UN member states, representatives of international and regional organisations, NGOs and the academic community.

The UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs was established by Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) on 16 February 1946, to assist the ECOSOC in supervising the United Nations Drug Control Programme (UNDCP) which is part of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). The CND comprises representatives of 53 countries from six regional groups based on approved quotas. The Commission holds annual sessions. The 60th CND Session will feature 91 side events and 26 thematic exhibits. The SCO delegation will hold its first high-level event at the session in cooperation with the UN.