The Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) was established by Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) resolution 9(I) in 1946, to assist the ECOSOC in supervising the application of the international drug control treaties. In 1991, the General Assembly (GA) expanded the mandate of the CND to function as the governing body of UNODC (A/RES/46/104). The CND's agenda has two distinct segments: a normative segment for discharging treaty-based and normative functions; and an operational segment for exercising the role as the governing body of UNODC.
The CND meets annually and adopts a range of decisions and resolutions. Intersessional meetings are convened throughout the year. Towards the end of each year, the Commission meets at a reconvened session to consider budgetary and administrative matters as the governing body of the United Nations drug programme.
In 2019, the Commission adopted the Ministerial Declaration on Strengthening actions at the national, regional and international levels to accelerate the implementation of joint commitments made to jointly address and counter the world drug problem. In the Declaration, Member States decided to review the progress made in implementing the policy commitments in 2029, with a mid-term review in 2024. The Commission actively works on the follow-up to the 2019 Ministerial Declaration, to accelerate the implementation of all international drug policy commitments.
The CND reviews and analyzes the global drug situation, considering supply and demand reduction. It takes action through resolutions and decisions.
The CND has 53 member states that are elected by ECOSOC. It is chaired by a Bureau including one member per Regional Group.
The CND adopted the 2019 Ministerial Declaration to accelerate the implementation of joint commitments to address and counter the world drug problem.
The CND is mandated to decide on the scope of control of substances under the three international drug control conventions (1961, 1971 and 1988 Conventions).
The CND has five subsidiary bodies: the Heads of National Drug Law Enforcement Agencies in Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, Asia and the Pacific and Africa, and the Subcommission in the Near and Middle East.
The CND Secretariat issues publications relating to the international drug control conventions, as well as brochures on recent issues and e-learning tools.
As functional commissions of the Economic and Social Council, the CND contributes to the work of the ECOSOC and the General Assembly of the United Nations.
The Commission actively contributes to the implementation of the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda, as sustainable development and the mandates of the Commission are interrelated and mutually reinforcing.
