Your Excellency Ambassador Ghislain D’Hoop, chair of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs,
UNODC Executive Director Ghada Fathi Waly,
INCB President Jagjit Pavadia,
Excellencies, dear colleagues and friends,
Good morning, it’s a pleasure to join you.
We meet today at a very challenging time for global health.
The COVID-19 pandemic is still far from over, and a new crisis in Ukraine is threatening safe access to health care for millions of people.
Both crises have disrupted access to essential health services for millions of people, including controlled medicines that many people rely on for a range of medical needs – from epilepsy to pain relief in cancer and much more.
At the same time, half a million deaths every year result from non-medical use and misuse of psychoactive drugs – not only opioids, but also stimulant drugs.
Drug use is also linked to transmission of a range of diseases, such as viral hepatitis, tuberculosis and HIV.
We have highly effective interventions to counter these health harms but, they’re not available widely enough to make a substantial impact.
Preventing and treating the harms related to drug use, while ensuring access to drugs with medical use, are both pressing public health challenges.
Drug control and public health objectives are not necessarily mutually exclusive.
Addressing the world drug problem demands that we all work together to address both of these challenges in a balanced way.
An approach that focuses only on limiting access to potentially harmful substances deprives millions of people of the health care they need.
Services for prevention, treatment, care and harm reduction for people who use drugs are essential components of a public health response to the world drug problem.
These services should be based on evidence, of good quality, and be accessible and affordable, including in emergency situations.
The Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs and the Convention on Psychotropic Substances have provided a unified framework for responding to substance use disorders.
And the Special Session of the United Nations General Assembly on the World Drug Problem in 2016 was a significant step forward towards comprehensive approaches based on public health needs and human rights.
It is very important that the recommendations coming from this UNGASS are taken forward.
WHO is contributing effectively to addressing the world drug problem. Through WHO’s Expert Committee on Drug Dependence, we provide recommendations on the international control of psychoactive drugs to improve the health and well-being.
And for 45 years, WHO’s Essential Medicines List has been the global standard for products that should be available in all countries, based on the best available evidence.
WHO is committed to working with INCB, UNODC and other partners to ensure access to controlled medicines for all people who need them, including in humanitarian emergencies.
And we’re committed to working with all governments and partners to scale up effective public health responses to the harms of drug use, within the context of evidence-based, humane and sustainable global drug policies.
If health is a human right, then so is access to the medicines and services needed to protect health.
I thank you.