INTERNATIONAL NARCOTICS CONTROL BOARD (Syllabus: GS Paper 3 – Internal security)

Context: India’s Jagjit Pavadia was re-elected for a third term for five years from March 2025-2030 to the International Narcotics Control Board.

International Narcotics Control Board

• About: It was established in 1968 to monitor the implementation of UN international drug control conventions.
• Historical Background: Created by merging the Permanent Central Narcotics Board and the Drug Supervisory Body, the INCB traces its roots back to the 1925 International Opium Convention and the 1931 Convention for Limiting the Manufacture and Regulating the Distribution of Narcotic Drugs.
• Membership Structure: Comprising 13 members elected by the Economic and Social Council, the INCB members serve in their personal capacity, not as government representatives.
• Three members with medical, pharmacological, or pharmaceutical expertise are nominated by the World Health Organization, while the remaining ten members are nominated by governments.
• Functions

oThe INCB collaborates with governments to ensure adequate drug supplies for medical and scientific purposes, while preventing the diversion of drugs from licit sources to illicit channels.

oAdditionally, it monitors governments' control over chemicals used in illicit drug manufacture and aids in preventing their diversion into illicit trafficking.