International Narcotics Control Board | The Economic and Social Council

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Context:

India’s Jagjit Pavadia was re-elected for a third term to the International Narcotics Control Board.

Details:

Pavadia was re-elected to the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) by secret ballot for the third term for five years from March 2025 to 2030, getting the highest number of votes in the highly competitive election.
Pavadia has been a member of the International Narcotics Control Board since 2015. She was re-elected by the Council for a five-year term from 2020 to 2025 in May 2019. She had served as President of the Board in 2021-2022.
Pavadia was re-elected to the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) by secret ballot for the third term for five years from March 2025-2030, getting the highest number of votes in the highly competitive election.
India was also elected by acclamation to the Commission on the Status of Women for the term 2025-2029; Executive Board of the United Nations Children's Fund for the term 2025-2027; Executive Board of the United Nations Development Programme and the United Nations Population Fund and the United Nations Office for Project Services for 2025-2027.
India secured 41 votes out of the 53 voting members of the ECOSOC, the highest amongst all winning member states.
India was also elected to the Executive Board of the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women for the 2025-2027 term and the Executive Board of the World Food Programme for the 2025-2027 term.

International Narcotics Control Board:

About

Established in 1968, the INCB is the independent and quasi-judicial monitoring body for the implementation of the United Nations international drug control conventions.

Members

It consists of 13 members who are elected by the Economic and Social Council and who serve in their capacity, not as government representatives.
Three members with medical, pharmacological, or pharmaceutical experience are elected from a list of persons nominated by the World Health Organization (WHO) and 10 members are elected from a list of persons nominated by Governments.

Functions of INCB

INCB endeavors, in cooperation with Governments, to ensure that adequate supplies of drugs are available for medical and scientific uses and that the diversion of drugs from licit sources to illicit channels does not occur.
INCB also monitors Governments' control over chemicals used in the illicit manufacture of drugs and assists them in preventing the diversion of those chemicals into illicit traffic.
The 54-member ECOSOC is one of the six main organs of the United Nations and deals with economic, social, cultural and health matters as well as human rights and fundamental freedoms.

UN Bodies and ECOSOC

The main bodies of the United Nations are the General Assembly, the Security Council, the Economic and Social Council, the Trusteeship Council, the International Court of Justice, and the UN Secretariat. All were established under the UN Charter when the Organization was founded in 1945.

General Assembly

●The General Assembly is the main deliberative, policymaking, and representative organ of the UN. All 193 Member States of the UN are represented in the General Assembly, making it the only UN body with universal representation. Each year, in September, the full UN membership meets in the General Assembly Hall in New York for the annual General Assembly session, and general debate, which many heads of state attend and address. Decisions on important questions, such as those on peace and security, admission of new members, and budgetary matters, require a two-thirds majority of the General Assembly. Decisions on other questions are by a simple majority. The General Assembly, each year, elects a GA President to serve a one-year term of office.

Security Council

●The Security Council has primary responsibility, under the UN Charter, for the maintenance of international peace and security. It has 15 Members (5 permanent and 10 non-permanent members). Each Member has one vote. Under the Charter, all Member States are obligated to comply with Council decisions.

●The Security Council takes the lead in determining the existence of a threat to the peace or act of aggression. It calls upon the parties to a dispute to settle it by peaceful means and recommends methods of adjustment or terms of settlement.

●In some cases, the Security Council can resort to imposing sanctions or even authorizing the use of force to maintain or restore international peace and security. The Security Council has a Presidency, which rotates, and changes, every month.

Economic and Social Council

●The Economic and Social Council is the principal body for coordination, policy review, policy dialogue, and recommendations on economic, social, and environmental issues, as well as implementation of internationally agreed development goals. It serves as the central mechanism for activities of the UN system and its specialized agencies in the economic, social, and environmental fields, supervising subsidiary and expert bodies. It has 54 Members, elected by the General Assembly for overlapping three-year terms. It is the United Nations’ central platform for reflection, debate, and innovative thinking on sustainable development.

Trusteeship Council

●The Trusteeship Council was established in 1945 by the UN Charter, to provide international supervision for 11 Trust Territories that had been placed under the administration of seven Member States, and ensure that adequate steps were taken to prepare the Territories for self-government and independence. By 1994, all Trust Territories had attained self-government or independence. The Trusteeship Council suspended operation on 1 November 1994.

International Court of Justice

●The International Court of Justice is the principal judicial organ of the United Nations. Its seat is at the Peace Palace in the Hague (Netherlands). It is the only one of the six principal organs of the United Nations not located in New York (United States of America). The Court’s role is to settle, by international law, legal disputes submitted to it by States and to give advisory opinions on legal questions referred to it by authorized United Nations organs and specialized agencies. The International Court of Justice functions by its Statute.

Secretariat

●The Secretariat comprises the Secretary-General and tens of thousands of international UN staff members who carry out the day-to-day work of the UN as mandated by the General Assembly and the Organization's other principal bodies. The Secretary-General is the Chief Administrative Officer of the Organization, appointed by the General Assembly on the recommendation of the Security Council for a five-year, renewable term. The Secretary-General is also a symbol of the Organization's ideals, and an advocate for all the world's peoples, especially the poor and vulnerable.

●UN staff members are recruited internationally and locally and work in duty stations and on peacekeeping missions all around the world. But serving the cause of peace in a violent world is a dangerous occupation. Since the founding of the United Nations, hundreds of brave men and women have given their lives in its service.

Conclusion

It was a significant triumph for India at the UN, clinching a prestigious re-election to the International Narcotics Control Board for 2025-2030 and earning seats across several key UN bodies. It underscores our dedication to contributing constructively and collaboratively to global deliberations, fostering a spirit of unity and shared responsibility for the betterment of all.

Source

https://www.thehindu.com/news/international/indias-jagjit-pavadia-re-elected-for-a-third-term-to-the-international-narcotics-control-board/article68049269.ece

PRACTICE QUESTION

Q. Consider the following statements about the United Nations and its organs:

The United Nations was founded in 1945, following the conclusion of World War II, with the primary objective of promoting international cooperation and maintaining peace and security.
The UN General Assembly is the principal deliberative body of the UN, where each member state has one vote, and decisions on important matters such as peace and security, admission of new members, and budgetary issues are made by a two-thirds majority.
The UN Security Council is responsible for maintaining international peace and security, with 15 member states, including five permanent members (China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States) and ten non-permanent members elected by the General Assembly for two-year terms.
The International Court of Justice (ICJ), also known as the World Court, is the principal judicial organ of the UN, located in The Hague, Netherlands, and is responsible for settling legal disputes between states and providing advisory opinions on legal questions referred by authorized UN organs and specialized agencies.
The UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) is responsible for promoting international economic and social cooperation and development, with 54 member states elected by the General Assembly for three-year terms, and it oversees numerous specialized agencies and functional commissions focusing on specific areas such as human rights, health, and education.

Which of the following statements regarding the United Nations (UN) and its functions is/are true?

A) 1, 2, and 3 only.

B) 1, 3, and 5 only.

C) 2, 3, and 4 only.

D) 1, 4, and 5 only.

The correct answer is B)