Singapore reaffirms commitment to the United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs and vision towards a drug-free ASEAN

1. The 69th session of the United Nations (UN) Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND)^[1] was held in Vienna, Austria from 9 to 13 March 2026. Officials from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) attended the session.  

2. Assoc Prof Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim, Acting Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs and Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Home Affairs, delivered Singapore’s national statement which highlighted the importance of international cooperation and evidence-based policy making, while reaffirming Singapore’s commitment to working with the CND to deepen international cooperation on drug-related matters. Singapore also reaffirmed the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)’s vision of a Drug Free ASEAN and its zero-tolerance approach towards drugs. This commitment was underscored by ASEAN’s announcement to observe an ASEAN Drug Victims Remembrance Day annually, starting from 26 June this year. Commemorated alongside the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, the Remembrance Day aims to raise public awareness and strengthen community resilience against the harms caused by drugs.

3. At the 69^th CND, Singapore held bilateral engagements with the President of International Narcotics Control Board, Dr Sevil Atasoy, and the Chair of the 69^th CND, Ambassador Andranik Hovhannisyan, the Permanent Representative of Armenia to the UN in Vienna, during which Singapore reiterated its commitment to improving the world drug situation and contributing to the work of the CND through various initiatives. Singapore also had bilateral engagements with 14 countries.


Side Event on the Understanding the Adverse Impact of Drug Use on Health

4. Singapore co-organised a side event on “Understanding the Adverse Impact of Drug Use on Health: Types, Bearers, and Individual Modifiers and Contextual Factors that Mediate Impact”, in collaboration with the UNODC Research and Trend Analysis Branch (RAB).  

5. Panellists from the Institute of Mental Health in Singapore, the African Union Commission, the Inter-American Observatory on Drugs and UNODC RAB discussed the types and bearers of health harms, and how the health impact of drug use can be prevented and mitigated, highlighting evidence from the 2025 World Drug Report.


UNODC Youth Forum

6. The UNODC Youth Forum is an annual event held at the sidelines of the CND meeting for youths from around the world to exchange views on drug control policies and develop a joint statement that would be delivered to policy makers at the CND meeting.

7. Mr Mas Haziq Solihin Mas Omar represented Singapore as a youth participant at this year’s Youth Forum. Haziq volunteers as part of CNB’s DrugFreeSG Advocacy Network and has been involved in various initiatives to amplify the drug-free message including contributing a cautionary story for the DrugFreeSG Advocacy Newsletter to highlight the dangers and consequences fuelled by curiosity about drugs, appearing on CNB’s social media series #SingaporeansAgainstDrugs to share his story and participating in community outreach events to engage members of public on the importance of drug prevention.

[1] The CND is the primary drug policy-making body of the UN. It meets annually to discuss the world’s drug problem, develop strategies on international drug control, and recommend measures that governments can take to address the problem. Singapore is a member of the CND for the term from 2024 to 2027.