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Acting Director Botticelli Co-Leads U.S. Delegation to Austria

Summary: 
This morning, Acting Director Michael Botticelli joined the first in a week-long series of meetings in Vienna, Austria, as part of the 57th Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND), the 53-member governing body for the UN Office on Drugs and Crime.


 Acting Director Michael Botticelli is in Vienna, Austria, to serve as co-head of the United States delegation for the  57th Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND), the 53-member governing body for the UN Office on Drugs and Crime.  The CND is the central policy-making body within the UN dealing with drug matters.

Mr. Botticelli, along with Department of State Assistant Secretary William Brownfield, will attend the High-Level Review of the 2009 Political Declaration and Plan of Action which focuses on the reduction of both supply of and demand for drugs, together with financial and judicial aspects crucial to addressing this issue. At the conclusion of the High-Level Review, a joint ministerial statement will be issued. 

Acting Director Botticelli and Assistant Secretary Brownfield are joined by representatives from across the globe, including Queen Silvia of Sweden, UN Deputy Secretary General, Jan Eliasson, the Executive Director of UNAIDS, Michel Sidibe, and many others.

In addition to participating in this high-level review and bilateral meetings, Mr. Botticelli will host a multilateral discussion on law enforcement and public health collaborations, give remarks at a US-hosted event promoting “smart on crime” policies, and raise awareness about the opioid abuse epidemic in America.

The Obama Administration is committed to restoring balance to drug policy through a comprehensive, evidence-based public health approach that reduces illicit drug use and its consequences.

Learn more about our record of drug policy reform. Join the CND conversation on Twitter using #CND2014.