Membership and Resolutions of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs

As the original members of the Commission were designated by ECOSOC, the procedure for their election was not laid down until 1949, when the subject came up for discussion at a Council meeting and caused some difficulty. The Commission itself had emphasized the need to preserve the maximum degree of continuity in the composition both as regards the states represented as well as the representatives of those states--a requirement dictated by the "particular character of the fundamental problems of the international control of narcotic drugs which can be solved only over a period of years" (E/1109). The idea of permanent membership which was subsequently developed was based on British proposals; the U.S. did not support it, prefenting instead the method used by all other UN commissions, that is, three-year terms of office. Nevertheless, when "indefinite" appointments were made in 1949, the U.S. was given a place along with nine other countries—Canada, France, India, China, Peru, Turkey, the USSR, the U.K., and Yugoslavia.

Elections and reelections to the five remaining places were held during ECOSOC sessions. Votes were taken by secret ballot, the candidates being those countries which had indicated by suitable communications to the secretariat an interest in being elected. In 1%1, when the term of office was changed to one of three years, which was to be applicable to all members, the Council had to decide which of the ten members elected in 1949 for an indefinite period should have their terms of office terminated in 1964; this was done by the drawing of lots. Similarly, the decision as to which of the newly elected countries should serve for three years, two years, or one year was based on the drawing of lots. In 1%8, the terms of office of members was increased from three to four years.

Accompanying the enlargement of the Commission in 1%1 was a change in the criteria of membership selection; whereas previously only members of the UN were eligible, election was now extended to members of the specialized agencies and parties to the Single Convention, who were not necessarily members (for example, Switzerland, which was promptly elected). Moreover, while representation of producing and manufacturing countries, and countries with problems of illicit traffi-cking, was to continue to be a basis for selection, countries with drug addiction problems would now equally qualify. The pattern of election changed again when membership went up from twenty-one to twenty-four in 1967; in addition to the criteria which had hitherto been employed, the encroaching principle of "equitable geographical distri-bution" entered the picture finally. Thus when elections were held in 1968, candidates were specified in reference to their membership in geographical groups: "The delegate of the Phillipines named as candidates of Asian countries: Iran, Lebanon, Pakistan, and Republic of Korea. The delegate of Tanzania named as candidates of African countries: Kenya and United A rab R epublic" (ECOSOC: 44th, 1%8). Despite such shifts in criteria, the actual variation of the core member-ship has been negligible. Apart from Taiwan, which went out after 1969, the original ten "permanent" members have stayed in continuously, while Iran, Mexico, and Egypt, though not permanent in any formal sense, have also had unbroken representation in the Commission.

The members of the Commission in 1974 were: Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Egypt, France, Federal Republic of Germany, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Iran, Jamaica, Japan, Kenya, Mexico, Morocco, Nigeria, Pakistan, Peru, Rumania, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Togo, Turkey, USSR , U.K., U.S., Yugoslavia.