On 16 May 2017, Mr. Viroj Sumyai, Vice-President of the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB), was elected as new INCB President for a one-year term during the 119^th session of INCB in Vienna, Austria.

Mr. Viroj Sumyai has been member of INCB since 2010 and became INCB Vice-President in 2012, 2014 and 2016 before being elected as President of the Board in 2017.

Mr. Viroj Sumyai set out the following three key priorities for his term as President of the Board:

(1) Improving access to and availability of opiate pain medications, especially in low- and middle-income countries;

(2) Working with governments towards improving the availability and quality of treatment services for people dependent on drugs; and

(3) Encouraging application by States of the principle of proportionality in responding to drug-related crime, particularly through using alternatives to imprisonment, such as treatment and rehabilitation.

Mr. Viroj Sumyai was born in 1953 and held the position of Deputy Secretary-General of the Food and Drug Administration, Ministry of Public Health of Thailand and Professor at Mahidol University. He obtained a Bachelor’s Degree in Chemistry from Chiang Mai University in 1976 and Bachelor’s Degree in Pharmacy from Manila Central University in 1979. He also obtained his Master Degree in Clinical Pharmacy from Chulalongkorn University in 1989 and Doctor of Philosophy, Health Policy and Administration from National Institute of Development Administration in 2009.

INCB is an independent body established in 1968 to monitor and evaluate the progress of the implementation of the United Nations Convention on Narcotic Drugs. The Board comprises of 13 experts in narcotic drugs who have to be impartial, each elected by the members of the United Nations Economic and Social Council and work independently from the country of origin.