Dianova Elected at the VNGOC

Dianova International becomes part of the VNGOC Board which confirmed its commitment to represent all members of the organization

The newly elected board of VNGOC

The newly elected board of VNGOC – Photo: VNGOC, all rights reserved

On 15 March 2018, during the 61st session of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs, the General Assembly of the Vienna NGO Commission (VNGOC) took place and elections were held to replace the entire Board. The representative from Dianova International, Lucía Goberna Lehmann, was elected vice-president of the VNGOC.

The new Board consists of:

The Board is comprised of representatives from organizations working in distinct areas that range from juvenile representation, HIV prevention, political events, to the treatment of and recovery from addictions, and crime prevention. It should be noted that there is gender equality in the new Board.

On behalf of the new Board, we would like to confirm our absolute commitment to representing the totality and diversity of VNGOC’s members and to making sure that all perspectives and voices of civil society can be heard. This is our mission.

In accordance with the change in statutes, from this moment on, elections will be held every year to renew half of the Board. The change was made in order to ensure continuity within the Board. The position of vice-chairperson will be renewed in 2020.

The VNGOC

This committee is the platform that brings together organizations in civil society from around the world working on the issue of drugs and serves as a contact between these and international organizations and agencies within the scope of the United Nations who are working on the same issue. These are principally the Commission on Narcotic Drugs, the International Narcotics Control Board, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and other agencies such as the General Assembly, the Economic and Social Council and the World Health Organization.

The goal of the VNGOC, since it was founded in 1983, has been to share information about the UN’s activities, call attention to areas of interest, establish alliances among governmental and non-governmental organizations and involve a wide sector of civil society in contributing to the development and implementation of global drug policies.

The VNGOC is made up of around 200 organizations from around the world who work at international, national or local levels in areas that vary from the prevention and reduction of harm to political events and represent very diverse ideological fields. It is precisely the diversity of its members that gives the VNGOC a better credibility and reputation, as it is the committee that represents all affiliated civil society organizations.

Dianova and the VNGOC

Dianova joined this network in 2007 and has played a very active role ever since. In attending most meetings, we have participated in concrete project preparation meetings (such as the Beyond 2008 process and the UNGASS preparation session), and contributed to the VNGOC’s information petitions. Elena Goti, Dianova International representative, was a member of the VNGOC Board from 2007 to 2015.

On behalf of Dianova, we thank you for the support we have received and confirm our commitment to representing all members of the VNGOC in the most effective and inclusive way possible, by maintaining close ties with all current and future members in order to reach our common goals.