Bharat’s Jagjit Pavadia clinched a re-election to the International Narcotics Control Board or INCB, emerging victorious in a tightly contested race conducted by the UN Economic and Social Council-ECOSOC.
Announcing the election win, External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar declared, “Today, Bharat’s nominee Jagjit Pavadia has been re-elected to the International Narcotics Control Board at elections held in New York, for the term 2025-2030.”
“Bharat secured the highest number of votes amongst all elected member States to the Board,” he added, commending the permanent mission of Bharat to the UN and the External Affairs Ministry team.
Out of the 53 voting members of the ECOSOC, Bharat garnered 41 votes, the most among all winning member States. Pavadia’s comfortable win came as the runner-up received 30 votes in the fiercely competitive election, which featured 24 candidates vying for five seats.
Understanding the International Narcotics Control Board
The INCB, established in 1968, serves as an independent and quasi-judicial monitoring body for the implementation of the United Nations international drug control conventions.
Comprising 13 members elected by the Economic and Social Council, the INCB members serve in their capacity rather than as government representatives.
Three members with medical, pharmacological, or pharmaceutical expertise are elected from a WHO-nominated list, while 10 members are elected from government-nominated lists.
About Jagjit Pavadia
Jagjit Pavadia has been a member of the INCB since 2015.
Re-elected by the Council for a five-year term from 2020 to 2025 in May 2019, Pavadia served as the Board’s president for 2021-2022.
Born in 1954, she held senior positions in the Indian Revenue Service for 35 years within the Indian Government, including roles such as Narcotics Commissioner of India at the Central Bureau of Narcotics (2006-2012), Commissioner of Legal Affairs (2001-2005), and Chief Vigilance Officer at the Power Finance Corporation (1996-2001).
