Morocco and India were elected in the first round of voting, the Moroccan candidacy having received thirty votes out of fifty-four, noting that this electoral success was achieved in a context of unprecedented competition between the twenty-five candidate countries for the five seats to be filled by the candidates proposed by governments.

This achievement is all the more important as Morocco is not part of ECOSOC, which reflects the great credibility of the Kingdom's multilateral action. Morocco’s election to this important body testifies to the credibility of the contribution that the Kingdom makes, under the Very High Vision of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, may God assist Him, to multilateral action aimed at addressing global economic, social and health challenges, particularly those related to drug control.

This is a mark of the confidence placed by the international community in the kingdom’s tireless efforts in the fight against the drug problem, in the context of trends linked to the emergence of new drugs, notably synthetic drugs.

Mr. Jallal Toufiq, current INCB chairman, is also head of the National Center on Prevention and Research in Drug Addiction, director of the Moroccan Observatory of Drugs and Drug Addiction and director of the Ar-Razi Psychiatric Hospital.

INCB is an independent, quasi-judicial expert body established by the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs of 1961 by merging two bodies: the Permanent Central Narcotics Board, created by the 1925 International Opium Convention; and the Drug Supervisory Body, created by the 1931 Convention for Limiting the Manufacture and Regulating the Distribution of Narcotic Drugs.

INCB has 13 members, each elected by the Economic and Social Council for a period of five years. INCB members may be re-elected. Ten of the members are elected from a list of persons nominated by Governments. The remaining three members are elected from a list of persons nominated by the World Health Organization (WHO) for their medical, pharmacological or pharmaceutical experience.