Background
The 46th Expert Committee on Drug Dependence meeting will be held from 16 - 20th October 2023.
Additional background on the work of the Expert Committee can be found here.
A
public information session was held on Monday 16th October 2023.
Purpose of the ECDD Virtual
Information Session
WHO Expert Committee meetings are closed to the public, however individuals or representatives of public and private institutions and civil society who wish to present information to committee members on issues related to the meeting agenda are invited to register their interest to attend a virtual information meeting on 16 October 2023 at 10.00 CEST (Central European Summer Time).
The purpose of the information session is to afford the Expert Committee the opportunity to receive presentations and to question representatives of interested parties concerning data that have been provided about substances under review.
Individuals and partners external to the WHO may listen to an update on current and future activities of the ECDD Secretariat, and to provide comment on issues on the ECDD agenda. Individuals may participate in the Information Session in several ways:
- Observing the meeting
- Sending a written statement for the consideration of the Committee
- Presenting information (live or pre-recorded) at the Information Session
How to participate in the Information Meeting
Deadline for registration: 13 October 2023 23:59 CEST.
Deadline to request to make an oral presentation: 9th October 2023 23:59 CEST
Participation in the Information Session is by registration only.
How to submit information for consideration by the Expert Committee
Register to join the Information Meeting using the registration link by 13th October 2023 23:59 CEST.
- Once WHO has processed your registration, you will receive a confirmation email with Zoom link for the meeting. There will also be a link within this email that will direct you to a page to submit a written statement.*
- If you would like to make an oral presentation during the meeting, please follows steps 1 and 2. When you receive the form from WHO to provide comments to the 46th ECDD, please indicate that you would like to make an oral presentation. The deadline to request to take the floor is 2nd October to allow the Secretariat time to consider all requests. Therefore you are encouraged to make a request with an outline of the nature and content of the presentation as soon as possible.**
- Once you have completed the comment form, you can amend or upload your full statements until 9th October 2023 11:59 CEST.
*You are invited to submit a written statement to the Members of the 46th ECDD. This written statement may include (but is not limited to) scientific information, comments on the technical documents being considered by the Committee, or a personal testament relevant to a substance under (pre)review by the 46th ECDD. You can submit a written statement of a maximum of 500 words. Attachments with supplementary material are permitted in addition to written statements.
** Please be aware that there are a limited number of time slots available for presentations, therefore the ECDD Secretariat may not be able to accommodate all requests to be on the Information Session agenda. All requests for interventions will be considered, and further instructions will be sent to successful candidates after all submissions are received. Successful requests for presentations will be allocated max. 5 minutes at the meeting to present.
General guidance
There will be no opportunity for questions and answers during the Information Session. If you wish to make an oral presentation during the 46th ECDD Information Session, you need to express your interest in making an intervention in advance using the steps outlined above.
Representation from low- and middle income countries is particularly welcome. English is the working language of the ECDD meetings, but presenters who wish to present in other languages may provide their own translation services (e.g. through English subtitles on videos).
Participants are encouraged to review the meeting documents in advance to provide comments.
Please note that comment forms and requests for oral presentations will not be considered if they:
- are submitted after the closing date of the respective registration deadlines
- are presented in any form other than what is provided for in the registration form
- are not related to substances on the agenda of the agenda of the 46th ECDD meeting.
Contact
If you have technical difficulties with the registration form, please send an email to ecddsecretariat@who.int with the subject “46th ECDD Information Session”.
Thank you very much for your consideration and we look forward to your contribution.