Khalid Tinasti appointed to UN Expert Panel on Global Drug Policy Review
The Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND), the United Nations’ central policymaking body on drug-related matters, has announced the members of a newly established Expert Panel tasked with preparing recommendations for the global drug policy review scheduled for 2029. The Centre on Conflict, Development and Peacebuilding (CCDP) at the Graduate Institute welcomes the appointment of Khalid Tinasti, Research Associate at CCDP and Visiting Lecturer in the Institute’s Interdisciplinary Programmes, as one of the 19 independent experts selected to serve on the Panel.
A strategic public policy expert and academic, Khalid Tinasti’s work focuses on the intersections of international drug policy, global health, and public affairs. Alongside his teaching and research engagement at the Graduate Institute, he has contributed to multilateral dialogue processes and policy initiatives addressing drug governance challenges. Tinasti was recently a panelist in the side event “Human Rights Compliant Alternative Measures to Pre-Trial Detention,” during the 61st session of the Human Rights Council at the Palais des Nations in Geneva.
According to the press release issued on 12 March 2026, the Panel was established under Resolution 68/6 on “strengthening the international drug control system: a path to effective implementation,” the Expert Panel has been mandated to develop clear, specific, and actionable recommendations to support the implementation of international drug control treaties and related global commitments. Its work will contribute directly to the review process to be conducted by the Commission on Narcotic Drugs in 2029. Members were selected through a collaborative process involving the Commission, the United Nations Secretary-General, the International Narcotics Control Board, and the Director-General of the World Health Organization. The Panel will be supported by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Secretariat, co-chaired by Allan Rock (Canada), appointed by the Secretary-General, and Natalie Yu-Lin Morris-Sharma (Singapore), appointed by the Commission.
RELATED EVENT
Please join us for a presentation on “Understanding China’s role in addressing the global synthetic drugs market,” moderated by Tinasti. The online discussion will bring together leading scholars from Central South University, Peking University, and Shanghai University to examine evolving policy responses to the global synthetic drugs market.
New CCDP podcast episode on international drug policy with Khalid Tinasti and JENNIFER Thornquest
This appointment comes at a moment of growing engagement around global drug governance debates. In a recent episode of the CCDP Spotlight Podcast, Khalid Tinasti spoke with Jennifer Thornquest about how international drug policy shapes power, security, and multilateral cooperation. The conversation explores how drug control frameworks intersect with public health priorities, geopolitical tensions, and evolving governance challenges.