The present report provides Governments with the Board’s latest analysis of the functioning of the international precursor control system and a comprehensive overview of the most recent precursor trends and challenges, in accordance with the Board’s mandate under the 1988 Convention. In our conclusions, we address a number of overarching concerns that emerge from our analysis of this year’s data and information. An area previously addressed that has increased in importance is the vulnerability of the global precursor control systems in periods of political instability in a number of countries and entire regions.

The present report also picks up on the concerns of the special session’s outcome document and provides a thematic focus on the prevention of chemical diversion beyond regulatory controls, namely the role of law enforcement, and a call to overcome competing interests, compartmentalization and the mentality that considers seizures to be the ultimate goal of an intervention, rather than focusing on identifying and disrupting the sources and criminal groups behind attempts to obtain the necessary chemicals.