The formal notification
On 10 June 2026, the Republic of Palau submitted a formal notification to the UN Secretary-General under Article 2 of the 1971 Convention on Psychotropic Substances, requesting that the WHO Expert Committee on Drug Dependence (ECDD) conduct a critical review of nicotine.
The submission
The notification was submitted by President Surangel S. Whipps, Jr., on behalf of the Government of the Republic of Palau. It is accompanied by a supporting dossier prepared in accordance with ECDD requirements.
Presidential statement
“We may be a small nation, but the scale of a problem has never determined who acts on it. Millions die every year. More than a billion are dependent on nicotine — most of them hooked as children. We could not look away. We call on governments around the world to join us in asking the United Nations to finally treat nicotine like the toxic and addictive drug that it is.”
For other countries
Any party to the 1971 Convention can submit its own notification to the UN Secretary-General, or formally express support for Palau's notification. Under Article 2 of the Convention, when a Party files such a notification the Secretary-General transmits it to the other Parties, to WHO and to the International Narcotics Control Board, so that all Parties are formally informed. A co-notification follows the same process as an initiating one — a formal note verbale to the UN Secretary-General under Article 2 of the 1971 Convention, transmitted via the country's Permanent Mission to the United Nations, with copies to the Executive Director of UNODC and the Director-General of WHO.
Countries interested in joining or supporting this process are encouraged to email contact@nicotinereview.org.