Denis Huber, new Executive Secretary of the Pompidou Group, held a keynote speech at the OSCE Conference on Combating the Threat of Illicit Drugs and the Diversion of Chemical Precursors, organised in Vienna (Austria) on 16-17 July 2018. The event brought together representatives of OSCE member states and relevant international organisations, with a comprehensive programme covering many aspects of international co-operation in the field of drugs. Speaking in Session III dedicated to prevention, early intervention and education, Mr Huber presented the Pompidou Group’s Human rights-based approach to drug policy and promoted other relevant Pompidou Group activities.

Holding a master’s degree in public law at the Paris Assas University, Denis Huber started a diplomatic career in January 1990, in the French Ministry for Foreign Affairs. He joined the Secretariat of the Council of Europe in September 1993, where he has gained a large experience in various positions, including at the Committee of Ministers, the Belgrade Office of the Council of Europe, the North-South Centre and the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities. In July 2018, he took over the responsibility of Executive Secretary of the Pompidou Group. He is the author of the book “A decade which made History : the Council of Europe 1989-1999”.