The President of the INCB, Mr Werner Sipp, presented the Annual Report of the INCB for 2014 to the ECOSOC Coordination and Management on 22nd July 2015. Mr Sipp told delegates that he regarded the Report as a contribution to the UNGASS debates on the ‘right path’ for drug policies.
21st July marks the International Remembrance Day for people who have died in the war on drugs. International Remembrance Day is to remember those we know, and those we don’t – from our villages, towns and cities across the world.
This blogpost highlights the last 2 weeks of developments in Thailand, including a meeting with the Minister of Justice that 12D and other advocates organised for the Support Don’t Punish Campaign, and seminars organised by the Ministry of Justice.
The actions varied in size and design: from small gatherings of supporters in countries as diverse as Guinea and Kazakhstan, to larger protests in France and the USA, and a range of music events, dance displays, flash mobs and sport tournaments.
On 23rd June, as part of the Support. Don’t Punish Global Day of Action, activists, academics, policy makers and people who use drugs gathered at the UK Houses of Parliament to discuss the impact of drug control on human rights, with a specific focus on the death penalty.
On 26 June, 2015 the Global Day of Action we call on UN agencies, governments and community leaders to take action in addressing the harmful consequences of the war on drugs on women’s lives.
You can sign up from your Twitter, Facebook or Tumblr accounts, and Thunderclap will send out the following message on your behalf on the 26th June – at the same time as hundreds of others around the world.
Although some positive statements were made on health, human rights and development, the thematic debate was disappointing in terms of opportunities for NGO participation.
Former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan delivered an extremely clear explanation of why traditional repressive drug control strategies need to be reformed – his words should particularly be heeded by those broadly progressive countries who accept the need for reform, but are yet to be persuaded of the urgency or need to give the UNGASS much political or diplomatic attention.
It is encouraging to hear that harm reduction measures should be included within a ‘well-balanced’ drug control system, even if the Board still cannot bring itself to articulate the ‘two word phrase’.