 ITM Campus Rochus, Sint-Rochusstraat 43, 2000 Antwerp, Belgium

We warmly invite you to the Institute of Tropical Medicine (ITM) in Antwerp, Belgium, for a transdisciplinary conference dedicated to exploring the complex and multifaceted phenomenon of chemsex.

Building on the experience of previous international gatherings, this conference brings together a multidisciplinary group of experts to address the complex issues surrounding chemsex. Grounded in scientific evidence and focused on real-world impact, the event aims to strengthen care and support by promoting the practical implementation of research into everyday practice. Participants will engage in meaningful dialogue and knowledge exchange with people who engage in chemsex, community representatives, researchers, healthcare providers, therapists, social workers, and policymakers from around the world.

We aim to bring together a large group of experienced experts who may share their experiences in supporting people who engage in chemsex, from a therapeutic, health-care facility or community-based, or peer support setting. The purpose is to facilitate, expand and improve the response to chemsex in all its complexity.

Global insights from leading experts and first responders, panel discussions, workshops, and networking opportunities will be complemented by a focus on health, harm reduction, and human rights.

International Chemsex Conference: Optimising support and care for people engaging in chemsex

The 69th session of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) takes place at the Vienna International Centre (VIC) between 9-13 March 2026. For general information on the CND, check out the dedicated section of our website on 

The registration period is from 2 February to 6 March 2026. Participants must register via the UNODC 

. Guidance on the registration process is available 

. Please note that completing registration requires a ‘note verbale’ (a nomination letter on official letterhead) issued by an ECOSOC-accredited NGO.

IDPC will host a pre-CND webinar on Wednesday, 25 February 2026, from 14:00 to 15:00 (London time).The webinar will unpack key issues likely to structure the debates at CND, review draft resolutions, and showcase IDPC network members’ experiences leveraging the Commission for advocacy. Speakers include representatives from Youth RISE, SANPUD, and GREA. Further information and registration details are available 

Civil society organisations can submit questions to be addressed by representatives of the INCB, OHCHR, UNAIDS, UNODC, WHO, and the CND Chair at interactive dialogues expected to take place during the Session. Participants can submit questions for interactive dialogues — coordinated by the VNGOC — using 

The UNGASS decade in review: Gaps, achievements and paths for reform

 — Our most recent report, assessing a decade of limited progress and persistent harms, and formulating avenues toward systemic reform.

Vienna after consensus: Report of the 68th session of the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs

 — An analysis of last year's meeting that brings the 69th Session into context.

The UN review of the international status of the coca leaf

 — Our dedicated page with resources on the process, key contributions towards it, and responses to its troubling outcome.

CND 101: A guide to the United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs

 — A video primer on the key functions of and engagement with this UN body.

Side events at the Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) 69th session (9–13 March 2026) are open to Member States, UN entities, intergovernmental organisations, and NGOs in consultative status with ECOSOC. Events must be thematically relevant to the work of the Commission, and each organiser may submit only one application.

Applications for CND side events are open from 5 to 23 January 2026 

and are considered on a first come, first served basis, with priority given to Member States. Proposals must include a title, description, organiser details, and the event modality (in-person, online or hybrid). Only co-organisers listed at the time of submission will appear in the official programme.

Side events are self-serviced by organisers and can be held in-person, online or in hybrid format. Event links for online or hybrid meetings must be submitted by 25 February 2026 and will be published in the UN Journal. Interpretation services are not provided.

69th session of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND)

 Tuesday, 31 March 2026 / 13:00 - 14:30 (London time – 

Against the backdrop of unprecedented dynamics at recent sessions of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs — such as the return of voting at the 67th session and diplomatic sparring over the Sustainable Development Goals at the 68th session — this year's session takes place under the sign of major geopolitical turmoil, funding crises, and growing dissent over the future of global drug policy.

This webinar will provide an early opportunity to unpack key outcomes from the 69th session, assess political dynamics in Vienna, and explore what they mean for sustainable drug policy reform.

Save the date and stay tuned for registration details!

CND 69 and drug policy reform: Unpacking key implications

“Accelerating crime prevention, criminal justice and the rule of law: protecting people and planet and achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in the digital age.”

The Fifteenth Crime Congress will be held from 25 to 30 April 2026 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates under the overall theme “Accelerating crime prevention, criminal justice and the rule of law: protecting people and planet and achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in the digital age”, in line with the General Assembly resolution 

High-level segment (Heads of State, Ministers, etc.)

Single declaration, later reviewed by the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice

Regional preparatory meetings starting in 2025

Emphasis on participation of least developed countries, civil society, academia, and NGOs

Encourages early preparation by Member States and creation of national preparatory committees

15th UN Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice

 convenes thousands of participants from across the world to address the growing impact of digital technologies on human rights. Through panels, workshops, roundtables and closed-door meetings, the summit provides a space for collective strategy-building across sectors and regions.

Over more than a decade, RightsCon has grown into the world’s leading global forum on digital rights, rotating across regions and adapting to the evolving political, technological and regulatory landscape. Its programme reflects the complexity of today’s digital environment, from surveillance and censorship to platform accountability and emerging technologies.

The 2026 edition will take place in Lusaka, Zambia, marking a return to the African continent and the first RightsCon hosted in South-Central Africa. The summit will be held in person and online from 5 to 8 May 2026, building on discussions and outcomes from RightsCon 2025 in Taipei.

RightsCon 2026 aims to strengthen global solidarity, amplify regional perspectives, and support coordinated action to defend human rights in an increasingly digitised world.

Drugs, Data & Justice: Resisting Algorithmic Policing, Building Community Safety

The International Drug Policy Consortium (IDPC), Conectas Direitos Humanos, Statewatch, and European Digital Rights (EDRi) 

convene this roundtable to examine how artificial intelligence and other digital technologies are reshaping drug policy, law enforcement, and access to public services — often with harmful consequences for marginalised communities.

The session will explore the expansion of algorithmic policing, biometric surveillance, and welfare profiling in the name of drug control, and how these systems intensify racialised surveillance, exclusion, and institutional violence. Drug policy reform advocates, harm reduction practitioners, people who use drugs, digital rights activists, and sex workers’ rights advocates will share concrete case studies from Oceania, Europe, and Latin America, highlighting both harms and resistance strategies.

Through facilitated discussion and breakout groups, participants will identify current digital implementations, assess existing advocacy and accountability approaches — including litigation, oversight, and narrative change — and explore community-driven, care-based alternatives that advance harm reduction and community safety. The session aims to distil 5–7 actionable strategies and lay the groundwork for sustained cross-movement collaboration at the intersection of digital rights and drug policy.

RightsCon 2026

 Grande Bibliothèque de BAnQ, 475 boulevard de Maisonneuve Est, Montréal / Online


• In person: 8 May 2026 (23:00)
• Online: 12 May 2026 (23:00)

 French and English (simultaneous interpretation available for certain sessions)

Since its creation in 1991, the Quebec Harm Reduction Conference (RQRDM) has served as a key space for exchange, reflection and mobilisation. Originally focused on HIV prevention among people who inject drugs, the conference has progressively expanded to address overdose prevention, sexuality, substance regulation and broader social justice issues.

The 39th edition marks a return to the essence of harm reduction. At a time when harm reduction approaches are increasingly subject to stigma, misinformation and political backlash, the conference seeks to reaffirm the evidence base and human rights foundations of this pragmatic and humanistic approach.

Research consistently demonstrates that when harm reduction strategies are properly implemented and adequately resourced, they reduce overdose deaths, improve public health outcomes, and strengthen communities — countering claims that such approaches increase drug use, crime or homelessness.

39th Quebec Harm Reduction Conference (RQRDM)

The struggle for drug policies that are accountable, evidence-based and rights-affirming stands at a crossroads. Despite important wins worldwide, many governments are once again retreating into punishment and repression. While painful, this backlash does not weaken our resolve — it sharpens it. 

We must organise differently, resist strategically, and deepen community engagement to galvanise action.

Support. Don’t Punish 2026 Global Day of Action

, centred around 26 June, is a powerful moment of transnational solidarity. The day brings together communities, movements, and allies to accelerate our commitment towards responses that prioritise care, dignity and justice.

Since 2013, the campaign has grown from a small mobilisation into a decentralised and grassroots-centred movement spanning hundreds of cities worldwide. Each action, whether a march, community dialogue, artistic intervention or direct policy engagement, reflects local priorities. Yet, together, they form a collective demand for change that is impossible to ignore.

This year, we ask you to prepare not for a symbolic day, but a moment of practical and political organising

. To amplify community leadership, confront stigma and criminalisation, and defend rights and democracy at a time when they are increasingly threatened.

, to map actions around the world and provide as much financial and practical support as possible. With resources under strain, thoughtful and strategic preparation will be essential.

You can also strengthen this work by donating to the campaign’s

. All contributions go directly to support grassroots organising in the Global South, where funding is most limited and the harms of repression most severe.

Support. Don’t Punish Global Day of Action 2026

Scientific progress over the 40-plus years of the HIV response has transformed HIV into a manageable condition if you have access to treatment. By the end of 2024, the number of AIDS-related deaths had dropped by 54% and new HIV acquisitions by 40% since 2010. HIV treatment is now so effective that the virus can be undetectable and, therefore, untransmittable. We have highly successful long-acting HIV prevention options, including the injectables, lenacapavir and cabotegravir, with a long-acting oral prevention technology on the horizon.

Despite these gains, UNAIDS data suggests stagnant progress in recent years: 1.3 million people acquired HIV and 630,000 people died of AIDS-related causes in 2023 and again in 2024. There continue to be huge gaps in HIV prevention and treatment: 9.2 million people living with HIV were not getting life-saving medicines in 2024. This is because old barriers to HIV services persist. Among them are stigma and discrimination, criminalization and structural inequalities between populations and countries.

In early 2025, the suspension of US foreign aid, including PEPFAR, triggered a funding crisis that threatens to widen those gaps. This underscores the urgent need for countries to strengthen domestic financing, improve efficiencies and prioritize sustainability.

We have to work together to prevent the current crisis from rolling back progress.

Join the International Aids Society at the 26th annual AIDS conference in Rio de Janeiro and virtually from July 26-31, 2026, for vital conversations to rethink, rebuild and rise.

AIDS 2026 - 26th International AIDS Conference

 Clarion Congress Hotel Prague, Prague, Czech Republic

If you’re working to improve the health or rights of people who use drugs, INHSU 2026 is a must-attend event. A vibrant space where research, practice, policy, and lived experience come together on equal footing.

Over 300+ sessions will take place across tracks on Epidemiology and Public Health Research, Clinical Research, Social Science and Policy Research, and Models of Care and Programs.

Sessions will cover harm reduction innovations, HIV, HCV, HBV, TB and other infections, other drug-related harms, drug policy, and more.

Prague is a powerful and timely setting for INHSU 2026, providing the backdrop to reflect on both achievements and barriers that continue to affect people who use drugs globally.

14th International Conference on Health and Hepatitis in Substance Users (INHSU 2026)

The reconvened 69th session of the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs is expected to take place on 3-4 December 2026 in Vienna, Austria.