Identifying common ground for the United Nations General Assembly Special Session on the world drug problem

A panel discussion organized by the United Nations University and the Brookings Institution

Conference Room 5, Conference Building, United Nations Headquarters

As the UN General Assembly’s Special Session in New York on the World Drug Problem (UNGASS 2016) approaches, this panel discussion will discuss findings from a comparative evaluation of the effectiveness and costs of international counter-narcotics policies and approaches for reform. Click Here to Attend.

About the Panel

Brookings Senior Fellows Vanda Felbab-Brown and Harold Trinkunas, along with several outside policy experts, have developed a series of policy briefs to evaluate the effectiveness and costs of international counter-narcotics policies in different contexts. The series, entitled "Improving Global Drug Policy: Comparative Perspectives and UNGASS 2016”, is unique in its global scope, and analyzes the threats and harms resulting from drug use, the drug trade, and, at times, anti-drug policies themselves. The briefs examine the impacts on national security, violent crime, political corruption, economic development, public health, and human rights. The panelists, comprised of authors from the series, will discuss their findings and consider the implications these findings have for UNGASS 2016.

Speakers

• Afghanistan: Dr Vanda Felbab-Brown, Senior Fellow, The Brookings Institution; co-director of the Brookings project “Improving Global Drug Policy: Comparative Perspectives and UNGASS 2016”
• Mali and Guinea: Dr Lansana Gberie, Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA)
• Russia: Dr Mark Galeotti, Professor of Global Affairs, New York University Center for Global Affairs
• Colorado and Washington, U.S.A.: Dr Mark Kleiman, Professor of Public Policy, University of California, Los Angeles
• Colombia: Dr Daniel Mejia, Associate Professor, Department of Economics, Director of the Research Center on Drugs and Security, Universidad de los Andes
• UNGASS 2016 in Comparative Perspective: Improving the Prospects for Success: Mr Harold Trinkunas, Senior Fellow and Director, Foreign Policy, Latin America Initiative, The Brookings Institution; co-director of the Brookings project “Improving Global Drug Policy: Comparative Perspectives and UNGASS 2016”
• Uruguay: Mr John Walsh, Senior Associate for Drug Policy and the Andes, Washington Office on Latin America
• Moderator: Mr James Cockayne, Head of Office at the UN, UN University

Moderated Q&A will follow.

Your response and registration

This panel discussion offers a unique opportunity for high-level delegates and practitioners to engage in frank discussion of what comparative approaches to drug policy mean for UNGASS 2016. As seating in Conference Room 5 is limited, we encourage you to RSVP by September 8, on the registration page. If you will require an entrance pass, please be sure to register at least one week prior to the event. Please do not hesitate to contact Drug Policy Project Manager Ms. Summer Walker, on 212.963.6346, or walker@unu.edu, should you have any queries.

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