The Civil Society Task Force (CSTF), a joint initiative of the New York and Vienna NGO Committees on Drugs, will hold two Global Civil Society Hearings at the United Nations - one in New York and one in Vienna - to support preparations for the forthcoming Ministerial Segment of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND).

The Civil Society Hearings are titled "Voices of Civil Society: Beyond 2019" and will be held in late January or early February (the exact dates are still to be determined, and will be communicated as soon as possible).

The goal of the Global Civil Society Hearings is to update member states on CSTF activities, in particular the results of the Global Civil Society Consultation, as well as to provide valuable inputs from civil society experts from around the world, and to allow space for a dialogue between civil society and policy makers.

Each Global Civil Society Hearing will last for two to three hours, and will consist of:

- a high-level opening segment with introductory remarks from the CSTF, the UN Secretary General, UNODC, etc.

- a keynote speech presenting the results of the Global Civil Society Consultation, with time afterwards for questions and comments from participants.

- a panel of five or six civil society representatives from around the world, who will share their knowledge and expertise under the broad topic of ‘The Role of Civil Society Beyond 2019’.

- an interactive opportunity for member states to ask questions and discuss the issues raised.

In order to apply to speak at one of these Hearings, please fill out the form below by 09 JANUARY 2019, 11:55 p.m. (CET, Vienna local time). The CSTF will follow the guidelines published on our website: https://www.cstfondrugs.org/documentation/. Selected candidates will be notified as soon as possible.

The over all theme of the two hearings is "Voices of Civil Society: Beyond 2019", and speakers are asked to focus on the role that civil society can play looking forward to the coming decade. The following questions are meant as a guiding tool to help with focusing civil society interventions (but applications going outside of these questions will also be taken into consideration):

- What could be done at the Ministerial Segment/CND/UN level to ease NGO's work in the field of drug policy?
- What are your expectations for upcoming drug policy outcomes at the UN level?
- What are the most urgent needs to be tackled for improving NGO's capacity and situation?
- How do you foresee the debates of drug policy in 10-years time?
- Which role do you think civil society should play at the international drug policy making? What needs to change for assuming such a role?
- How could the voice of civil society be strengthened at the UN level?

Please note that there is some funding available to cover travel and accommodation for civil society speakers at both events. Funding is limited, however, so allocation decisions will be made by the CSTF following the guidelines published on our website: https://www.cstfondrugs.org/documentation/.

Please note that video messages are possible as well.

Please share this form with your respective partners and networks to ensure a wide as possible opportunity to engage.

Thank you and looking forward to your applications.