66th session of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND)
The 66th session will take place from 13-17 March 2023. For general information on the CND, check out the dedicated section of our website on UN level engagement. You can also visit the official website of the event. And check the Vienna NGO Committee's (VNGOC) Guide for Participants.
Webinar: Key issues and opportunities
A video introduction to the Commission's functioning and mechanisms of engagement is also available.
Download the CND App!
The CND App enables you to navigate and engage with the debates at the CND. This mobile application will help you track, in real time, what is happening and where, receive notifications on key events, resolutions and speakers, and browse CND resolutions and UN-agreed language on specific drug policy issues
For an optimal experience, please download the app from the Apple or Android store. Alternatively, you can access some of the app's functionalities with your browser online. The CND App was developed by IDPC, as part of the Global Partnership on Drug Policies and Development (GPDPD) project.
Side events
A record-breaking 155 side events are scheduled to take place during the session and most of them will be accessible online. Flyers and access links will be accessible on the official CND page imminently.
IDPC network side events
The IDPC Secretariat and network members co-organised almost 40 side events!
You can find a list of all side events co-organised by the IDPC network, with links to [real-time] transcriptions and recordings, as available here.
Side events co-sponsored by IDPC
The IDPC Secretariat co-sponsors 16 side events that we warmly invite you to join:
Monday, 13 March
- Ending gender-based violence against women and gender non-conforming people who use drugs: 13:00 – 13:50 | Hybrid (M0E100) | Flyer | Organised by IWRAW Asia Pacific with the support of Australia, WHRIN, IDPC, EHRA, CELS, IDUCARE.
Tuesday, 14 March
- Ensuring human rights protection in Nordic drug policy: 9:10 – 10:00 | In person (M0E07) | Organised by the FHN with the support of Iceland, Norway, IDPC, RIO.
- The ineffectiveness of disproportionate sentencing: Towards sensible and people-centred policies: 13:00 – 13:50 | Hybrid (M0E07) | Organised by Instituto RIA AC with the support of Colombia, Elementa DDHH, Dejusticia, ATS, DPA, IDPC and LEAP.
- The impact of drug policy on economic, social and cultural rights: Overturning decades of neglect: 14:10 – 15:00 | Hybrid (M0E07) | Flyer | Organised by IDPC, with the support of Colombia, Czechia, Ghana, Norway, Portugal, OHCHR, Amnesty International, Dejusticia, EHRA, HRI, HFHR, INPUD, TNI.
Wednesday, 15 March
- It all begins with health: Using a substance use health lens to achieve broad improvements in drug and government policy: 8:00 – 8:50 | In-person (M0E05) | Organised by CCSA with the support of IDPC, Dianova International, RIO, CAPSA.
- The efforts of Ghana towards placing health and human rights at the heart of national drug policy: Lessons learned and future opportunities: 9:10 – 10:00 | Hybrid (M3) | Flyer | Organised by Ghana with the support of Czechia, Germany, Nigeria, South Africa, Switzerland, the AU Commission, OHCHR, ICHRDP, IDPC.
- Human rights and drugs: What have we learned and where are we heading?: 14:10 – 15:00 | Hybrid (M6) | Flyer | Organised by Czechia with the support of Colombia, Ghana, Mexico, the Netherlands, Portugal, Switzerland, OHCHR, GCDP, IDPC.
Thursday, 16 March
- Drug-related detention: Assessing efforts to relieve a crisis in South-East Asia: 8:00 – 8:50 | Hybrid (M7) | Flyer | Organised by Amnesty International with the support of IDPC, LBHM, IDUCARE, TIJ.
- Aligning drug policy with environmental protection: 9:10 – 10:00 | In person (M7) | Flyer | Organised by TNI with the support of Brazil, Colombia, GDPO, HPA, IDPC, OSF, Viso Mutop, WOLA.
- Mitigating the risks of corporate capture for legal cannabis markets: 9:10 – 10:00 | Flyer | In person (M0E07) | Organised by Transform with the support of IDPC, MUCD, HPA, Norwegian Association for Safer Drug Policies.
Friday, 17 March
- Young sex workers who use drugs: Addressing the stigma and need for change: 8:00 – 8:50 | Hybrid (M3) | Flyer | Organised by Youth Rise with the support of the UNAIDS, WHRIN, HRI, INPUD, IDPC, EURONPUD, SSDP International, Dejusticia.
- The right to health of people who use drugs: Harm reduction and access to voluntary treatments in a human rights perspective: 8:00 – 8:50 | Hybrid (M7) | Organised by Forum Droghe with the support of IDPC, HRI, EURONPUD, la Società della Ragione, Associazione Luca Coscioni.
- Drug policy in Latin America: 9:10 – 10:00 | Hybrid (M0E05) | Flyer | Organised by MUCD with the support of IDPC, LANPUD, Intercambios A.C., Elementa DDHH.
- Health and HIV in prisons: Effective strategies to address urgent needs: 13:00 – 13:50 | Hybrid (M7) | Flyer | Organised by PRI with the support of Belgium, Brazil, Czechia, Mexico, Sweden and IDPC.
- “Nothing about us without us”: Opportunities to involve youth in drug policy: 13:00 – 13:50 | In person (M3) | Flyer | Organised by SSDP with the support of Australia, Canada, CSSDP, Youth RISE, SSDP Australia, IDPC.
- Challenges and opportunities for drug policy reform: 14:10 – 15:00 | Hybrid (M0E07) | Organised by the Brazilian Harm Reduction and Human Rights Network with the support of IDPC, INNPD, PBPD, Drug policy programme/Fiocruz, É de Lei Drop in Centre.
Informal dialogues
As in previous years, the VNGOC has organised several informal NGO dialogues with representatives from UN bodies:
- Delegates from WHO, OHCHR, UNAIDS, UNDP | Tuesday, 14 March, 11:00-12:00, M3 & MS Teams
- UNODC Executive Director | Wednesday, 15 March, 11:00-12:00, M3 & MS Teams
- CND Chair | Thursday, 16 March, 09:00-10:00, CR-6 & MS Teams
- INCB President | Thursday, 16 March, 11:00-12:00, M3 & MS Teams
Resolutions
Five resolutions have been tabled and will be negotiated by Member States. The drafts are available here.
VNGOC AGM & elections
The VNGOC's Annual General Assembly is scheduled for Thursday, 16 March 2023 at 16:00 (Vienna) at the Vienna International Centre, (Room M-3, M-building 1st floor) and online via Zoom.
The Vienna NGO Committee (VNGOC) will hold elections for the following positions in its Board: 1) Chairperson, 2) Deputy Treasurer, 3) Deputy Secretary. For more information about this process, visit the VNGOC's website.
Please check if your organization has already paid the 2023 membership fees and if not please do so as soon as possible. In order to be able to vote during the General Assembly please make sure to settle outstanding fees before Wednesday, 15 March 2023.
Relevant links
- IDPC's 66th CND Session webpage
- Official CND web page
- VNGOC website on the 66th Session
- The 2022 Drugs “Omnibus” Resolution: The first-ever United Nations vote on drugs places human rights at the centre of international drug policy - IDPC written statement (NGO paper).
- The 2022 Commission on Narcotic Drugs - Report of Proceedings – An analysis of last year's meeting that brings the 66th Session into context.
- The spectre of article 14: The INCB Report for 2021, regulated cannabis markets and the board’s potential enforcement measures