Drug policy reform: A powerful tool to prevent serious human rights violations
SIDE EVENT – 60th Session of the UN Human Rights Council
When? Tuesday, 16 September 2025 - 14:00–15:00 (CET)
Where? Room Concordia 5, Palais des Nations, Geneva, Switzerland
Online access: Join here
Co-sponsored by Colombia, Greece, Switzerland, GANHRI, WHO, UN-Habitat, CELS, Dejusticia, Elementa DDHH, EHRA, INPUD, Harm Reduction International, Hayat, Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights, Skoun Lebanese Addictions Centre, SSDP International,
At the 60th session of the Human Rights Council, the Geneva core group on drug policy will table a resolution addressing the human rights implications of drug policy. This marks a strategically significant moment, as it will be the first time that the Council may adopt a drug policy resolution under its own authority -outside of a global drug control review framework.
Thus, the resolution presents a unique opportunity to constructively emphasise how drug policy reform can prevent serious and systemic human rights violations, including the death penalty, extrajudicial killings, and torture.
To date, drug policy discussions at the Human Rights Council have primarily focused on the right to health. This is reflected in past resolutions, as well as in the involvement of treaty bodies and special procedure mandates – most notably, the UN special rapporteur on the right of everyone to the highest possible standard of physical and mental health and the Committee on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights have taken a leading role.
A side event during the 60th session of the Human Rights Council offers a timely opportunity to broaden this conversation. It aims to engage Member States, human rights experts, and mechanisms on how extreme drug policies contribute to systemic and serious human rights violations – such as the right to life, liberty, and freedom from torture and arbitrary detention’. This event will adopt a constructive approach, highlighting reform pathways such as the abolition of the death penalty, international cooperation, and decriminalisation as effective tools for preventing human rights violations.
The side event will also galvanize a constructive conversation to foster the integration of key language on extreme responses to drugs and on current threats to civil society space into the 2025 HRC resolution.
Speakers
- Opening remarks: H.E. Ambassador Gustavo Gallón, Permanent Mission of Colombia to the UN (TBC)
- Keynote: Ruth Dreifuss, Global Commission on Drug Policy
- Vielta Parhomenko, International Network of People Who Use Drugs (video)
- Marta Machado, National Secretary for Drug Policy, Brazil
- Dr Lee Edson P. Yarcia (video)
- Charity Monareng, Executive Director, SSDP International
- Chair: Ann Fordham, International Drug Policy Consortium