 22 May 2024, 10AM CEST (Vienna time, UTC+2).

The International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) will host a civil society hearing for the INCB board members in the margins of the 140th session. The hearing will be on the topic of “

scenarios and possible responses to the rapid expansion of synthetic drug manufacture, trafficking, marketing and consumption

Up to 8 NGOs will have the possibility to present their work and positioning on this issue during the two hour meeting. In order to ensure an inclusive, comprehensive and meaningful civil society participation, the VNGOC will once again coordinate and select contributions from around the world. The VNGOC will follow our 

Each speaker will have 5-7 minutes to present their work on the topic of 

"scenarios and possible responses to the rapid expansion of synthetic drug manufacture, trafficking, marketing and consumption"

. Selected speakers will be asked to send in their statements or videos including transcripts before the hearing. All abstracts have to be submitted in English.

In order to apply for a speaking slot, please fill out

efore 3 May 2024, 11.45pm CEST (Vienna time)

. Please make sure that your abstract is relevant to the topic of the event, and clearly describes what you will be presenting about. Selected candidates will be notified as soon as possible.

INCB civil society hearing 2024 (Theme: Synthetic drugs - Scenarios and responses)

Please join us on Monday 13 May at 12.00 CET for the launch of the 

2024 Manifesto for a Progressive EU Drug Policy

 through a conversation on the future of European drug policy that will feature Members of the European Parliament and keynote European civil society speakers.

Please kindly register for the event through 

More than 260 European drug policy NGOs and 130 drug policy experts from 25 EU Member States have already signed the 2024 Manifesto for a progressive EU drug policy. We are coming together to call for a pragmatic and innovative EU drug policy that makes Europe safer, healthier, and more just.

If you want to support the manifesto, please make sure to:

Encourage your drug policy networks and colleagues to sign the manifesto.

Share the manifesto on social media with the hashtag #FutureDrugPolicyEU24.

If you want to get more involved in the campaign by translating the manifesto to your language or organizing a local launch event, please reach out to arogialli@correlation-net.org and kschiffer@correlation-net.org.

You can find the manifesto in Czech, English, Estonian, French, German, Italian, Hungarian, Lithuanian, Romanian, and Spanish, and the list of signatories, 

Thank you very much for your support, and we are looking forward to seeing you on Monday 13 for the launch of the manifesto.

Manifesto for a Progressive EU Drug Policy 2024 - Launch event

The United Nations Civil Society Conference is the premier event on the civil society calendar at the United Nations. The Conference offers civil society organizations an opportunity to put a global perspective on a specific issue and brings together senior UN System officials, prominent international civil society organizations, youth changemakers, academia, public opinion makers, and international media to discuss issues of global concern. This international forum, expected to host some 1500 participants, will provide preliminary discussions and data ahead of the Summit of the Future in September 2024 at the UN Headquarters in New York.

Since 1947, sixty-eight civil society conferences have resulted in successful outcomes due to previous interactions with civil society organizations.

Participation & 'The Future of Drug Policy'

As part of the stakeholder consultations to feed into the Summit of the Future, the 

 will focus on the Summit of the Future. With the aim to open room for drug policy voices the Vienna & New York NGO Committees on Drugs are convening an 

 for the upcoming Civil Society Conference in Nairobi (9-10 May).

The title of our coalition and session is as follows: »

 and the recommendations identified therein. The proposed agenda is available 

As one of the initial steps of the ImPACT Coalition we’ll 

session at the Civil Society Conference on 10 May 2024, 12.30-14.00 EAT (UTC+3)

The outcomes of the session on 10 May will feed into the Chair’s summary of the Civil Society Conference and are an important opportunity to try to ensure that drug related issues are also taken into consideration at the Summit of the Future.

We invite all interested stakeholders to contribute to the session!

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

2024 UN Civil Society Conference —Highlight: 'Drug Policy for the Future'

 Open Society Foundations located at 224 West 57th Street, New York.

International Funders for Indigenous Peoples (IFIP)

, is hosting a Dialogue on 'Harmony in Healing: Indigenous-led solutions in Substance Use Policy' to expand philanthropic advocacy, establishing relationships and dialogue with the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII) and the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (EMRIP). The dialogue will focus on assessing the prioritization given to drug policies impacting Indigenous Peoples and exploring potential collaboration on a report integrating substance use disorder treatment and harm reduction with Indigenous-led innovations. 

The aim is to initiate meaningful and collaborative engagement between Indigenous leaders/experts and key UNPFII representatives, specifically the Chair, addressing the critical issue of substance use disorder treatment among Indigenous Peoples affected by drug policies.

Kindly note that this session is divided into two panel discussions.

 Panel Discussion: Impacts of drugs use and policy on Indigenous Peoples and strategies and solutions.

 Panel Discussion: UNPFII and EMRIP Chair and Indigenous Leaders

Understanding the Current Landscape of substance use disorder treatment, harm reduction and Indigenous-led innovations, identifying shared aspirations and opportunities for coordinated philanthropic support.

Advancing Collective Knowledge and diverse perspectives on Indigenous-led care for people who use drugs, including substance use disorder treatment and harm reduction, fostering an exchange of ideas, experiences, and strategies for collective action

Enhance collaboration and partnership with UNPFII and EMRIP for collective advocacy for Indigenous Peoples

Creating a platform for the exchange of ideas, experiences, and strategies is crucial for advancing collective knowledge on Indigenous-led substance use disorder treatment and harm reduction.

Influence the global philanthropic sector to value and respect Indigenous views, center Indigenous leadership, and increase funding resources for Indigenous Peoples impacted by drug policies.

Lay the foundation for a collaborative and impactful partnership between Indigenous leaders, UNPFII, EMRIP and other key stakeholders, fostering positive change and advancement in substance use disorder treatment, harm reduction and Indigenous-led responses.

 UNPFII members, EMRIP Members, Indigenous Leaders and experts, representatives from UN Agencies, and philanthropic communities.

 The session will provide simultaneous interpretation in English and Spanish.

For any questions and clarifications: please contact: Chanda Thapa Magar- chanda@internationalfunders.org and/or Anabel Lopez: anabel@internationalfunders.org

Harmony in healing: Indigenous-led solutions in substance use policy

The 67th session of the United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) took place from March 14-22, 2024, in Vienna, Austria. For the Eurasian Harm Reduction Association (EHRA), it was an opportunity to engage with delegates from the CEECA region countries, co-sponsor side events, participate and ask questions in the informal dialogues with WHO, UNAIDS and UNODC, and advocate for progressive drug policies centered around public health and human rights.

Webinar will be in English and Russian languages.

Harm reduction, the 'Vienna spirit', and the pro-reform coalition - Follow-up to #CND67

Monday April 15, 9:00pm ET | Tuesday April 16, 9:00am PHT

As Mayor of Davao City and then President of the Philippines, Rodrigo Duterte orchestrated a campaign of widespread extrajudicial killings in the Philippine drug war. Now the subject of an investigation by the International Criminal Court, the Duterte drug war according to the government has claimed more than 6,000 lives, while NGOs believe the true number is upwards of 30,000. Since late during the Duterte presidency and continuing under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., drug war killings reported by media outlets in the Philippines have continued at a rate of about one per day.

Adding to the the suffering of victims/survivors, burial plots rented by the government have expiration dates, leading to cremations when families can't pay or sometimes without their knowledge. In addition to the indignity, this is also a potential evidentiary issue for the ICC. The AJ Kalinga Foundation's Program Paghilom helps families make arrangements for their loved ones' remains, with ritual to provide closure, and conducts forensic examinations, as part of a support framework that includes education, legal support and other basic needs.

International Center for Multigenerational Legacies of Trauma

, Founder and Executive Director, Rock Ed Philippines and head of its 

Fr. Flaviano Villanueva SVD is a leading human rights advocate in the Philippines. He will discuss the work of Program Paghilom, including its efforts to document and memorialize extrajudicial killings in the Duterte drug war while helping victims/survivors move forward with their lives.

Dr. Yael Danieli, a clinical psychologist, psychohistorian, victimologist and traumatologist, will discuss the challenges faced by victims/survivors of atrocities, the role of victims in relation to cases at the International Criminal Court, and the concept of reparative justice in international law. She will also discuss the impact that trauma from mass atrocities has on future generations, a phenomenon recognized by the ICC for the first time in the Uganda Dominic Ongwen prosecution.

Gang Badoy Capati is the founder of Rock Ed Philippines and Project: Steady Asia, and is a trauma therapist and trained media literacy instructor with a background in media, documentary filmmaking, education and publishing. She will discuss victims' trauma in the context of events and conditions in The Philippines.

Victims move forward from the Philippine drug war

The ‘Vienna Spirit’ shatters: Report of the 67th session of the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs and its high-level segment

Join us for a debrief session on the 67th session of the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) to discuss progress, gridlocks and potential ways forward for the UN drug control regime.

Monday, 8 April (13:00 - 14:30 - London time).

, International Drug Policy Consortium (IDPC)

Keynote speaker: H.E. Ambassador Laura Gil

, Permanent Representative of
Colombia to the UN in Vienna

Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR)

International Drug Policy Consortium (IDPC)

Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA)

, International Indigenous Peoples Drug Policy Alliance

 International Network of People who Use Drugs (INPUD)

Crisis unveiled: Making sense of CND67 for drug policy reform

Harm reduction services for people who inject drugs are essential interventions. There are many tools for HIV and HCV prevention amongst people who use drugs. Low dead space syringes and needles (LDSS) is one such tool.

This discussion will explore the uses and benefits of LDSS syringes for people who inject drugs.


Low dead space syringes: Analysis and benefits for people who inject drugs

Presenting the OHCHR report on human rights challenges in drug policy at the CND

Shifting from punitive drug policy models towards policies that promote health and human rights is crucial to addressing the world drug situation. 

This series of side events explores the seven key topics identified in the 

report on human rights challenges in addressing and countering the world drug situation

 released by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in August 2023.

Addressing Human Rights Challenges Related to Drug Use in Humanitarian and other Crisis Settings: 

09:10 – 10:00 CET | Hybrid (M6) | Organised by OHCHR in partnership with Skoun - Lebanese Addiction Centre

The death penalty for drug-related offences: Challenges to restrict its use and pathways towards abolition:

 8:00 – 8:50 CET | Hybrid (M2) | Organised by Harm Reduction International.

The right to a healthy environment and drug policy: 

8:00 – 8:50 CET | In-person only (M3) | Organised by Dejusticia.

Navigating tensions and contradictions: addressing human rights challenges related to the lack of, and the unequal access to, treatment and harm reduction: 

13:00 – 13:50 CET | In-person only (M6) | Organised by the International Network of People who Use Drugs.

Silenced no more: Amplifying the voices of populations disproportionately impacted bypunitive drug policies: 

9:10 – 10:00 CET | Hybrid (M0E05) | Organised by Students for Sensible Drug Policy International.

“The war on drugs” and the militarization of drug control: Measures to address these critical human rights challenges: 

9:10 – 10:00 CET | Hybrid (M3) | Organised by Centro de Estudios Legales y Sociales.

Ending overreliance on punishment: Decriminalization and prison decongestion as keygoals of drug policy reform

9:10 – 10:00 CET | Hybrid (M0E05) | Organised by POS foundation.

 on human rights challenges in addressing the world drug situation was released in August 2023, at the request of 

  A booklet summarising the findings and recommendations of the report can be downloaded in this page.

OHCHR 2023 report on human rights challenges in drug policy

Human Rights Council intersessional panel discussion on human rights challenges in drug policy (5th February 2024)

Special event held at CND66 reconvened: Human rights challenges in addressing and countering all aspects of the world drug problem

67th Commission on Narcotic Drugs: CND side events on human rights challenges in drug policy

The 67th session of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) will take place on 14-22 March 2024 in a hybrid format.

mid-term review of the 2019 Ministerial Declaration

, where the 2024 mid-term review will be conducted, on 14-15 March 2024.

If you missed the VNGOC’s webinar on how to engage with the midterm review process, 

To register for the session, provide your organisation has ECOSOC accreditation, 

A video introduction to the Commission's functioning and mechanisms of engagement is also available.

 facilitates your engagement with the proceedings and debates at the CND. This web 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

This year, the app's functionalities are available on 

Global Partnership on Drug Policies and Development

 (GPDPD) project, and this year's version was made possible by UNAIDS.

Please, help us disseminate by sharing with your colleagues and networks.

A record-breaking 174 side events are taking place throughout the session, 12 of them during the high-level segment. Access links and more information should be available on the session's site.

IDPC network members co-organise 61 side events at the session. A list with all of them is available 

The events organised last year, in 2023, can give you a sense of the scope and contents of these side events. Revisit them 

The IDPC Secretariat co-sponsors 29 side events that we warmly invite you to join. They're available 

OHCHR - Human rights and drug policy series

IDPC also recommends a series of 7 events organised by OHCHR on human rights and drug policy, 

As in previous years, the VNGOC has organised several informal NGO dialogues with representatives from UN bodies:

 | Tuesday, 19 March, 11:00-12:00, CR-7 & 

 | Wednesday, 20 March, 9:00-10:00, CR-7 & 

 | Wednesday, 20 March, 11:00-12:00, CR-7 & 

 | Thursday, 21 March, 09:00-10:00, CR-7 & 

 | Thursday, 21 March, 11:00-12:00, M3 & 

Four resolutions have been tabled and will be negotiated by Member States. The drafts are 

Off track: IDPC Shadow report for the mid-term review of the 2019 Ministerial Declaration on drugs

Human rights challenges in addressing and countering all aspects of the world drug problem – OHCHR report

Historical UN summit set to reveal unprecedented division as the international community fails to address global drugs crisis

Stuck in the inertia of the past: Report of the 66th session of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs

 – An analysis of last year's meeting that brings the 67th Session into context.

The INCB Report for 2022 - Regulated cannabis markets and international legal tensions: A missed opportunity

Human rights challenges in addressing and countering all aspects of the world drug problem - Report of the OHCHR

International Association for Hospice and Palliative Care Inc.

CND Chair's summaries on the thematic discussions on the implementation of all international drug policy commitments, following-up to the 2019 Ministerial Declaration: 2019 - 2023

CR by Ghana, titled 'African Stakeholder Dialogue: Strengthening Engagement in the CND’s 2024 Mid-Term Review'

CR by Germany titled 'Key results of the Expert Group Meetings on Harm Reduction in 2022 and 2023', co-hosted by the Office of the Narcotics Control Board of Thailand (ONCB), Harm Reduction International (HRI) and the International Drug Policy Consortium (IDPC)

Vienna NGO Committee (VNGOC) Annual General Meeting & Board elections

The VNGOC's Annual General Assembly is scheduled for Wednesday, 20 March 2024 from 16:00 to 17:30 at the Vienna International Centre, (Room CR-7) and online via MS Teams (

).

The Vienna NGO Committee (VNGOC) will hold 

 for the following positions in its Board: 1) Deputy Chairperson, 2) Treasurer, 3) Secretary. For more information about this process, visit the 

.

The VNGOC Nominations Committee recommends the following slate:

Please check if your organisation has already paid the 2023 and 2024 

 as only organisations in good standing can participate of the elections.

67th session of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND)

Tuesday, 27 February 2024 / 14:00 (London) - 

This ninth edition of the IDPC webinar on the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) focuses on its 

 (including the mid-term review of the 2019 Ministerial Declaration), which will take place in Vienna from 14-22 March 2022.

The webinar will shed light the key issues that are likely to structure the debates, discuss tabled resolutions and opportunities for engagement, and showcase the experience of IDPC network members in navigating and leveraging this forum for political advocacy.

This event will be available in English, Spanish and French.

 (International Drug Policy Consortium - IDPC).

CND 67: Key issues and opportunities

 Tuesday, 13 February 2024 (15:00 - 16:30 Vienna time)

The board of the Vienna NGO Committee on Drugs is inviting all members and interested NGOs to participate in an

 informal membership meeting on Tuesday 13 February 2024, 3PM to 4.30PM CET

 (Vienna time, UTC+1). The meeting will be held 

updates regarding the upcoming 67th CND and the VNGOC Annual General Meeting

 No formal decisions will be made by the committee.

Q&A on the 67th CND - modalities for NGO participation (Ms. Doris Resch, UNODC Secretariat to the Governing Bodies)

UNODC Civil Society Unit & VNGOC activities during the 67th CND (Ms. Mirella Dummar-Frahi, Chief, UNODC Civil Society Unit and Matej Košir, Chair, VNGOC)

Briefing on the new UNODC C.H.A.M.P.S initiative (Ms. Giovanna Campello, Chief, UNODC Prevention, Treatment & Rehabilitation Section)

Information on the upcoming AGM including overview of the VNGOC board elections

Past Events