Organised by VOCAL-Kenya & AfricaNPUD
15th September 2020
14:00 - 16:00 |EAT – Eastern Africa Time 

Join this conversation on three crucial topics:

The punitive approaches that negates safety and public health.

The health downside of mass criminalization.

Law enforcement and public health as an urgent agenda for East Africa.

Prof. Nick Croft. Centre for Law Enforcement and Public Health

Dr. Fayzal Sulliman. UNODC - East Africa Regional Office

Tinka Zerugaba. Commissioner of Police - Anti-Narcotics Police Uganda

Aggrey Aluso. Program Manager, Health and Rights, Open Society Initiative for Eastern Africa.

Richard Nininahazwe. Coordinator - AfricaNPUD

Criminalization of drug use in the context of COVID-19 - Gaps in policy and practice in East Africa

The regional campaign on decriminalisation of petty offences in Africa will be holding a virtual regional conference in September 2020. The overall objective of the Conference is to provide a continental platform for a broad-based discussion and review of measures adopted to contain public emergencies and crisis, such as the novel coronavirus (COVID-19); analyse policing policies and practices adopted in response to such emergencies; and determine whether there are any linkages between these measures, their enforcement and the rights and welfare of those experiencing social marginality and other forms of social-economic disadvantage. Additionally, the Conference aims to identify regional best efforts and practices - on responding to pandemics - that are right-based in nature and promote the targeted mainstreaming of such efforts into other existing commitments to address public emergencies.

The Conference will be held over three consecutive days on

 14th, 15th and 16th of September 2020, as separate sessions from 11h00 GMT

. The Conference will be held online, using a Zoom facility provided by a Campaign member.

The general theme of the Conference is “Policing Pandemics: Balancing Rights.” This theme is divided into three separate sub-themes- each to be discussed at a separate session. These sub-themes are:

 This sub-theme will explore problematic COVID-19 regulations and measures adopted by African states to combat and prevent the spread of the coronavirus. The enforcement of these measures have created new sets of laws or “petty offences” which previously did not exist. What was once considered permissible actions or activities now result in arrest and detention. These regulations or measures were created on the back of a public health problem with little public consultation or investigation into the possible adverse consequences for poor and marginalised people, who bear the heaviest burden resulting from lock-down measures. The panel will share regional and country-specific perspectives on how the enforcement of COVID-19 regulations or measures has had undesired or disproportionate effects on the rights of vulnerable and marginalised groups in society. Discussions will also reflect on whether or not there were less intrusive laws or ways to deal with the pandemic. The latter inputs will be beneficial in reflecting on lessons learnt for the handling of future pandemics.

Day 2. Approach adopted in the enforcement of measures aimed at combating COVID-19:

 Sub-theme two will assess the approaches adopted in the various sub regions of Africa to enforce measures aimed at containing covid-19. It will offer a unique platform to discuss whether the criminalisation of public health crisis - and the subsequent application of principles of criminal law- and the employment of a highly militarised and securitised approach to combat a public health emergency is an appropriate response. To do this, it will, inter alia, review practical examples of instances in which policing decisions and practices, adopted on the continent to enforce laws and regulation, resulted in widespread police violence and brutality, rather than increased protection of the health and safety of all. Further, it will examine whether the continent should have adopted non-policing efforts to address covid-19, in light of its past experience with other public health emergency, like Ebola.

Day 3. Impact of the adoption and enforcement of criminal law to combat public emergencies on, amongst others, the poor and marginalised:

 Sub-theme three will allow participants to reflect on the impact of the use of criminal law to combat a pandemic on, amongst other, access to justice for the of the poor and marginalised. Discussions will also engage with the impact of such enforcement on social and economic rights of the poor and its impact on public health and the criminal justice system.

Regional Conference on Decriminalisation of Petty Offences in Africa

9 September, 16:30-18:00 BST.
London – 16:30-18:00, Bogota – 10:30-12:00, New York, 11:30-13:00, Johannesburg – 17:30-19:00, Delhi – 21:00-22:30.

Part 1 of the webinar series - 'A World with Drugs: Legal Regulation through a Development Lens'.

In this webinar, we explore why the legal regulation of drugs is critical for development, and how the development sector must ensure drug policy reform is designed and delivered with the principles of social justice.

This webinar is part of a wider series exploring why the socially just legal regulation of drugs is vital for sustainable development. We will explore how drug policies intersect with some of the most pressing issues facing the development sector, and identify how to make sure legally regulated drug markets work for people along the supply chain.

Brought to you by a coalition of drug policy reform experts and development organizations: International Drug Policy Consortium, Transform Drug Policy Foundation, Transnational Institute, Canadian Drug Policy Coalition, Instituto RIA, and Interdisciplinary Centre for Cannabis Research (ICCR) facilitated by Health Poverty Action.

Drugs are a development issue. An introduction to legal regulation.

The UNITE Global Summit: Virtual 2020 aims to commit, inspire, and empower policy makers towards the achievement of the UN SDGs over the next decade, while building a roadmap on clear policy actions to eliminate the threat posed by communicable diseases. This alignment of a common vision will culminate in the signing of UNITE’s 2020 Declaration.

PANEL SESSION 5 - DRUG POLICY: TIME FOR PARLIAMENTARIANS TO PRESS FOR REFORM

Tuesday, 8 September | 11:30 – 13:00 GMT+1 (London time)

COVID-19 reinforced what civil society leaders and public experts knew already: people living with infectious diseases are not treated equal by societies, by justice systems or even by health facilities. In fact, in many settings around the world, science-based & data-driven information is alienated by ‘war on drugs’ policies and strict incarceration practices that put basic human rights at risk.

Transforming drug policy into state legislation which is evidence based and with a health, human rights and sustainable development focus requires strong lawmakers who are able to coordinate the scientific arguments, human rights advocacy and the public health treats over this issue. Moreover, lawmakers have an opportunity to see drug policy reforms as a process that allows countries to witness economic benefits through reduced spending on law enforcement and incarceration.

What is the role of policymakers in drug policy reform? How can policy-makers work with civil society in introducing measures for the regulation of cannabis for recreational use? What are the economic benefits of such reforms? Why the SDGs cannot be achieved without ending the ‘war on drugs’?


Report from Ghana: The fight to decriminalize drug possession | Seth Kwame Acheampong - Member of Parliament, Ghana & Maria-Goretti Anne - International Consultant, International Drug Policy Consortium

Report from Ecuador: Drug Decriminalization for The World | Rodrigo Vélez - Founder & General Director, Parametria

Report from the United Kingdom: The fight to open safe injecting facilities | Crispin Blunt - Member of Parliament, United Kingdom

UNITE Global Summit 2020

International Overdose Awareness Day is a global event held on 31 August each year and aims to raise awareness of overdose and reduce the stigma of a drug-related death. It also acknowledges the grief felt by families and friends remembering those who have died or had a permanent injury as a result of drug overdose.

International Overdose Awareness Day spreads the message that the tragedy of overdose death is preventable.

International Overdose Awareness Day 2020

The benefits of cannabis and hemp for the environment, human food and health, or for smart agricultural practices, are essential elements when it comes to building future resilient and nature-friendly societies. Our world needs a renewed approach focusing on development and human rights.

The summit will take the shape of a webinar and focus on change in Asia and beyond.

MHIRA Kanna Hemp Summit

ARASA and CoAct are coming together to facilitate a series of webinars on harm reduction and drug policy in the Southern and East African region for community activists, people who use drugs, policy makers, and other stakeholders!
This last webinar will focus on drug policy and drug policy reform, especially in light of the failed and harmful "War on Drugs". It will explore the need to have a human rights based approach to drug policy that is done with meaningful involvement of people who use drugs. The main facilitation for this webinar will be done by Mat Southwell from CoAct and the panel will include Maria-Goretti Loglo from the International Drug Policy Consortium (IDPC). Nathalie Rose, an expert on Drug Policy in the African region, will also lend her voice to the discussion. Registration here.

#TreatUsRight! webinar series: Fourth instalment - Drug policy

By the Stimulus National Implementation and Planning Committee

Stimulus Connect was envisioned by the Stimulus National Implementation and Planning (SNIP) Committee in response to the parallel public health emergencies of the toxic illegal drug market and Covid-19. Stimulus Connect is not just another webinar, it is an opportunity for Canadian stakeholders in harm reduction and drug policy to come together, learn and network on specific topics. The topics are gathered through a range of methods including from SNIP meetings, media, previous Stimulus Connects as well as Happy Harm Reduction Hangout. Simultaneous Interpretation will be provided.

10am to Noon Pacific time/11am-1pm Mountain time/Noon-2pm Central time/1pm-3pm Eastern time/2pm-4pm Atlantic/2:30pm-4:30pm Newfoundland Labrador time.

Women experience increased barriers to health and social services, and when they use drugs and/or engage in sex work they experience additional stigma and discrimination. Women who are pregnant experience the additional judgements of government authorities and many health care providers about the choices they make including: to carry or not carry a fetus, to parent or give a child up, to access or not access prenatal care. In addition power imbalances in relationships mean that as injection drug users they are often second on the needle, reliant on a male for drugs to be injected.

There are a range of factors, and layers of overlapping oppression including sexism, racism, and classism, that lead women to need women-centred harm reduction programs and policies responsive to their lived realities. Their resilience is our teacher. Please join us as we Connect.

Stimulus Connect: Women, Drugs, Pregnancy and the State

In light of the widely acknowledged shortcomings of the War on drugs, there’s a growing call for drugs, development and peacebuilding policies to be better integrated – to prioritise pro-poor development and align drug policy with the Sustainable Development Goals. But much work remains to be done. And the relationship between counter-narcotics, pro-poor development and peacebuilding is neither straightforward, nor necessarily complementary.

This event brings together actors from the drugs, development and peacebuilding fields to explore the tensions and trade-offs that exist between these different policy fields and the uneven distribution of costs and benefits of interventions.

How can we rethink the relationship between drugs, development and violence in war-to-peace transitions? What are the big trade-offs that need to be tackled? How can we better incorporate the voices and perspectives of those involved in illicit economies into policy debates?

The event will also launch the flagship publication of the Drugs & (dis)order research project ‘Voices from the borderlands 2020’, bringing to light experiences and perspectives of people involved in illicit drug economies in seven borderland communities in Afghanistan, Colombia and Myanmar.

, Director, Afghanistan Research and Evaluation Unit (Moderator)

, Professor of Conflict Studies, London School of Economics

, Executive Director, International Drug Policy Consortium

, Professor, Universidad Nacional de Colombia

Tough trade-offs: integrating drugs, development and peacebuilding

The Vienna NGO Committee on Drugs (VNGOC) together with the UNODC Civil Society Team are holding a series of webinars to present and discuss the World Drug Report 2020. The series includes webinars in English, French, Russian and Spanish. Each webinar includes a formal presentation of the World Drug Report 2020 by UNODC, a civil society presentation about how they work with the data of the World Drug Report, and an open question and answer session.

 Jamie Bridge, VNGOC, Mirella Dummar Frahi, UNODC

Presentation of the World Drug Report 2020:

 George Ochieng Odalo, Slum Child Foundation

Civil society webinar discussing the World Drug Report 2020

The West Africa Drug Policy Network (WADPN) is a coalition of Civil Society Organizations in all 16 West African countries advocating for evidence-based drug policy reform in the region. We call on all political leaders in West Africa to change punitive drug laws and policies that have not worked. For governments and other actors who are asking for guidelines to make these changes, the Model Drug Law for West Africa provides the requested guidance on how to make the necessary changes to drug laws and policies in our region.

Are you interested in learning more about the Model Drug Law for West Africa? what it is and how it can be used? Then join the West Africa Drug Policy Network – Liberia Chapter for its 1st Webinar on “Understanding the Model Drug Law for West Africa” On Monday 

 on WADPN’s online Zoom platform https://zoom.us/j/98655856494?pwd=clYyeW1DUU0wYU5Ca0phUnFvbEN0Zz09 Meeting ID: 986 5585 6494Passcode: 487471

Understanding the Model Drug Law for West Africa

By FREE ZONE, The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria & the Open Society Foundations

The conference is aimed at sharing, systematizing and promoting best practices, innovative approaches, legal initiatives on medical and social services for prisons’ inmates and those released in the COVID-19 circumstances in the EECA region.

Open dialogue and shared experience will help governmental and non-governmental institutions to address current challenges and to build flexible and sustainable health and social support systems for prisoners.

There will be both Russian and English translations of the event simultaneously.

After registration all materials will be sent: program, hand-outs and details on on-line platforms to participate.

Past Events