The Drugs Crisis has it all; crime, torture, capital punishment, human rights violations, Cold War echoes, missed Sustainable Development Goals, rival interpretations of international law and escalating HIV and overdose deaths. The UN’s three drug conventions are both revered and reviled. The UN General Assembly accelerated its review process, aiming to tackle the crisis with a special session in April. Some call its Outcome Document a human rights 'win', others claim they were excluded from the debate. Some countries called for drugs to be decriminalised or legally regulated - saying that major countries remain in denial. So will some of these now walk away?

Our expert speakers will help you make sense of one of the UN’s most intractable challenges.

Where: Room 4a - House of Lords, London, SW1A 0PW

Drug Policy Reform All Party Parliamentary Group

 International Doctors for Healthier Drugs Policies

Keep up-to-date with drug policy developments by subscribing to the IDPC Monthly Alert.

The UN's drugs policy; right at last or so, so wrong?

This two-week summer school prepares professionals and students to meet the complex policy challenges that face Europe in the field of drugs. Involving scientific experts from the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA), but also university professors and policy-makers, it provides a multi-disciplinary and inclusive approach to the study of the drug problem in Europe and beyond. As this summer school will give 6 ECTS credits for its courses, students can easily transfer credits to other European universities using the ECTS system. Credits will be attributed formally to post graduate students (Master and PHD), but it is possible to allow undergraduate to use these credits in their home universities.

This European Summer School will give ECTS credits for its courses. Scholarships are available. Registration starts at 7.01.2016.

Keep up-to-date with drug policy developments by subscribing to the IDPC Monthly Alert.

European Drugs Summer School

This course introduces students to a number of complex issues that relate to the management of global drug control, addressing the primary societal impacts of illicit markets and organised crime, and the current global framework for countering them.

We will also analyse responses to organised crime in ‘weak’ and conflict-afflicted states to understand which policies have proved most effective in reducing the corrosive effects of illicit markets on populations, and also review innovative public health and sustainable development-oriented approaches which provide effective strategies to manage drug use and dependence, including interaction with broader global security and governance issues.

While this course will include reference to South Africa and Africa more broadly, it will also critically evaluate the move towards the legal regulation of cannabis and the potential for other substances in Latin America, the US and Canada, including their impact on organised crime.

 is an Associate Professor in the Department of Social Policy at the LSE. He is also assistant director of the Mannheim centre for criminology at the London School of Economics, and is a member of StopWatch, which works to ensure fair and accountable stop and search. He publishes extensively on policing and drug policy.

 is Executive Director of the LSE IDEAS International Drug Policy Project as well as coordinator of the LSE Expert Group on the Economics of Drug Policy. John is coordinating a British Council funded project on “Illicit Drug Production and the Search for Peace in Colombia” as well as an LSE Research Division project on “Shifting Drug Strategies in Ireland and the UK”.

 is the Director of the newly established Institute for Safety Governance in the Global South, a multidisciplinary research centre at the University of Cape Town (UCT). He also holds the South African National Research Foundation (NRF) Chair in Security and Justice. He is the Director of the Geneva based Global Initiative against Transnational Organised Crime.

 is a Senior Researcher at the Institute for Safety Governance in the Global South at the University of Cape Town. He is an acknowledged expert in the evolution of drug use and drug markets in Cape Town and South Africa more generally, and is engaged in a number of research and community initiatives in the city. He has published extensively on drug use in South Africa.

Please, visit this page for further information on the application process.

LSE-UCT: Managing drugs, illicit markets and global public health - Summer course

One of the main activities of the Support. Don’t Punish campaign is a Global Day of Action taking place on 26th June each year.

26th June 2016 will be the 4th Day of Action organised so far. On 26th June 2013, 41 cities from around the world took part in the first ever Global Day of Action. In 2014, 100 cities around the world held a huge variety of different actions. And in 2016, 160 cities joined forces to call for drug policy reform.

26th June is the United Nations’ International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking – a day that on which many governments celebrate their contributions to the global ‘war on drugs’. In the past, some governments have even commemorated this day by holding public executions or beatings of drug offenders.

By taking part in the Global Day of Action, you can help to “reclaim” the message on this important day.

Support. Don't Punish global day of action

June 26 is the United Nations’ International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, a day when many governments celebrate their contributions to the global “war on drugs.” In the past, some countries have commemorated this day by holding public executions or beatings of drug offenders. Around the world, poorly designed drug laws that seek to punish production, possession, use, and even dependence have fueled violence, instability, and health crises. It’s time for a new approach.

"Please join us for a conversation with a panel of artists whose work illustrates the impact of drug policies through various mediums. This event is part of the unveiling of a series of murals in New York City that further illustrate how prohibitionist drug policies impact marginalized communities in the United States and abroad."

Artists for Change: a showcase from creatives for global drug policy reform

Anabolic Steroids: Evidence and engagement conference - 

The use of drugs for performance and image enhancement purposes has been firmly recognised as a public health concern. Of the diverse drugs that fall in this category, anabolic steroids and associated drugs appear to be the most prevalent and have the highest profile amongst the general population. Although in existence for several decades, the use of anabolic steroids for enhancement purposes is a complex and dynamic phenomenon. Consequently, efficient public health responses need to be informed by state-of-the-art evidence regarding prevalence, characteristics and risks, an understanding of changing user populations, and an appreciation of the strengths and limitations of different engagement strategies. With leading international and UK speakers, this conference will investigate what we already know about this drug use, the ways it has been dealt with, and the key challenges we are currently facing.

The conference is being organised by the Centre for Public Health at Liverpool John Moores University and will take place in Liverpool on Wednesday 22nd June 2016, from 9.30am to 4pm.

For our parallel sessions we welcome contributions related to the general theme of the conference or any associated topic. We would be particularly interested in contributions looking at the lessons that we could learn from other kinds of substance use as well as contributions looking at different national approaches and policies on anabolic steroids use.

We strongly encourage interaction amongst participants at the event and are therefore happy to consider different types of contributions, including research papers, shorter presentations and workshop contributions.

More information about the conference and the confirmed conference content can be found in the attached flyer and details of further parallel sessions will be added in due course.

 and your abstract should be emailed to SteroidConference2016@ljmu.ac.uk. Applicants will be notified of the organisers’ decision by 10th April 2016.

Please, click here to access the event page.

Anabolic Steroids: Evidence & engagement conference - Call for abstracts

Findings and recommendations of the Interdisciplinary Group of Independent Experts (GIEI).

 Carlos Martín Beristain (GIEI) and Ulises Quero (CMDPDH)

Ayotzinapa and its role in Mexico's human rights crisis

A VolteFace event in association with The Howard League for Penal Reform and Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP UK).

" We are proud to announce that, on the 14th of June, we are hosting a discussion which we have been excited about for some time now. ‘Betwixt and Between Prison and Drug Reform’, brings together some of the most vocal and esteemed names from the worlds of prison reform and drug policy reform. This event looks to explore how the two are mutually compatible, operate in a space with similar challenges, and are inextricably linked when it comes to this Government’s wider reform objectives."

Follow the debate on the night over on Twitter #VFReform.

Betwixt and Between: Prison and Drug Reform

The Mexico Summit is a new initiative from the UCL Mexican Society as part of its efforts to offer a better understanding of Mexico’s challenges and initiatives in a global context.

The First Mexico Summit at UCL aims to bring together students, researchers and decision makers to present and discuss about the current Global Drug Policy in a stimulating environment.

In mid April, the United Nations General Assembly will hold a Special Session on the World Drug Problem as part of its efforts to enhance cooperation and advance on a common strategy to counter the drug problem worldwide. The UCL Mexican Summit aims to widen the discussion around the drug problem, from different perspectives, and about the implications of the outcome document from UNGASS.

The format of the conference will include panel discussions around key issues on the drug problem and policies. Panels will be led by experts on the field and will count with the participation of students, researchers and government representatives.

The summit is organised by the UCL Mexican Society as part of it’s efforts to contribute to Mexico’s challenges through the advancement of applied science and technology.

Lessons from the Global Drug Policy: moving on from the 2016 UNGASS

17:00-18:30 / Thursday 9 June / Stratford Campus, Water Lane, UEL, E15 4LZ

Carl Hart is a professor of psychology and psychiatry at Columbia University who has been working closely with UEL students for the last year on a civic engagement project. Known for his research into drug abuse and drug addiction, Carl will talk about the importance of active citizenship, social justice and evidence-based drug policy as well as the role of power and his own personal story of identity and transformation. Victoria Macdonald (Channel 4 News) will chair a Q&A to follow Carl’s talk.

Civic Engagement: identity, power & transformation

Please find attached an invitation for a side event taking place during the HLM entitled “On the fast-track for the HIV response among people who use drugs: leadership to end AIDS” on June 9, 2016 , 8.00-9.30am in Conference Room 6. This event is hosted by the Columbia, Switzerland and Senegal, UNAIDS, UNODC and the Global Commission on Drug Policy.





FODE SECK Ambassador, Permanent Representative of Senegal to the United Nations
TANIA DUSSEY-CAVASSINI Ambassador for Global Health, Switzerland
LUIZ LOURES Deputy Executive Director, UNAIDS
RICARDO LUQUE Advisor, Ministry of Health, Colombia
MONICA BEG Chief, HIV/AIDS Section, UNODC
MARIA PHELAN Deputy Director, Harm Reduction International




MICHEL KAZATCHKINE Commissioner, Global Commission on Drug Policy

No need to RSVP as this is an open event. However if you require a special events pass please email middlehoffm@unaids.org

HLM side event - On the fast track for the HIV response among people who use drugs

In accordance with resolution A/Res/70/228, the UN General Assembly will convene a high-level meeting on HIV/AIDS (HLM) from 

. The HLM will undertake a comprehensive review of the progress achieved in realizing the 2001 Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS and the 2006 and 2011 Political Declarations on HIV/AIDS. It will adopt a concise and action-oriented declaration as its outcome, to be agreed upon by Member States, to guide and monitor the HIV/AIDS response beyond 2015, towards achieving the commitment of ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030.

The high-level meeting will comprise plenary meetings and up to five thematic panel discussions, which will include opportunities for civil society participation. The opening plenary meeting will feature statements by the President of the UN General Assembly, the UN Secretary-General, the Executive Director of the Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), a person openly living with HIV and an eminent person actively engaged in the response to HIV/AIDS.

The President of the General Assembly will organize an informal interactive civil society hearing in April 2016 (date TBC), with the active participation of people living with HIV and broader civil society, attended by representatives of UN Member and Observer States and observers, NGOs, CSOs and the private sector.

I. Representatives of civil society organizations (CSOs) in consultative status with ECOSOC and non-governmental members of the Programme Coordinating Board of UNAIDS: 

You are invited to participate in the High-level Meeting on HIV/AIDS in June and the informal interactive civil society hearing in April, but must register to attend these events using the form below.


Please visit this page to confirm the ECOSOC accreditation status of your organization:

Instructions:
(1) Type your organization's name into the search field in the top right corner of the site;
(2) Hit the "Go" button or return key on your keyboard to see if your organization is listed as "General," “Special,” or "Roster" for ECOSOC consultative status (all three qualify)

II. Representatives of NGOs, CSOs, academic institutions and the private sector that are NOT in consultative status with ECOSOC and NOT members of the Programme Coordinating Board of UNAIDS: 

You may apply to participate in the High-level Meeting on HIV/AIDS in June and the informal interactive civil society hearing in April by completing the form below. From among applications received, the President of the General Assembly will submit a proposed list of representatives of NGOs, CSOs, academic institutions and the private sector to UN Member States for their consideration on a non-objection basis and bring the list to the attention of the General Assembly. Approved applicants will be notified by mid-March.


III. In the last section of this form, you will have the option to apply to serve as a speaker at the informal interactive civil society hearing in April and/or the High-level Meeting in June. 

If you wish to apply for a speaking role, please read this guidance note before proceeding:

The deadline is the 12th of February 2016 - Please note that incomplete applications cannot be processed. Please be sure to provide all documents that are required below.


The UN Secretary General will issue a report

 on progress in addressing HIV. The report will be public and will inform government dialogues and negotiations on the Political Declaration. (The Report released on the 1st of April will be the advance unedited version in English, with an official report in six languages coming on 29 April).

Political Declaration Zero draft release.

 The HLM Co-Facilitators, the Swiss and Zambian Ambassadors, will share the zero draft (the “first draft”) of the Political Declaration with Member States mid April. From this time onward civil society can advocate with governments (at UN missions in New York and national capitals) for specific modifications or additions in the Declaration draft.

For more information about the High-level Meeting on HIV/AIDS, click here.


Past Events