Eliminate Violence Against Women and Gender Diverse People Who Use Drugs

Women and Harm Reduction International Network (WHRIN)

 and partner organisations. It takes place each year during the 

16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence

The campaign shines a spotlight on the extreme and widespread violence experienced by women and gender diverse people who use drugs, and on the urgent need for 

drug policies grounded in human rights, gender equality, and harm reduction

EVAWUD exposes how patriarchal norms and punitive drug laws intersect to produce gendered violence and exclusion. Women and gender diverse people who use drugs face violence at up to 25 times the rate of women in the general population — including extra-judicial killings, forced sterilisation and abortion, sexual and physical violence, loss of child custody, imprisonment for personal drug use, and denial of essential health and social services.

The campaign centres the leadership of women and gender diverse people who use drugs, highlighting 

peer-led responses and community-based initiatives

 that provide effective, rights-based solutions. EVAWUD advocates for:

integration of sexual and reproductive health and GBV services

 of women and gender diverse people who use drugs in shaping policy and services;

 of all drug use and possession, to reduce stigma, violence, and state abuse linked to the “war on drugs”.

Through coordinated global actions, storytelling, and advocacy during the 16 Days of Activism, EVAWUD challenges systemic violence and affirms the right of women and gender diverse people who use drugs to live with 

Campaign for the elimination of violence against women who use drugs (EVAWUD 2025)

 Wednesday, December 3, 2025, 6:30 pm - 9:00 pm

 CEU Auditorium (Vienna Campus) - Quellenstrasse 51, 1100, Vienna

The coca leaf has held an important place in the cultures of the Andes for its nutritional and medicinal benefits. In the modern era, however, coca came to be identified internationally with its isolated alkaloid, leading to global controls that today limit its traditional uses. New research and public debate are prompting policymakers and communities to reconsider coca’s cultural, scientific, and economic significance, and to question how law and policy can keep pace with evolving evidence.

 invites researchers, policy experts, and Andean community voices to ask: What potential does coca hold for innovation, and what barriers remain in law, science, and global politics? How can policy keep pace with cultural realities and emerging evidence? This event provides a platform for nuanced discussion on the ongoing WHO Expert Committee on Drug Dependence critical review of the coca leaf and its implications for global drug governance, cultural rights, and evidence-based policymaking. 

The program features a panel discussion and a Q&A with speakers followed by a wine reception. Participants will also be able to interact with an exhibition of textile pieces produced by Agroarte. The event is open to all.

, Chief, Rule of Law and Democacy Section, Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).

, an agroecological organization with two decades of continuous work in sericulture, founded in 1989 by the initiative of a group of ten campesino families. Since then, the women of this community have persisted in the organic and sustainable silk production chain, dignifying the work of artisans and preserving knowledge in mulberry cultivation, thread harvesting, natural dyeing, and handwoven textiles. The colors of the coca leaf inspire their collection "Essence, Memory, and Transformation."

 is a Colombian chemist (National University of Colombia) with over 16 years' experience in drug policy across public, private, and academic sectors. He specializes in international drug control, regulatory models for controlled substances, synthetic drugs, new psychoactive substances, and cannabis for medical, scientific, and industrial use. Former General Director of the National Narcotics Fund (2016-2019), advisor at the Ministry of Justice (2013-2016), Regulatory Manager in a medicinal cannabis company (2019-2023) and is currently an independent consultant. He led Colombia’s implementation of UN drug policy recommendations, significantly improving access to controlled medicines, and has been an invited expert on cannabis regulation at numerous international academic events. 

Rethinking coca: Indigenous knowledge, science, and international drug policy

 Accra International Conference Centre(AICC)

 Catalysing Integrated Sustainable Responses to end AIDS, TB & Malaria.

Catalysing Africa’s progress towards triple elimination and sustainable resilient health systems through innovation and digital technologies.

Promote cooperation among governments, communities, the private sector, and international organizations to enhance health security and improve pandemic preparedness and response.

Strengthen capacity and facilitate knowledge exchange for healthcare professionals, researchers, and policymakers.

Empower communities and promote human rights and gender equality in the context of HIV/AIDS and emerging and reemerging diseases.

Mobilize domestic resources and political commitment to sustain Africa's progress towards achieving the UNAIDS 95-95-95 targets and global health security goals.

23rd International Conference on AIDS and STIs in Africa (ICASA)

 Vienna International Centre (C-Building, Boardroom D).

This year, the reconvened sessions of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) and the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice (CCPCJ) will take place jointly. 

The Reconvened 68th CND and the 34th CCPCJ Reconvened Session will be held on 4–5 December 2025, at the Vienna International Centre (C-Building, Boardroom D).

Reconvened CND 68th Session

The 69th session of the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs is expected to take place on 9-13 March 2026 in Vienna, Austria.

69th session of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND)

“Accelerating crime prevention, criminal justice and the rule of law: protecting people and planet and achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in the digital age.”

The Fifteenth Crime Congress will be held from 25 to 30 April 2026 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates under the overall theme “Accelerating crime prevention, criminal justice and the rule of law: protecting people and planet and achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in the digital age”, in line with the General Assembly resolution 

High-level segment (Heads of State, Ministers, etc.)

Single declaration, later reviewed by the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice

Regional preparatory meetings starting in 2025

Emphasis on participation of least developed countries, civil society, academia, and NGOs

Encourages early preparation by Member States and creation of national preparatory committees

15th UN Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice

Scientific progress over the 40-plus years of the HIV response has transformed HIV into a manageable condition if you have access to treatment. By the end of 2024, the number of AIDS-related deaths had dropped by 54% and new HIV acquisitions by 40% since 2010. HIV treatment is now so effective that the virus can be undetectable and, therefore, untransmittable. We have highly successful long-acting HIV prevention options, including the injectables, lenacapavir and cabotegravir, with a long-acting oral prevention technology on the horizon.

Despite these gains, UNAIDS data suggests stagnant progress in recent years: 1.3 million people acquired HIV and 630,000 people died of AIDS-related causes in 2023 and again in 2024. There continue to be huge gaps in HIV prevention and treatment: 9.2 million people living with HIV were not getting life-saving medicines in 2024. This is because old barriers to HIV services persist. Among them are stigma and discrimination, criminalization and structural inequalities between populations and countries.

In early 2025, the suspension of US foreign aid, including PEPFAR, triggered a funding crisis that threatens to widen those gaps. This underscores the urgent need for countries to strengthen domestic financing, improve efficiencies and prioritize sustainability.

We have to work together to prevent the current crisis from rolling back progress.

Join the International Aids Society at the 26th annual AIDS conference in Rio de Janeiro and virtually from July 26-31, 2026, for vital conversations to rethink, rebuild and rise.

AIDS 2026 - 26th International AIDS conference

The reconvened 69th session of the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs is expected to take place on 3-4 December 2026 in Vienna, Austria.

Events