IDUCARE is a service delivery community-based organisation for people who use drugs. IDUCARE's models of intervention are defined by peer outreach workers and include: Capacity building for peer outreach workers, mobilising people who use drugs to ensure access to care, delivering harm reduction services as well as community-based rehabilitation and public health education, influencing policies to promote adherence to international human rights obligations, and monitoring and evaluating institutional progress.

IDUCARE es una organización comunitaria de prestación de servicios para consumidores de drogas. Los modelos de intervención de IDUCARE son definidos por los trabajadores de extensión inter pares e incluyen: El desarrollo de capacidades de los trabajadores de extensión inter pares, la movilización de las personas que consumen drogas para garantizar el acceso a la atención, la prestación de servicios de reducción de daños, así como la rehabilitación basada en la comunidad y la educación en salud pública, la influencia en las políticas para promover la adhesión a las obligaciones internacionales de derechos humanos, y el seguimiento y la evaluación de los avances institucionales.

IDUCARE est une organisation communautaire de prestation de services pour les personnes usagères de drogues. Les modèles d'intervention d'IDUCARE sont définis par les travailleurs de proximité pairs et comprennent : Le renforcement des capacités des travailleurs de proximité pairs, la mobilisation des personnes usagères des drogues pour garantir l'accès aux soins, la prestation de services de réduction des risques ainsi que la réadaptation à base communautaire et l'éducation à la santé publique, l'influence des politiques pour promouvoir le respect des obligations internationales en matière de droits humains, et le suivi et l'évaluation des progrès institutionnels.

IDUCARE

2025 WORLD DRUG DAY: UNODC AND CND MUST TAKE URGENT ACTION TO END UNLAWFUL USE OF THE DEATH PENALTY FOR DRUG-RELATED OFFENCES

On the occasion of the 2025 International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, also known as World Drug Day, on 26 June – which also marks the Support. Don’t Punish Global Day of Action – we, the undersigned 70 organizations, call on the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) to unequivocally condemn the use of the death penalty for drug-related offences and take concrete steps to ensure that international human rights safeguards restricting the imposition of this cruel punishment are fully implemented, with a view to its full abolition. The continued failure to take a stand against the death penalty by these UN bodies mandated to oversee the development and implementation of international drug policies contributes to a lack of transparency and accountability for these human rights violations, and risks being interpreted as tolerance or even complicity at a critical moment when drug-related executions are in an unprecedented rise.

THE DEATH PENALTY FOR DRUG-RELATED OFFENCES: EXECUTIONS ON THE RISE IN A HANDFUL OF COUNTRIES

The death penalty is retained for drug-related offences in at least 34 countries. Although official information on the use of the death penalty is not publicly available for many countries, research carried out independently and separately by our organizations indicates that this punishment is mostly imposed for offences related to the cultivation, manufacturing, trafficking or importing/exporting of controlled substances.

Drug-related executions have been increasing in recent years. In 2024, Amnesty International and Harm Reduction International recorded over 600 drug-related executions, which constituted around 40% of total executions globally (1,518) and a 25% increase on the known total executions for these offences in 2023 (508 out of 1,153), making 2024 the deadliest year on record since 2015. These figures show that punitive drug policies have become a significant driver of the use of capital punishment both globally and in many countries individually.

Drug-related executions were known to have been carried out in four countries in 2024: Iran, Singapore, Saudi Arabia and China. In China, official sources confirmed drug-related executions, but state censorship and lack of transparency did not make it possible to establish a credible figure. The authorities of Iran carried out approximately 500 executions for drug-related offences in 2024, the majority of executions confirmed nationally, according to figures by the Abdorrahman Boroumand Centre, Iran Human Rights and others. These constituted 79% of the known global totals for drug-related executions. In Saudi Arabia, the number of drug-related executions (122) constituted 35% of the national total and an alarming rise from the only two recorded in 2023. In Singapore, eight out of 9 executions carried over the year were drug-related. Civil society monitoring also suggests that drug-related executions were carried out in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea) and Viet Nam, but could not confirm it due to restrictive state practices.

Amnesty International and Harm Reduction International recorded at least 337 new death sentences known to have been imposed for drug-related offences in at least 13 countries in 2024: Bangladesh, China, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Laos, Malaysia, Pakistan, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Viet Nam, and Yemen. In addition to these, Harm Reduction International 

recorded death sentences for drug-related offences in Egypt, North Korea, Saudi Arabia and Thailand. It is estimated that at least 2,300 people were on death row for drug offences in 19 countries at the end of 2024; though actual figures are likely to be significantly higher.

Attempts to discuss or introduce the death penalty as punishment for drug-related offences were also recorded in some countries in 2024, including Fiji, the Maldives, Nigeria and Tonga.

However, recent developments in several Asian countries suggest that, in the long term and with sufficient political will, a significant decrease in the global resort to the death penalty for drug-related offences is possible. Among other examples, in July 2023, Pakistan repealed the death penalty for drug-related offences; the first country to do so in over a decade; and in April 2025, the Ministry of Public Security of Viet Nam proposed repealing the death penalty in the Penal Code for eight crimes, including drug trafficking. The 2023 repeal of the mandatory death penalty Malaysia resulted in the commutation of more than 1,000 death sentences, with none of the more than 40 sentences confirmed by the Federal Court relating to drug trafficking. 

A CLEAR VIOLATION OF INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS LAW AND STANDARDS

International human rights law and standards restrict the use of the death penalty to the “most serious crimes”, which do not include drug-related offences. Article 6(2) of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and Safeguard No.1 of the UN Safeguards guaranteeing protection of the rights of those facing the death penalty, adopted through UN Economic and Social Council resolution 1984/50, provide that the imposition of the death penalty must be restricted to the “most serious crimes”. The UN Human Rights Committee has stated that “The term ‘the most serious crimes’ must be read restrictively and appertain only to crimes of extreme gravity, involving intentional killing. Crimes not resulting directly and intentionally in death, such as […] drug and sexual offences, although serious in nature, can never serve as the basis, within the framework of article 6, for the imposition of the death penalty. […].” In a 2023 report to the UN Human Rights Council, the Office of the High Commissioner on Human Rights highlighted that “[d]rug-related offences can never serve as the basis for the imposition of the death penalty”.

The three UN Drug Conventions do not make any reference to the death penalty, while several UN human rights and drug control bodies have reiterated the total opposition to the death penalty, including for drug related offences. The UN Common Position on Drugs has reiterated in unequivocal terms that the application of the death penalty for drug-related offences does not respect the spirit of the UN Drug Conventions and has the potential to become an obstacle to effective cross-border and international cooperation against drug trafficking. The International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) has also noted that the use of the death penalty for drug-related offences is in breach of the UN Drug Conventions and a violation of international human rights law, and has called on States that still retain this punishment for drug-related offences to consider abolishing it for such offences and commuting death sentences that have already been imposed. More broadly, the INCB has stressed that respect for human rights is a prerequisite for the implementation of the UN Drug Conventions, and that measures adopted with the purported aim of furthering drug policy that are inconsistent with universally recognized human rights norms are a violation of the Conventions.

World Drug Day is an initiative designed to encourage international cooperation to address the risks and harms of drugs. However, this day has unfortunately been used by various governments to promote highly punitive approaches as the authorities display “zero tolerance” and “iron-fist on drug crime” stances. In some retentionist countries, World Drug Day has been used to support an increased resort to the death penalty or even to ramp up drug-related executions. For example, World Drug Day has been a regular hook for Chinese courts, including the Supreme People’s Court, to issue judicial guidelines on how to apply the death penalty for drug-related offences. The authorities of Iran have also reaffirmed on World Drug Day their strong resolve to act as “the flag bearer of the global fight against narco-traffickers and death dealers”.

Meanwhile, the publication of the World Drug Report, launched by UNODC every year on 26 June, presents a unique opportunity for UNODC to publicly condemn the application of the death penalty for drug-related offences and recommend concrete measures that states that still retain this cruel punishment can implement to align their domestic policies with international human rights law and standards.

Our organizations reiterate our call on all international drug control mechanisms, including the CND and UNODC, to consistently incorporate death penalty abolition (and human rights more generally) into their work, including in connection with the World Drug Day. In particular, we urge the CND to establish a standing item in its agenda to address the human rights impacts of drug policies; and for UNODC to ensure that human rights are part of its constant monitoring work, including through the inclusion of a specific chapter on human rights in its yearly World Drug Report.

The continued and unequivocal public condemnation by UNODC and the CND of the use of the death penalty for drug-related offences would be critical, in the long term, to change the perception of this issue and foster a context for discussions that puts the protection of human rights at the core of international and national drug control policies.

ACAT Germany (Action by Christians for the Abolition of Torture)

Africa Network of People Who Use Drugs [AfricaNPUD]

AIVL-Australian Injecting & Illicit Drug Users League

Añadir REPECAP - Academicsforabolition. Spain

Association for Humane Drug Policy, Norway

Center of Legal and Social Studies (CELS)

Colegio de Abogados y Abogadas de Puerto Rico

Corporación Acción Técnica Social - Colombia

DITSHWANELO - The Botswana Centre for Human Rights

ECPM (Together against the death penalty)

European Network of People who Use Drugs (EuroNPUD)

European Saudi Organization for Human Rights

Groupement Romand d’Études des Addictions (GREA), Switzerland

German Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty (GCADP)

Indonesian Drug Policy Reform Network (Jaringan Reformasi Kebijakan Narkotika)

Institute for the Rule of Law of the International Association of Lawyers (UIA-IROL)

International Center for Ethnobotanical Education, Research and Service (ICEERS), Spain

International Drug Policy Consortium (IDPC)

International Network of People who Use Drugs (INPUD)

International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH)

The Kenyan Section of the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ Kenya)

lifepark (Switzerland) - movement against the death penalty

MADPET (Malaysians Against Death Penalty and Torture)

Organisation for the Prevention of Intense Suffering (OPIS)

Responsible Business Initiative for Justice

Southern Methodist University Human Rights Program

World Coalition Against the Death Penalty

2025 World Drug Day: UNODC and CND must take urgent action to end unlawful use of the death penalty for drug-related offences

The Network of Asian People who Use Drugs (NAPUD)

IDUCARE (a civil society organization in the Philippines)

 welcome and support the ICC's decision to arrest Duterte for his crime against humanity. The decision is a significant milestone and affirms that no individual, regardless of position or power, is above the law. The ICC's intervention and decision have renewed our faith in the international justice system.

On 11 March 2025, the Philippines' former President Rodrigo Duterte was sent to The Hague hours after his arrest in Manila at the request of the International Criminal Court (ICC) as part of its probe into a "war on drugs" that defined his presidency through 2016 - 2022. Duterte could become the first Asian former head of state to go on trial at the ICC.

We recognize that Duterte is responsible for egregious human rights violations, extrajudicial killings, and abuses of power. His nationwide 'war on drugs' campaign resulted in the loss of over thirty thousand lives and directly affected millions of Filipinos, especially the poorest.

 the Executive Director of IDUCARE said,



"As CSOs and citizens of this great nation, we must ensure accountability for all cases of extrajudicial killings and that justice is served for the victims and their families. The harrowing effects of EJKs during Dutere's war on drugs campaign have left scars on our community which must not be ignored."

"In pursuit of justice, we must revisit and amend the 'Republic Act 9165' and the 'Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act, 2002' to prevent the recurrence of such a dark chapter in the history of our country."

"Justice must prevail over impunity and let this be a strong message to all governments who adopt a war on drugs approach. Every war on drugs is a war on people who use drugs, especially those already marginalized and vulnerable socio-economically."

Leila de Lima, a former justice minister who was jailed under Duterte, months after she led a Senate investigation into the killings, said the families of victims were courageous in bringing him to justice. 

"Your voices mattered, your courage mattered,"

We believe that by strengthening laws and institutions, the Philippines can set a new course of human rights- and public health-based approaches to drug use, which protect the rights and dignity of all citizens.

NAPUD and IDUCARE will continue efforts in reforming drug laws and policies in the Philippines and across the Asia region.

Joint Statement – NAPUD and IDUCARE in support of ICC’s decision to arrest Duterte for his crime against humanity

The Philippine Department of Justice (DOJ) and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) are jointly holding the Philippine Drug Policy and Law Reform Summit from 10 to 12 July 2024.

Recognising the complexity of the issue, the summit adopts a multidisciplinary approach by bringing together various stakeholders including civil society organisations, national government agencies, local government units, policymakers, academia, and health professionals. Nationwide dialogues with various sectors are envisioned to produce a roadmap better aligning drug policies and human rights.

For further coordination on the arrangements for the Summit, your office may contact Ms. Maria Kristina Uson at maria.uson@un.org

Philippine drug policy and law reform summit

This paper traces the roots of the barriers faced by womxn who use drugs to the international drug control system and subsequent national drug policies. It outlines international standards on public health and human rights that provide guidance on the reforms governments must urgently pursue. To elaborate on the needed reforms, the paper also presents country-specific recommendations from civil society organizations to governments in Southeast Asia.

Breaking Barriers and Building Bridges: Navigating justice for womxn who use drugs in Southeast Asia

CEBU, Philippines – The words "shoot to kill" never leaves Johann “Panki” Nadela’s mind as he works day and night to provide health services to young people with substance abuse disorders (SUD) and those that use drugs to cope with life. Nadela made it his life’s mission to fight for a “better answer” to the war on drugs. That better alternative is harm reduction—a concept that consists of providing healthcare services, social reintegration, legal assistance, and psychosocial support for all persons who use drugs (PWUDs).

Before Duterte, Nadela worked for several outreach programs focused on case-finding and service-delivery for people who inject drugs (PWID) and persons at risk of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).

In 2015, the outreach worker became a community organizer and co-founded IDU Care—a community-led organization of PWUDs that actively advocates compassionate and realistic methods in solving the country’s drug problem.

IDU Care currently manages a community drop-in center in Cebu City that provides paralegal assistance, counseling, medical treatments and therapy, and resources for peer education programs on safe practices for persons living with drugs.

According to Nadela, the drug war heavily impacted operations at IDU Care’s community drop-in center, forcing them to integrate precautionary measures in their outreach activities and services. Nadela shared that at least two members of the organization were victims of extrajudicial killings during Duterte’s drug war.

One of them, the community organizer said, was 

 who was an active member of IDU Care and an activist who advocated for workers’ rights in Cebu. Kaloy was shot dead as he stepped down from a tricycle on his way home in Consolacion town in 2017. 

Nadela told Rappler that he dreams of seeing a comprehensive harm reduction policy being used by the national government to address the needs of PWUDs in the country. In recent years, IDU Care has collaborated with civil service organizations, local government units, and international organizations like the International Drug Policy Consortium (IDPC) for programs aimed at harm reduction.

For Gloria Lai, IDPC Asia Regional Director, harm reduction involves health-based approaches that put value on treatment rather than actions that reinforce the stigma associated with drug use.

“When we talk about harm reduction, the focus is usually on HIV and treatment but a lot of that is impacted by the surrounding environment and that comes down to drug laws and policies,” Lai said in a phone call interview with Rappler.

The harm reduction advocate explained that changing drug policies from a punitive framework to a health-based framework can provide an enabling and rehabilitative environment for PWUDs.

Philippines: Before and after Duterte, Cebu group banners ‘better answer’ to drug war

The International Drug Policy Consortium invites applications for the Fellowship Programme from eligible persons in the Philippines who are passionate about using their legal skills and experience to help people that are negatively affected by drug laws in the country. 

The Fellowship involves carrying out an action plan over a maximum period of 9 months with a budget of USD3,000, under the guidance of a mentor.

The Drug Laws and Access to Justice Fellowship Programme is a component of the REFORM project. In February 2023, the International Drug Policy Consortium (IDPC), together with 

Institute of HIV Research and Innovation (IHRI)

 in Thailand, started implementing a 3-year regional project funded by the 

. It is called the "Criminal Justice Reform through Drug Policy Reform in Southeast Asia" (REFORM) project, and the International Drug Policy Consortium (IDPC) serves as the overall project coordinator and leads on delivery of the regional programme of activities, where partners from Malaysia, Myanmar and the Philippines are included, in collaboration with 

 (Malaysia). The REFORM project aims to support people who use drugs, media professionals, legal experts, and civil society allies to work together in advocacy to end punitive drug laws, abusive law enforcement practices, and stigma and discrimination.

The objective of the Fellowship Programme is to support the development of emerging advocates through focused and targeted mentoring and capacity building, in the Philippines, Malaysia and Myanmar. The Fellowship Programme will operate for three years, with one fellowship awarded to one person from a different country (either the Philippines, Malaysia or Myanmar) each year from 2023 to 2025.

Who is eligible to apply for the Fellowship?

People working in the Philippines to provide various forms of legal assistance, including paralegal assistance, and/or to advocate for reforms to drug policies and practices to improve human rights and harm reduction outcomes for people negatively affected by punitive drug policies, e.g. people who use drugs, within the country.

Fellows will be selected through a process involving an open call for applications. Applications received will be assessed by a panel of experts working at regional and country level in the field of drug policy reform and access to justice, and assessed against the following criteria:

interest and capacity to provide legal assistance and ensure access to justice for people affected by punitive drug policies

interest and capacity to contribute to advocacy for drug policy reform towards decriminalisation and harm reduction, and

ability to collaborate with civil society advocates and communities affected by punitive drug policies.

Fellows will develop and implement their own 9-month workplan for improving access to justice in relation to the application of drug laws, together with a mentor. Throughout the 9-month period, and under a Memorandum of Understanding with their mentor, fellows will commit to:

develop and implement their workplan, in consultation with their mentor

initiate a monthly call, for a maximum one hour duration, with their mentor to discuss progress and seek feedback on implementation of their workplan, and

connect and communicate with other colleagues on a regular basis, including as facilitated by IDPC and through participation in capacity-building activities as opportunities arise, to support regional knowledge and capacity transfer.

The Programme aims to support fellows who wish to boost their capacity to bring about change in a region with some of the most punitive policies against people who use drugs in the world, by applying their legal and para-legal skills and knowledge.

Fellows are expected to stay in their pre-existing roles or employment, and to work towards completion of the workplan on a part-time basis only. They will receive a modest amount of financial support (USD3,000) for delivering workplan outputs, eg. publication and meeting costs.

IDPC will also work to ensure that Fellows can meet their mentor in person at least once during the year, and have opportunities to network with other fellows and civil society advocates in the region, eg. through participation in capacity-building and advocacy activities.

If you wish to apply for the fellowship programme, please send an application via email to Ms. Unchisa Eaimtong (ueaimtong@idpc.net), IDPC Programme Officer, by 

11pm (Bangkok time) Thursday 21 September 2023

. The application should include the following information, in the body of the email or as attachments:

Outline of your proposed workplan to be implemented throughout the duration of the Fellowship Programme from 1 November 2023 to 31 August 2024, including objectives, rationale, expected outcomes, workplan activities and estimated timeline for implementation.

IDUCARE

Region

Translations

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2025 World Drug Day: UNODC and CND must take urgent action to end unlawful use of the death penalty for drug-related offences

Joint Statement – NAPUD and IDUCARE in support of ICC’s decision to arrest Duterte for his crime against humanity

Philippine drug policy and law reform summit

Breaking Barriers and Building Bridges: Navigating justice for womxn who use drugs in Southeast Asia

Philippines: Before and after Duterte, Cebu group banners ‘better answer’ to drug war

Drug laws and access to justice in the Philippines fellowship programme - Call for applications