Intercambios is an Argentinean organisation with a mission is to study and call attention to problems related to drug use. It is a founding member of the Latin American Harm Reduction Network (Red Latinoamericana de Reducción de Daños) and the Argentine Harm Reduction Network (Red Argentina de Reducción de Daños).

Intercambios es una organización cuya sede está en Argentina, encargada de estudiar y llamar la atención del público sobre los problemas relacionados con las drogas. Intercambios es uno de los miembros fundadores de la Red Latinoamericana de Reducción de Daños.

Intercambios est une organisation argentine visant à étudier et à attirer l’attention du public sur les problèmes relatifs à la drogue.

Intercambios

By Sam Shirley-Beavan, Cinzia Brentari, Pablo Cymerman, Rafael Torruella

Report produced in the framework of the short-term technical assistance TALACLANPUD- 2021 “Ensure the involvement and participation of people who use drugs (PWUD) in the processes related to the Global Fund funding cycle in the 11 countries of the ALEP multi-country project”

There are approximately 5.5 million people who use non-injected drugs in Latin America and the Caribbean, while the number of people who inject drugs is low incomparison to other regions. This is largely due to the fact that, currently, injectinguse is relatively rare outside Colombia, Mexico and Puerto Rico and because therate of use of cocaine and its derivatives (which are commonly not injected) in theregion is among the highest in the world.

As international donors such as the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosisand Malaria (the Global Fund) withdraw from the region, the regional trendhas been an increase in the proportion of harm reduction funding provided bynational governments. However, domestic funding consistently falls short ofwhat international donors have previously provided, leaving services withouta sustainable source of finance and unable to provide continuous services tovulnerable populations. Additionally, the transition to domestic funding appliesprimarily to services for people who inject drugs, and there remain scarce fundingopportunities for services for the majority of people who use drugs in the regionwho do not inject.

As international donors such as the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosisand Malaria (the Global Fund) withdraw from the region, the regional trendhas been an increase in the proportion of harm reduction funding provided bynational governments. However, domestic funding consistently falls short ofwhat international donors have previously provided, leaving services withouta sustainable source of finance and unable to provide continuous services tovulnerable populations.[1] Additionally, the transition to domestic funding appliesprimarily to services for people who inject drugs, and there remain scarce fundingopportunities for services for the majority of people who use drugs in the regionwho do not inject.

During the first year of the project, LANPUD noted that people who use drugs arenot represented inside Global Fund Country Coordinating Mechanisms (CCMs) inthe region (see Table 1). This is despite people who use drugs being at elevated riskof HIV. In this context, LANPUD proposed a project under the Community, Rightsand Gender Technical Assistance Mechanism of the Global Fund. The objective ofthe technical assistance is to:

Ensure the involvement and participation of people who use drugs inprocesses related to the Global Fund funding cycle in the eleven countriesof the ALEP project.

To create a diagnostic of the involvement of people who use drugs inprocesses related to the Global Fund in eleven countries where the ALEPproject is carried out.

To create an advocacy strategy in CCMs to guarantee the participation ofpeople who use drugs in Global Fund processes.

This report represents the completion of the first sub-objective.

Inclusion and participation of people who use drugs in Global Fund processes: Report of findings from a Global Fund Community, Rights and Gender short-term technical assistance project

To: Ms Ghada Waly, Executive Director, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime

Subject: Open letter on UNODC statement on International Human Rights Day 2021

We urge you to mark International Human Rights Day 2021 by calling on Member States to change drug policies and practices that violate human rights and perpetuate inequality and discrimination.

We are writing to you ahead of International Human Rights Day 2021, which will take place on the 10th December amidst escalating global demands for the reform of laws and practices that entrench racial discrimination and social inequality, including drug policies. Last year, IDPC – together with dozens of other civil society and community organisations – called on you to issue a statement on International Human Rights Day urging Member States to change drug laws and practices that undermine health and human rights. A year later, we ask you to seize this day as an opportunity to show UNODC´s alignment with other UN entities in calling for an end to drug policies and practices that perpetuate inequality and discrimination, and violate human rights.

For decades, punitive drug policies have driven widespread human rights abuses, as has been amply documented by the UN. These include the death penalty for drug offences; extrajudicial killings; arbitrary detention, often masquerading as ‘rehabilitation’; the denial of access to life-saving harm reduction services; widespread barriers to accessing controlled medicines for pain relief; the criminalisation of people who use drugs, subsistence farmers and others groups in situations of vulnerability; corporal punishment; and mass incarceration. In all of these cases, draconian drug policies have disproportionately affected people marginalised on the basis of their gender, race, ethnicity, and economic status, thus entrenching inequality and discrimination.

Along 2021, a broad range of UN entities called on Member States to reform drug policies with discriminatory outcomes. In June 2021, the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention released a landmark study on arbitrary detention and drug polices, which found that ´

the war on drugs may be understood to a significant extent as a war on people. Its impact is often greatest on those who are poor, but also frequently overlaps with discrimination in law enforcement directed at vulnerable groups

´. At the same time, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights published a new ‘Agenda towards transformative change for racial justice and equality´, highlighting that ´

The discriminatory application of criminal law must be tackled at every stage, including by reforming drug-related policies

´. The High Commissioner´s proposal led to Human Rights Council Resolution 47/21, which contains key commitments to uproot systemic racism in the law enforcement and criminal justice systems. The Political Declaration on HIV and AIDS, adopted in June 2021, also showcased the international community´s commitment to ending inequalities as a step towards ending AIDS. Lastly, the new UN system Common Position on Incarceration, led by UNODC in partnership with other UN entities, notes ‘

the overrepresentation of minority and marginalized groups among prisoners, many of whom are charged with petty and nonviolent offences

support reform efforts aimed at ensuring proportionate and individualized sentencing and alternatives to conviction or punishment in appropriate cases, including for minor drug-related offences

These various commitments emerging across the United Nations are aligned with the 2018 Chief Executives Board’s UN System Common Position on drug-related matters, which makes clear that ‘

should be designed and implemented by States in accordance with their human rights obligations

’, and commits all UN agencies, including UNODC, to support drug policies ‘

that put people, health, and human rights at the centre

Similar human rights concerns have been highlighted in the just-released Global Drug Policy Index, which measures and ranks the national drug policies of 30 countries according to how well they align with the UN system Common Position on Drugs and its Task Team report of March 2019.

The theme of the 2021 International Human Rights Day is ‘Equality: Reducing inequalities, advancing human rights’, and is aimed at ´

addressing and finding solutions for deep-rooted forms of discrimination that have affected the most vulnerable people in societies

´. As such, it presents a crucial opportunity for UNODC to align itself with other UN entities in calling for the end of policies that perpetuate inequality and discrimination, while highlighting its commitment to the promotion of human rights, in line with the UN system Common Positions.

It is in this context that we urge you to issue a strong statement on International Human Rights Day, calling on states to change the drug laws, policies and practices that violate health and human rights, and entrench inequality. To be credible, such a statement should explicitly acknowledge the disproportionate impact of drug laws and drug control on people marginalised on the basis of their gender, race, ethnicity, and economic status, and urge Member States to:

Abolish the death penalty in all circumstances. Imposing capital punishment for drug offences has been found to be contrary to international human rights law by the Human Rights Committee, and the Human Rights Council.

Put an immediate end to extrajudicial killings committed in the name of drug control, as has been repeatedly called for by the Human Rights Council and UN human rights experts.

Permanently close compulsory drug detention centres, including those that masquerade as ‘rehabilitation’, and implement voluntary, evidence-informed, and rights-based health and social services, as recently called for by sixteen UN agencies, including UNODC.

Stress the urgent need to provide accessible, affordable, and adequately funded harm reduction services in community and closed settings, to fulfil the right to health and the right to life of people who use drugs, as demanded by several UN human rights bodies and experts. This is also central to UNODC’s core role as lead UNAIDS co-sponsor regarding prisons and HIV amongst people who use drugs.

Take immediate measures to address prison overcrowding, as already recommended by UNODC and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, by promoting alternatives to incarceration, and ensuring proportionate sentencing for all drug offences, including by taking into account mitigating factors – in line with the basic principle that prisons should only be used as a last resort in all circumstances.

Ensure that people who use drugs are not subject to arbitrary detention, torture, or ill-treatment – whether in state custody or public or private drug services. While under detention, people with a drug dependence or health problems associated with their drug use must be offered evidence-based treatment, harm reduction and other drug services on a strictly voluntary basis.

Promote the end of all punishment for drug use, and drug possession and cultivation for personal use, as permitted within the three drug control conventions. Such policy shifts will help to end the stigma, criminalisation, and exclusion faced by people who use drugs, and to facilitate access to health and social services, as called for by the UN system Common Position, UNAIDS, and UN human rights bodies.

Make sure that drug policies incorporate a gender-sensitive perspective. This should be done by tailoring drug services to the specific needs of women, and by ensuring that criminal laws take into account the circumstances of women involved in drug offences, as most of them come from backgrounds of poverty, marginalisation, and oppression.

Clearly outline the ways in which UNODC will work to achieve these changes, and the measures being taken to ensure that human rights are effectively embedded as a core strand for all of the Office’s work.

As the lead UN agency in drug-related matters, UNODC has the responsibility to promote drug policies that respect, protect, and fulfil human rights, in a way that is consistent with the standards developed by the UN system, and in line with the commitments set in the UN system Common Positions on drugs and on incarceration. A strong statement in the forthcoming International Human Rights Day would be an important and welcome step to signal UNODC’s unequivocal commitment.

We look forward to discussing these concerns and recommendations with you.

NGOs urge UNODC's Executive Director to mark Human Rights Day with a call to reform drug policies that entrench inequality

Statement on behalf of Dejusticia (Colombia), Intercambios Asociación Civil (Argentina), Mexico Unido contra la Delincuencia (MUCD), the Costa Rican Association for the Study and Intervention on Drugs (ACEID), the Latin American and Caribbean Network of People who Use Drugs (LANPUD), the Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA), and the International Drug Policy Consortium (IDPC), a global network of 192 organisations working to promote human rights-based drug policy, the Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA), and the International Drug Policy Consortium (IDPC), a global network of more than 190 organizations working to promote drug policies based on human rights, human security, social inclusion, development and health.

Declaración en nombre del Centro de Estudios de Derecho, Justicia y Sociedad (Dejusticia), Intercambios Asociación Civil, México Unido contra la Delincuencia (MUCD), la Asociación Costarricense para el Estudio e Intervención en Drogas (ACEID), la Red Latinoamericana y del Caribe de Personas que Usan Drogas (LANPUD), la Oficina en Washington para Asuntos Latinoamericanos (WOLA), y el Consorcio Internacional de Política de Drogas (IDPC), una red global de más de 190 organizaciones, que trabajamos promoviendo políticas de drogas basadas en los derechos humanos, la seguridad humana, la inclusión social, el desarrollo y la salud pública.

Notamos con preocupación que la participación de la sociedad civil en escenarios hemisféricos y multilaterales, que tuvo un periodo de consolidación hace algunos años, se ha debilitado recientemente. Las circunstancias de la pandemia y la virtualidad, que requieren celebrar estas reuniones en modalidad virtual, podrían propiciar convocatorias más amplias, considerando que se eliminan las barreras de gastos de viaje, y en este sentido, alentamos a los Estados miembros a promover de manera más decidida la participación de la sociedad civil en estas instancias.

La pandemia y la crisis social y económica que vive la región como efecto del virus mismo, y de las medidas para contrarrestar el contagio, tienen también repercusiones en la vida de las personas involucradas con economías ilícitas y drogas. Por ejemplo, en los centros penitenciarios de la región, algunos con índices de hacinamiento de hasta el 200 por ciento, se requerían urgentes medidas de descongestión, así como priorizar a las poblaciones allí para su vacunación, hechos que no ocurrieron, con efectos devastadores para las personas privadas de la libertad. Las poblaciones rurales que dependen de economías ilícitas como única alternativa de subsistencia, quedaron aún más aisladas en medio de los confinamientos, y a merced del control de actores armados.

También resulta de suma importancia incorporar en la agenda medidas relacionadas con la respuesta al VIH en la región, tomando en cuenta que este año se discutió en Naciones Unidas la Declaración política sobre el VIH y el SIDA: acabar con las desigualdades y estar en condiciones de poner fin al sida para 2030. Esta declaración menciona la necesidad ampliar la cantidad y cobertura de los programas de reducción de daños y tratamiento para el consumo de sustancias, así como la necesidad de reformar leyes restrictivas que marginan y discriminan a las personas que usan drogas, como aquellas que penalizan la tenencia para consumo personal o el auto-cultivo. El estigma y la discriminación asociados son barreras para el acceso a dispositivos sanitarios y sociales.

Este año se celebran dos aniversarios amargos. Los 60 años de la Convención Única de Estupefacientes y los 50 años de la declaración de la guerra contra las drogas de Presidente Nixon. El tratado global, en sus enunciados fundamentales, buscaba proteger el bienestar de la humanidad, pero en este aniversario lo que las Américas han visto son 60 años de fortalecimiento de las redes del narcotráfico, con poder devastador en violencia y corrupción, a la par de efectos desalentadores en materia de derechos humanos, como es el encarcelamiento desproporcionado y masivo, los contagios evitables de enfermedades transmisibles, la crisis por falta de alivio de dolor, entre tantas otras tragedias de la prohibición. Por su parte, los 50 años de la guerra que declaró Nixon, transformaron y potenciaron conflictos armados internos y fortalecieron una mirada de estigmatización hacia personas que usan drogas, sin mejorar sus condiciones de vida y salud. En resumen, en estos aniversarios se conmemoran décadas de fracaso.

Pero este escenario hemisférico tiene mucho que aportar para asegurar que no se sigan repitiendo y reciclando fórmulas fallidas. La CICAD ya ha estado a la vanguardia de debates que las Américas pueden ofrecer para tomar lecciones aprendidas, definir principios rectores de mejores políticas de drogas, y orientar políticas basadas en la evidencia y en los compromisos comunes de los derechos humanos. Alentamos a los Estados Miembros a asumir liderazgo político y hemisférico que vuelva a poner sobre la mesa debates como el de alternativas al encarcelamiento, enfoque de desarrollo sostenible, y orientación de recursos hacia el desarrollo y la salud pública.

En el escenario internacional, la sociedad civil permanece comprometida, en la medida de sus posibilidades, con participar en instancias de decisión de la política de drogas, y asegurar que los compromisos globales frente a la UNGASS 2016, la Declaración Ministerial de Alto Nivel de 2019, y la Posición Común frente a las políticas de drogas de las Naciones Unidas, avancen con implementación efectiva a nivel regional y nacional. Más recientemente, se publicó elinforme del Grupo de Trabajo de Detenciones Arbitrarias, con énfasis en los impactos a los derechos humanos de detenciones arbitrarias asociadas a políticas de drogas. Desde la CICAD, y en colaboración con el Grupo de trabajo, se debería propiciar un espacio de socialización de los contenidos y recomendaciones del informe para los Estados Miembros.

Profundizar en los enfoques de derechos humanos, políticas basadas en la evidencia, y desarrollo sostenible, son ejes de las organizaciones que hoy represento, pero cuyos contenidos están lejos de la realidad cuando se insiste en medidas criminalizadoras en contra de personas que, por condiciones de vulnerabilidad socio-económicas, se involucran de alguna manera con las drogas ilícitas.

Reiteramos la disposición de las organizaciones que representó para seguir siendo interlocutoras críticas, pero también constructivas en pro de estos objetivos comunes.

Civil society statement to the 69th session of CICAD: Drug policy reform must be back on the agenda

According to the latest report from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), an estimated 11.3 million people inject drugs globally, while HIV prevalence is estimated to be 12.6% and hepatitis C prevalence 48.5% among this population. However, while 179 of 206 countries report some injecting drug use, 110 countries and territories worldwide have no data on its prevalence. This data gap highlights the need for more and higher quality data to inform our efforts to implement appropriate harm reduction services that can address public health issues, including HIV and hepatitis C, soft tissue infections, and overdose.

Harm reduction implementation has worsened since our last report in 2018, after having stalled since 2014. The number of countries where needle and syringe programmes (NSPs) remained level at 86, and the number of countries where opioid agonist therapy (OAT) is available decreased by two to 84. There are also large differences between the regions in terms of harm reduction implementation: while NSPs and OAT are available in most countries in Eurasia, North America and Western Europe, these core harm reduction interventions are severely lacking in the majority of countries in other regions. An unfavourable drug policy environment hinders harm reduction service implementation in many countries across Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), and sub-Saharan Africa. Several countries have adopted more punitive drug strategies since the Global State of Harm Reduction last reported in 2018, including Bangladesh, Brazil and Sri Lanka.

Even where harm reduction services are available, there is often insufficient coverage and quality, or a lack of access to these services. Significant geographical gaps and an uneven distribution of services exist even in countries pioneering harm reduction or in countries where harm reduction has been available for decades. Rural communities are particularly underserved in many countries and regions. In addition to the geographical gaps in coverage, there are sub-groups of people who use drugs that experience barriers in access because harm reduction services aren’t tailored to their unique needs. These groups include women who use drugs, men who have sex with men, people who use stimulants and/or non-injecting methods, and people experiencing homelessness.

Overarching structural problems also negatively affect access to services. Criminalisation, racism and discrimination against Indigenous, Black and brown people results in low household incomes, unemployment, food insecurity, poor housing and lower levels of education. This, in turn, results not only in worse health outcomes for these communities but also in people from these communities disengaging or actively avoiding health services.

Women who use drugs are still frequently overlooked despite the complex harms, stigmatisation and structural violence they face. A substantial increase in gender-sensitive services is necessary to appropriately address their needs.

For all people who use drugs, stigma and discrimination are public health issues creating barriers precisely where more support is needed. Harm reduction services are equipped to address these gaps, as non-judgmental, communitybased service delivery is among the core principles of harm reduction.

The Global State of Harm Reduction 2020

Ahead of the UNAIDS Multi-Stakeholder Consultation on 16 September, 33 civil society and community-led organisations working on drug policy and harm reduction are urging the UNAIDS Programme Coordinating Board (UNAIDS PCB) to uphold the rights of people who use drugs and harm reduction in the new UNAIDS Strategy.

This letter includes six key recommendations from our community and sector and we asking UNAIDS PCB to advocate for these at the upcoming Consultation.

Now, more than ever, we need their leadership to be strong, bold and unrelenting in ensuring that key populations, including people who inject drugs, are prioritised in the new UNAIDS Strategy; harm reduction services are available, scaled-up and fully funded to meet the HIV prevention and health needs of people who use drugs wherever needed; communities, including community-led services, and civil society are at the front and centre of the HIV response; and barriers to services, including criminalisation, stigma, discrimination, punitive laws and policies, are removed.

The new UNAIDS strategy will have profound implications - either by compounding or alleviating the political invisibility of people who use drugs. We need them to show a commitment to people who use drugs in your engagement in the Strategy process.

We will not end AIDS if we keep leaving people who inject drugs behind.

Call to uphold the rights of people who use drugs and harm reduction in the new UNAIDS Strategy

LONDON [27 JUNE 2019] – Harm Reduction International and almost 120 human rights organisations from around the world – including Amnesty International and the International Commission of Jurists – published open letters today calling on the United Nations’ major drug control bodies to intervene and help stop Sri Lanka’s move to resume executions after 43 years.

President Maithripala Sirisena signed the execution warrants this week for four people convicted of drug-related offences.

The letters – sent to the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) and UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) – underscore that the death penalty for drug offences violates international human rights law. The signatories state that “Remaining silent as Sri Lanka puts an end to a 43-year de facto moratorium on executions would strike a blow to the INCB’s and UNODC’s commitments to human rights compliance as a core principle of international drug policy.”

Giada Girelli, human rights analyst at Harm Reduction International, said: “There is simply no evidence that the death penalty is an effective deterrent against the drug trade. President Sirisena’s move is a gross violation of human rights – UN bodies must urge authorities in Sri Lanka to reverse this and work to consign the death penalty to the history books.”

Harm Reduction International’s latest research shows that global executions for drug offences fell by almost 90% from 2015-18, in large part because of judicial reforms in Iran. Of the 35 countries that retain the death penalty for drug offences, only four carried out executions in 2018 (China, Saudi Arabia, Iran and Singapore).

Over 100 human rights groups urge UN to demand Sri Lanka halt executions of drug offenders

No mês de abril de 2019, o presidente do Brasil, Jair Bolsonaro, decretou o fim das políticas públicas de Redução de Danos no país, reforçando a guerra as drogas

. A guerra as drogas é sempre uma guerra contra as pessoas, contra a saúde, contra direitos e contra a ciência.

A decisão do atual presidente potencializa a estigmatização das pessoas que usam drogas e fomenta a militarização dos territórios compostos pela população mais vulnerável, autorizando uma verdadeira chacina de pobres e negros das periferias das cidades brasileiras.

A delegação brasileira presente a 26 edição da Conferência Internacional de Redução de Danos, realizada em Portugal, na cidade do Porto, pede o apoio da comunidade internacional para assegurar a manutenção das políticas de redução de danos no Brasil e as conquistas que essas políticas produziram ao longo dos últimos trinta anos.

1. Acción Semilla, Bolívia
2. Acción Andina, Bolívia
3. Acción Técnica Social (ATS), Colombia
4. Andean Information Network, Bolivia
5. Asociación Costarricense para el Estudio e Intervención en Drogas (ACEID), Costa Rica
6. Baltimore County Health Department in the Harm Reduction Program Syringe Services Program, EUA
7. CAFAC y Cultura Joven A.C., México
8. Campaña por la Descriminalización de las Personas Usuarias de Drogas en Bolivia
9. Centro de Estudios Legales y Sociales, Argentina
10. Centro de Orientación e Investigación Integral (COIN), República Dominicana
11. Comisión Mexicana de Defensa y Promoción de los Derechos Humanos
12. Corporación Humanas, Colombia
13. Drug Policy Alliance, EUA
14. Ecuador Cannábico, Equador
15. Elementa DDHH, Colombia
16. Enlace, Espanha
17. Estudiantes por una Política Sensata de Drogas (EPSD), Bolivia
18. Federación Andaluza ENLACE
19. Frontline AIDS
20. Harm Reduction Coalition, EUA
21. Hawaii Health & Harm Reduction Center in Honolulu, HI, EUA
22. International Harm Reduction Association, Inglaterra
23. Instituto RIA (Mexico)
24. Intercambios Asociacion Civil, Argentina
25. Intercambios, Porto Rico
26. Latinoamérica Reforma, Chile
27. Law Enforcement Action Partnership, EUA
28. MUCD, Mexico
29. Observatorio de Cultivos y Cultivadores Declarados ilícitos (OCCDI), Colômbia
30. Open Aid Alliance's, EUA
31. Programa Libertas, Bolívia
32. Temblores ONG, Colombia
33. The Association for Humane Drug Policy, Noruega
34. Transnational Institute - Drugs & Democracy Programme, Holanda
35. Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA), EUA

Declaração das organizações da sociedade civil sobre Brasil em HR19

In April 2019, the president Jair Bolsonaro declared the end of Harm Reduction public policies in Brazil, reinforcing the War on Drugs. The War on Drugs HAS ALWAYS BEEN a war against people, against Public Health, against Human Rights and against Science.

This decision worsens the stigmatization of people who use drugs. It also fosters the militarization of neighbourhoods composed of the most vulnerable populations; authorizing murder and imprisonment of poor and black people from the favelas and other marginalized regions of our cities.

The Brazilian delegation, present at the 26th International Conference on Harm Reduction held in Portugal in the city of Porto, requests the support of the international community to ensure the continuation of harm reduction policies in Brazil and the recognition of the achievements these policies have made over the last thirty years.

Brazil Statement at HR19

It is with great pleasure and excitement that the Vienna NGO Committee on Drugs (VNGOC) and New York NGO Committee on Drugs (NYNGOC) introduce the relaunched Civil Society Task Force (CSTF). The CSTF — a joint initiative of the NYNGOC and VNGOC— will serve to promote inclusivity of civil society at all proceedings leading up to and at the Ministerial Segment of the 62nd Session of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs in 2019.


The CSTF is co-chaired by the chairs of the VNGOC and NYNGOC and consists of 5 additional Steering Group members, 18 representatives of global regions
and 10 representatives from affected populations and global voices.


The VNGOC and NYNGOC were established in 1983 and 1984, respectively, and serve as representative platforms for discussion and debate on drug policy issues, as well as being interfaces between civil society organisations, the United Nations system and its member states. Emerging in 2015, the CSTF was originally created by the NYNGOC and VNGOC to ensure comprehensive, structured and balanced participation by civil society at the 2016 UNGASS on the world drug problem. In the process leading up to the 2016 UNGASS, the CSTF was an effective vehicle for increasing the inclusion of civil society voices at all
stages of preparation prior to the proceeding. The CSTF successfully delivered a range of actions and consultations. This included the selection of high quality civil society speakers at the 2016 UNGASS itself from around the world. In order to maximize the engagement of civil society in the 2019 Ministerial Segment and its lead-up, the VNGOC and NYNGOC bilaterally signed the Memorandum of Understanding during the 61st CND in March 2018. Following an open call and selection process, the Task Force now comprises 35 individuals from around the world.


In order to support civil society participation in the Ministerial Segment, in accordance with CND Resolutions 60/1 and 61/3, the Civil Society Task Force has been replenished and relaunched in 2018. The CSTF’s goal is to secure the comprehensive and meaningful participation of civil society actors in the implementation of the recommendations made in the 2016 UNGASS outcome document. The CSTF will also work towards fostering an environment where evidencebased
approaches to drug issues (including methodologies and ideologies) are comprehensive and where regional and gender diversity is represented through various inputs. In preparation of the 2019 Ministerial Segment, the CSTF will promote the contributions of civil society with expertise in various drug-related areas.

The CSTF is excited to begin working immediately to ensure that civil society is active and present at all preparatory stages of the 62nd CND. In the short time available, the Task Force’s plans include: a post-UNGASS global consultation process, to inform a comprehensive output document to support the debate; civil society hearings in Vienna and New York to bring together civil society speakers and member state representatives; the selection of speakers for all opportunities at the United Nations in Vienna and New York; and the delivery of any further activities that will require CSTF attention.

In particular, the CSTF will identify and facilitate speaker inclusion for all relevant preparatory events and UN meetings, host regional and thematic online consultations, organize civil society hearings on the margins of the third committee negotiations and during the 62nd CND, co-host an Interactive Civil Society Hearing for all stakeholders with the Chair of the CND culminating in a recognized document preserving all conclusions from the event as a part of the preparatory process and ensure drug-related and wider civil society, policy makers and member delegations remain aware of relevant updates regarding CSTF projects and events leading up to the 2019 Ministerial Segment. In the pursuit of encouraging the acknowledgment of civil society contributions, the CSTF looks forward to the participation of many diverse civil society stakeholders and organisations toward the 62nd CND preparatory process.
For all questions and inquiries, the CSTF may be reached by e-mail at info@cstfondrugs.org.

Please visit: https://www.cstfondrugs.org/membership/

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