Human rights challenges in addressing and countering all aspects of the world drug problem, in particular on the impact of drug policies on the rights of women and girls

The present report is submitted pursuant to Human Rights Council resolution 60/26 on “Human Rights Implications of Drug Policy”, which requested OHCHR to prepare a report on human rights challenges in addressing and countering all aspects of the world drug problem, in particular on the impact of drug policies on the rights of women and girls. In preparing the report, OHCHR issued a call for submissions addressed to States and other stakeholders. The report is based on OHCHR’s analysis of the inputs received and a review of publicly available material.

The world drug problem has a major impact on the enjoyment of human rights, and public policies aiming to respond to it have significant human rights implications. In 2023, in its report A/HRC/54/53, OHCHR identified the main human rights challenges in relation to efforts to address the world drug problem, highlighting in particular the human rights consequences of the ‘war on drugs’ and the militarisation of drug control; overincarceration and prison overcrowding resulting from punitive drug policies; the continued use of the death penalty for drug-related offences; the lack of and unequal access to treatment and harm reduction services; and the disproportionate impact of drug policies on children and youth, people of African descent, Indigenous Peoples and women. The current report builds on the 2023 report, with a focus on the impact of drug policies on the rights of women and girls.