IDPC & HRI call for the meaningful engagement of civil society and communities in the UN Joint Programme on the Philippines, and its focus on aligning domestic drug policy with human rights standards.
High-level debates on the decriminalisation of drug possession and changes in sentencing for trafficking offences have failed to materialise, despite the urgency of changes.
Rights-affirming policies must reject both criminalisation and saviourism, instead seeking to address the root causes of people's involvement in criminalised economies.