On 28th May 2009, Chatham House hosted the UK launch of Drugs and Democracy: Toward a Paradigm Shift – the report of the Latin American Commission on Drugs and Democracy. The report calls for the engagement of civil society and public opinion so that a debate on safer, more efficient and humane drug policies can take place.
The [22]International AIDS Society letter to the CND calls for the inclusion of evidence-based support for harm reduction, and for essential medicines for OST and palliative care into the global frameworks for control of narcotic drugs.
The United Nations Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment – Professor Manfred Nowak – and the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health – Mr Anand Grover – have written to the Chairperson of the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) to 'offer guidance' regarding human rights issues.
Human Rights Watch and the International Harm Reduction Association prepared this overview to assist country delegations during key debates at the UN High Level Meeting on drugs in March 2009 by showing the extent of support from international agencies and experts for human rights-based approaches to drug policy.
This book examines the descent of the global war on drugs into a war on people who use drugs. From Puerto Rico to Phnom Penh, Manipur to Moscow, the scars of this war are carried on the bodies and minds of drug users, their families, and the health and service providers who work with them.
In March 2009 – at the 52nd Session of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs(CND) in Vienna – IHRA launched a short paper examining civil society engagement with the Commission (the main UN body tasked with addressing global drug policy).
With the goal to assess the 10-year progress in Eastern Europe after the 1998 UNGASS on drugs, Eurasian Harm Reduction Network (EHRN) conducted a review in 4 countries of the region: Georgia, Lithuania, Russia and Ukraine, all of which have experienced a major increase in drug related problems. The report calls for a more balanced approach to drug policy with investment in public health and human rights. The report is available English and Russian.