Wednesday, 27 September 2023 | 13:15-14:15 PM ET (New York) / 19:15-20:15 PM CET (Vienna)

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the Permanent Mission of Austria to the UN are hosting 

an Online Briefing on the Work of the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice (CCPCJ) and the Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) on Wednesday, September 27 at 13:15-14:15 PM ET (New York) / 19:15-20:15 PM CET (Vienna)

, in light of the preparations for the 15th UN Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice and the 2024 CND High-Level Mid-Term Review.

, Deputy Permanent Representative of Austria
to the United Nations in New York

, Chair of the CCPCJ at its 32nd session, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Kenya to the United Nations in Vienna.

H.E. Ambassador Miguel Camilo Ruiz Blanco,

 Chair of the CND at its 66th session, Permanent Representative of Colombia to the Republic of Ireland.

 Chief, Secretariat to the Governing Bodies, UNODC

 Representative of the UNODC New York Office



Online briefing on the work of the United Nations' CCPCJ and CND

The 32nd session will take place in Vienna from 22-26 May 2023. You can visit the official website of the event 

Gender and imprisonment: Experience and recommendations in addressing health needs

Organized by UNODC with support from Penal Reform International, OHCHR, IDPC, Thailand Department of Corrections and the Permanent Missions of Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Czech Republic, EU, Finland, France, Germany, Luxembourg, Mexico, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Switzerland, Sweden, UK and USA

Prisons have traditionally been built for men and designed to cater to their needs. Not only are women and transgender people a growing prison population, they have unique and complex healthcare needs that are often neglected. Their situation is exacerbated by stigma, gender-based violence and inequality in accessing prison services, discrimination and HIV risk behaviours.
This side event will introduce efforts in addressing the healthcare needs of women (and their children) and transgender people in prison and the challenges they face.

Justice for All: Global action to combat discrimination and inequality in criminal justice systems

Organized by the International Legal Foundation with the support of South Africa, the United States, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, the Campaign to Decriminalise Poverty and Status, the African Policing Civilian Oversight Forum, Amnesty International, the International Drug Policy Consortium, the Open Society Foundations and Penal Reform International

International law sets forth that all are equal before the law without discrimination, and governments have incorporated equal protection and non-discrimination into their constitutions and laws. In practice, however, criminal justice systems around the world discriminatorily criminalise people who are marginalized based on poverty, race, caste, ethnicity, religion, disability, nationality, gender, and other statuses or identities. Building on momentum from last year’s CCPCJ and a growing, global movement to address these inequities, this side-event will bring together governments, practitioners, civil society, and other experts to demonstrate discrimination within criminal laws and policies; share effective solutions; and highlight urgent actions needed to increase international cooperation on addressing inequality in criminal justice systems.

Use of non-custodial measures as pathways to reduce overcrowding in prisons

32nd session of the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice (CCPCJ)

Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice - 31st Session

Oral statement on tackling arbitrary detention through decriminalisation and broader drug law reform

Statement delivered by Gloria Lai (Regional Director: Asia), International Drug Policy Consortium (IDPC).

Agenda Item 6. Integration and coordination of efforts by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and by Member States in the field of crime prevention and criminal justice: (e) Other activities in support of the work of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, in particular activities of the United Nations crime prevention and criminal justice programme network, non-governmental organizations and other bodies.

This statement is made on behalf of the International Drug Policy Consortium.

In June 2021, the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention released a study on arbitrary detention and drug policies, which contains a set of policy recommendations to align drug policies with the universal prohibition of arbitrary detention under international law.

Arbitrary detention connected to drug policies is prevalent in countries around the world. The so called ‘war on drugs’ has fuelled incarceration, and led to widespread human rights abuses, which include the following:

the practice of interrogating suspects under the influence of drugs and subjecting persons to testing without their consent;

the overuse of detention lasting sometimes months or years, and physical and psychological violence to detainees, including withholding opioid agonist therapy from people dependent on drugs;

the overincarceration of people who use drugs, including through disproportionate sentences for drug-related offences, bans on parole, and mandatory minimum sentences;

the confinement of people who use drugs in state-run or private compulsory drug treatment centres

the targeting of groups in situations of vulnerability and marginalisation by law enforcement;

the misuse of drug control to target human rights defenders, journalists and political opponents;

the criminalisation of indigenous peoples and small-scale farmers cultivating illicit crops for religious, medicinal and ancestral purposes or subsistence; and

the use of the death penalty for drug-related offences.

In addition, the 2021 Global Drug Policy Index has shown how criminal justice responses and arbitrary arrests and detention worldwide, disproportionately affect people living in situations of poverty, women and specific ethnic groups.

The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention recommends, among other things:

that States urgently decriminalise drug use and possession for personal use and drug paraphernalia;

that courts discontinue orders of forced drug treatment;

and that provision of drug treatment is always based on informed consent and managed by health professionals.

The study by the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention reinforces a global consensus in favour of decriminalisation as a policy that protects and promotes health and human rights, as outlined in the UN System Common Position on Drugs adopted in 2018, and the UN System Common Position on incarceration adopted last year in 2021.

We call on members of the UN Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice to take steps to implement the recommendations of the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention in relation to drug policy.

Online briefing on the work of the United Nations' CCPCJ and CND

32nd session of the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice (CCPCJ)

Statement at the 31st Session of the UN Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice - Tackling arbitrary detention through drug law reform