Commission on Narcotic Drugs

Blog18 March 2025

CND68: Historic vote initiates overdue review of UN drug control “machinery”

Against a backdrop of global turmoil and multilateral rupture, the 68th session of the CND marked a turning point in the history of global drug policy by deciding to create a panel of independent experts to rethink the global drug control regime.

Publications26 February 2025

Righting a historical wrong: The UN review of the international status of the coca leaf

IDPC provides background information on the scheduling of the coca leaf in the international drug control treaties, outlines the ECDD coca review process, and makes the human rights case for the removal of the plant from the treaty schedules.

Events

CND68 and drug policy reform: Unpacking key implications

Online

22 April 2025

Join us for a debrief session on the 68th session of the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) to discuss progress, gridlocks and potential ways forward for the UN drug control regime.

News14 February 2025

‘RCF’s long-term investment into community-led networks fuels harm reduction advocacy’ — Interview with Jamie Bridge

Years of advocacy, including by IDPC with the support of the Robert Carr Fund, led to the first CND resolution acknowledging 'harm reduction' in 2024.

Events

CND 68: Key issues and opportunities

Online

27 February 2025

The webinar will discuss the key issues that are likely to structure the debates, including in relation to tabled resolutions, and present how IDPC member organisations have used this forum for their advocacy.

News13 November 2024

Coca leaf review: a reckoning for global drug control — IDPC statement at the 2024 CND thematic discussions

IDPC calls on the Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) to right a historical wrong by supporting the critical review of the coca leaf and ultimately approve its descheduling.

Events

68th session of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND)

Vienna, Austria / Online

10 March 2025 - 14 March 2025

The 68th session of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) will take place at the Vienna International Centre (VIC) between 10-14 March 2025.

Events

CND 67th Session Reconvened

Online / Vienna, Austria

5 December 2024 - 6 December 2024

The continuation of the 67th session takes place in December 2024.

Events

CND Intersessional meeting - Thematic discussions on the implementation of all international drug policy commitments following up to the 2019 Ministerial Declaration (November 2024)

Online / Vienna, Austria

12 November 2024 - 14 November 2024

The discussions will focus on all international agreements on the matter.

Publications13 August 2024

The ‘Vienna Spirit’ shatters: Report of the 67th session of the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs and its high-level segment

IDPC highlights growing tensions at the latest CND session, where geopolitical divides and challenges to the punitive drug control paradigm were prominent and potentiated by civil society.

Blog28 June 2024

The 2024 World Drug Report: UNODC misses the mark on human rights and harm reduction

The 2024 World Drug Report misrepresents the right to health, diverges from the UN system's own guidance on the matter, and shockingly omits mentioning harm reduction.

Blog26 June 2024

World Drug Day 2024: Human rights and harm reduction take centre stage while UN drugs agency grapples with denial

The UN system increasingly questions the validity of the 'drug war', embracing harm reduction and decriminalisation — so why is UNODC stuck in the inertia of the past?

Explore more content