Human rights

News9 July 2025

Historic change is underway for rethinking global drug policy

The recent landmark resolution at CND, mandating an independent review panel, signals momentum for drug policy reform centred on health and rights.

Blog3 July 2025

Indonesia’s drug policy at a crossroads: A shift towards rights-based reform?

Indonesia’s drug policy is under review as civil society pushes for health- and rights-based reforms, including legal changes, better treatment access, gender-sensitive harm reduction, and respectful kratom regulation rooted in indigenous knowledge.

Publications1 July 2025

Mapping repression: Legal trends impacting civil society in CEECA

EHRA’s new report ties the war on drugs to broader crackdowns, showing how laws targeting “foreign agents,” drug speech, and LGBTQI+ communities are chipping away at rights across CEECA.

News26 June 2025

2025 World Drug Day: UNODC and CND must take urgent action to end unlawful use of the death penalty for drug-related offences

On 2025 World Drug Day and Support. Don’t Punish Global Day of Action, 70 organizations call upon the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) to condemn the use of the death penalty from drug related offences. In this joint statement, the signatories demand that human rights safeguards are implemented to uphold international law and standards.

Events

Support. Don’t Punish: Advancing towards a health and human rights-based approach to drug policy

Geneva, Switzerland

27 June 2025

This event will explore how harm reduction and human rights can shape drug policy reform, against the backdrop of debates on the matter at the Human Rights Council and the Support. Don't Punish Global Day of Action.

Publications20 June 2025

Concluding observations on the combined 2nd and 3rd periodic reports of Canada - Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

For the first time, a UN human rights body urges Canada to expand safe supply and end coercive drug treatment. The CRPD committee calls for voluntary, community-based care that respects autonomy and legal capacity in mental health and addiction.

Events

Support. Don’t Punish. – Drug policy & practice today: What are we really supporting ?

Geneva

25 June 2025 - 26 June 2025

As part of the global Support Don’t Punish campaign, this conference will put health, rights, and harm reduction at the heart of drug policy conversation.

Blog18 June 2025

UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities releases landmark observations urging Canada to embrace safe supply and end coercive drug treatment

In a historic move, the UN CRPD urges Canada to support safe supply and voluntary, rights-based harm reduction. Advocates from the HIV Legal Network call on the government to act, reform drug policy, and uphold disability rights.

Publications17 June 2025

High-level panel on a resilient and fit-for-purpose UNAIDS joint programme in the context of the sustainability of the HIV response

A new UNAIDS–ILO report lays out urgent reforms in relation to the Joint Programme's management, warning of resurgence risks without stronger country leadership, civil society involvement, domestic investment, and forecasting the pandemic's progress.

Publications17 June 2025

WHO guideline on balanced national controlled medicines policies to ensure medical access and safety: rapid communication

Published 14 May 2025, WHO’s new guidance calls for bold, balanced drug policies that ensure fair access to controlled medicines. It updates 2011 rules with sharper focus on equity, harm reduction, pricing, regulation, and education - anchored in health rights and transparency.

News16 June 2025

Punjab needs healing: Drug policy struggles in India

Politicians in Punjab have renewed calls for a zero-tolerance approach to the drug market, but escalating harms necessitate a reorientation towards harm reduction and human rights.

Blog5 June 2025

'When the going gets tough’: Leadership change at UNODC amidst global turmoil, UN reforms and drug policy opportunities

Ghada Waly’s resignation offers the UN Secretary-General a chance to appoint a leader who will align UNODC with human rights-based drug policies and the broader UN system.

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