Human rights

Publications6 October 2025

Safeguarding rights in EU drug policy - Contribution to the European Commission's call for evidence on the EU drugs strategy and action plan against drug trafficking

IDPC calls on the European Commission to ensure the next Strategy is balanced, evidence-based, and rights-centred, prioritising harm reduction, civil society participation, and policy innovation over punitive approaches.

Publications25 September 2025

Development dimensions of drug policy: Assessing new challenges, uncovering opportunities, and addressing emerging issues

UNDP charts a rights- and development-centred turn in drug policy, prioritising decriminalisation, harm reduction, equity-led transitions, and practical pathways to responsibly regulate some drug markets.

News25 September 2025

Decolonising drug policy: Protecting the coca leaf and Indigenous rights – Statement to the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples

IDPC and five other organisations called on the UN to correct historic injustices, respect Indigenous perspectives, and address the harmful impacts of current drug policies.

News25 September 2025

Campaign for the elimination of violence against women who use drugs (EVAWUD 2025) - Toolkit

November 25 is the international day for elimination of violence against women. WHRIN's global campaign calls groups worldwide to join the 16 Days of Action with activities highlighting violence against women and gender diverse people who use drugs and demanding rights–based, gender-sensitive drug policies.

News24 September 2025

America is blowing up boats and asking questions later

Trump’s drug war playbook looks disturbingly like Duterte’s, the Philippine leader now facing trial for crimes against humanity.

News24 September 2025

US war on 'narco-terrorists' violates the right to life, warn UN experts after deadly vessel strike

Experts warn deliberate killings may amount to murder, not law enforcement.

Publications15 September 2025

Guaranteeing the rights of young people and substance use in contexts of armed conflict in the Colombian Amazon - Submission to the UN CESCR on Colombia

IDPC and A la Orilla del Río highlight how prohibitionism continues to shape the lives of young people in the Colombian Amazon, where gaps between policy and practice perpetuate stigmatisation and deny rights.

Publications10 September 2025

30 recommendations from civil society for an EU Drugs Strategy that is effective, inclusive and grounded in reality

The CSFD calls for an EU Drugs Strategy that puts health, human rights and equity at its core — moving from political statements to real action, with civil society as a full partner.

News9 September 2025

US: Five reasons why Trump’s anti-cartel military plan will fail

Tackling corruption and reforming drug policies are the real pathways to solve a challenge that cannot be bombed away.

News9 September 2025

Maldives: Reject introduction of death penalty for drug trafficking and abolish this punishment once and for all

Nine human rights groups condemn the Maldives’ push to impose the death penalty for drug trafficking, warning it violates international law and defies global abolition trends.

Publications4 September 2025

Civil society perspectives on the ASEAN Work Plan on Drugs 2016–2025 – Submission to ASEAN review process

Civil society exposes punitive harms and rights violations, while urging a shift towards health, harm reduction, decriminalisation, justice reform, and sustainable livelihoods.

News4 September 2025

Lethal U.S. military strike on alleged drug traffickers sets a dangerous precedent in the 'war on drugs'

The military strike that killed 11 people raises serious concerns in relation to legality, proportionality and the use of lethal force in counter-narcotics.

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