UN drug conventions

Events

CND Intersessional meeting - Thematic discussions (December 2026)

Vienna, Austria

7 December 2026 - 9 December 2026

The CND will hold thematic discussions in December 2026.

Publications22 July 2026

Progress amidst uncertainty: Report of the 69th session of the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs

IDPC discusses the Commission's post-consensus 'new normal' and how it creates opportunities for progress on harm reduction and reform amid growing divisions and threats to rights.

Publications20 July 2026

$Progress amidst fracture: reflections from the United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs (March 2026)$

Progress amidst fracture: reflections from the United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs (March 2026)

Bridge, Nougier and Barrett reflect on the fractures exposed at the 69th session of the CND and argue that the collapse of consensus is creating new space for harm reduction, human rights and reform.

News12 July 2026

The sacred Indigenous origins of the coca leaf

Indigenous communities are reclaiming the coca leaf’s sacred origins and challenging decades of international control, criminalisation and stigma.

Blog26 June 2026

Documenting failure, avoiding solutions: Reflections on the World Drug Report 2026

The publication provides compelling evidence of the failures of punitive drug policies, but sorely lacks engagement with harm reduction, decriminalisation, responsible regulation and other evidence-based alternatives.

Events

CND Chair's special event: World Drug Day - Launch of the 2026 UNODC World Drug Report

Vienna, Austria / Online

26 June 2026

Member States, UN entities, civil society and other stakeholders will address evolving drug policy challenges and evidence-based responses.

News17 April 2026

Every step to improve lives is worth fighting for: Martin Jelsma on a 30-year drug policy struggle

TNI's Programme Director for Drugs & Democracy reflects on his career, noting both key areas of progress and the persistent, damaging pull toward securitisation.

News13 April 2026

UNGASS promises unfulfilled: Marie Nougier on the challenges facing global drug policy

Marie Nougier discusses progress, limitations and setbacks after a decade of the 2016 UNGASS.

News12 April 2026

Coca chronicles: Monitoring the UN coca review - Issue #7: Coca review denouement

The WHO’s decision to keep coca leaf under strict controls highlights weak legal reasoning, disregard for scientific evidence, and ongoing harms to Indigenous rights.

News12 April 2026

NGOs call for fairer ECOSOC accreditation process

The VNGOC and 125 co-signing organisations have issued an open letter to the UN, calling for urgent reforms to address procedural barriers that effectively exclude civil society.

News12 April 2026

INCB's Sevil Atasoy: 'Drug policies should be shaped on the basis of human rights and public health'

Türkiye has re-nominated Prof. Sevil Atasoy for re-election to the International Narcotics Control Board, highlighting her extensive experience and commitment to human-centred, evidence-based global drug policies.

Publications31 March 2026

Saudi Arabia’s drug-related executions violate international law — Opinion No. 71/2025 by the by the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention

UN experts say that Saudi Arabia’s use of the death penalty for drug offences violates international law, highlighting serious due process violations and discriminatory impacts on foreign nationals.

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