By Penelope Hill, Orsi Fehér & Jamie Bridge

Civil society, including addiction practitioners, have been actors in policy spaces since United Nations (UN) drug control debates began under the Leagues of Nations (Bruun, 1975). Since the early 1990s, prime responsibility for UN drug-related matters has been held by Viennabased institutions. Although initially experiencing limited space for engagement with UN institutions and Member States, opportunities for civil society to influence international drug policy have grown, with the recognition of the importance of collaboration with non-government organisations (NGOs) increasing across all major UN agencies and institutions managing drug-related matters.

International debates and decisions directly influence and shape on-the-ground practice in the field of addiction. Though national policies are generally made on the state-level, signatories of the drug control conventions are bound to follow their commitments to the treaties and have limited sovereignty in unilaterally regulating internationally scheduled substances. The narratives, power-dynamics and decisions on the highest levels trickle down to regional policy making, so it is very important to shift the debate from substances to people at the highest level, so drug policies can operate effectively on the national level.

Civil society engagement and attendance at CND sessions throughout the year is crucial, in order to bring “real world” issues and the voices of affected populations to the forefront of the UN debates. Addiction practitioners are critical in relaying information on evidencebased practice to these forums, to ensure that international drug policies follow scientific evidence and not preconceived ideologies, and to guarantee health-centred and rights-based approaches prevail in the global drug control framework.

International drug policy: The impact of civil society and opportunities for addiction professionals to engage

The Vienna NGO Committee on Drugs (VNGOC) together with the UNODC Civil Society Team are inviting you to a joint webinar presenting the NGO Marketplace and giving guidance on how to engage effectively at the Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND).

The webinar will include a tour through the new features of the NGO Marketplace, information on this years CND intersessional meetings and guidance on how to best apply for speaking opportunities.


Peter Calvache, Progressive Mindworks GmbH

Flyer and agenda: https://bit.ly/2FfuvRg

To ensure broad engagement we are holding the webinar twice:

Monday, 21 September 2020, 4 p.m. CEST, Vienna (2 p.m. UTC)

Tuesday, 22 September 2020, 10 a.m. CEST, Vienna (8 a.m. UTC)

The new NGO marketplace and civil society engagement

Every five years, the human rights record of each UN Member State is considered through a peer-review process led by the UN Human Rights Council, as part of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR). As part of each UPR cycle, Member States submit a national report, and appear at the UN in Geneva for an interactive dialogue with other Member States.

Australia’s third-cycle UPR will take place in January-February 2021 (dates tentative due to COVID-19 restrictions), with the submission of its third UPR national report due in October 2020. The draft National Report has been released, with an opportunity for civil society members to provide feedback.

A collective of civil society representatives that have attended recent drug-related UN sessions such as annual Commission on Narcotic Drugs sessions and the 2019 CND High Level Ministerial Segment came together and submitted a response to the draft National Report, focusing on Australia’s human rights obligations with respect to drug policies, laws and their implementation. The submission brings forward the lack of specific reference to Australia’s Commonwealth, state and territory drug policies in the report, lack of reference to the importance of human rights within Australia’s National Drug Strategy 2017-2026 document, and considers the breaches of international human rights law through Australia’s Commonwealth, state and territory drug policies. The submission calls on the Commonwealth Government Attorney-General’s Department to undertake a systematic audit of drug policies in Australia to more fully document the extent to which these policies do, or do not, accord with our nation’s human rights obligations, and to include a commitment to doing so in its National Report to the UPR.

Australian Civil Society Committee on United Nations Drug Policy submission to the third UPR Review, focusing on Australia’s human rights obligations with respect to drug policies, laws, and their implementation

Penelope Hill is a representative of Harm Reduction Australia, Harm Reduction Victoria, YouthRise and Students for Sensible Drug Policy Australia. She currently works within drop-in and mobile NSP programs in Melbourne, Australia. Penelope holds a Masters of Public Health and is currently studying a Masters of International and Community Development.

Penelope Hill es representante de Harm Reduction Australia, Harm Reduction Victoria, YouthRise y Students for Sensible Drug Policy Australia. En la actualidad trabaja en programas de PNS sin cita previa y móviles en Melbourne, Australia. Penelope tiene un Máster en Salud Pública y actualmente está estudiando un Máster en Desarrollo Internacional y Comunitario.

Penelope Hill est une représentante de Harm Reduction Australia, Harm Reduction Victoria, YouthRise et Students for Sensible Drug Policy Australia. Elle travaille actuellement au sein de programmes d'accueil et de programmes mobiles de PS à Melbourne, en Australie. Penelope est titulaire d'une maîtrise en santé publique et étudie actuellement une maîtrise en développement international et communautaire.

Penelope Hill

Oceania (Harm Reduction Australia)

Translations

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International drug policy: The impact of civil society and opportunities for addiction professionals to engage

The new NGO marketplace and civil society engagement

The new NGO marketplace and civil society engagement

Australian Civil Society Committee on United Nations Drug Policy submission to the third UPR Review, focusing on Australia’s human rights obligations with respect to drug policies, laws, and their implementation