[Courtesy of IDPC] The International Drug Policy Consortium (IDPC) is a global network of NGOs and professional networks that specialise in issues related to illegal drug production and use. The Consortium aims to promote objective and open debate on the effectiveness, direction and content of drug policies at national and international level, and supports evidence-based policies that are effective in reducing drug-related harm. It disseminates the reports of its member organisations about particular drug-related matters, and offers expert consultancy services to policymakers and officials around the world. IDPC ADVOCACY NOTES ON THE UNGASS REVIEW As the process of reviewing the 10-year achievements of the global drug control system continues, the IDPC has been synthesising the wide range of publications and analysis from its members into brief advocacy notes that summarise our positions on the key issues in this review. Currently, four of these notes have been produced - three of them correspond directly to the work of three of the UNGASS Working Groups, and the fourth covers more general principles that are not the responsibility of any particular working group. SUPPLY REDUCTION WORKING GROUP ENGLISH http://www.idpc.info/php-bin/documents/IDPC_AdvocacyNote_SupplyReduc_EN.pdf SPANISH http://www.idpc.info/php-bin/documents/IDPC_AdvocacyNote_SupplyReduc_ES.pdf DEMAND REDUCTION WORKING GROUP ENGLISH http://www.idpc.info/php-bin/documents/IDPC_AdvocacyNote_DRWG_EN.pdf SPANISH http://www.idpc.info/php-bin/documents/IDPC_AdvocacyNote_DRWG_ES.pdf CROP ERADICATION AND ALTERNATIVE DEVELOPMENT WORKING GROUP ENGLISH http://www.idpc.info/php-bin/documents/IDPC_Advo_CEADWG_June08_EN.pdf SPANISH http://www.idpc.info/php-bin/documents/IDPC_Advo_CEADWG_June08_ES.pdf ISSUES NOT SPECIFICALLY COVERED BY WORKING GROUPS ENGLISH http://www.idpc.info/php-bin/documents/IDPC_Advo_Other_Issues_June08_EN.pdf SPANISH http://www.idpc.info/php-bin/documents/IDPC_Advo_Other_Issues_June08_ES.pdf UNGASS NEWS’ FIRST EDITION To provide our network and partners with concise information on the background to the UNGASS 10-year review, the IDPC has produced an Advocacy Guide that explains the structures, processes and issues involved. This guide can be downloaded from the IDPC website http://www.idpc.info/ or http://www.es.idpc.info/. As the process accelerates, we are supplementing this guide with a monthly update on the latest news and debates relevant to the review. The first of these updates is now available on the IDPC website, and another one will be distributed at the end of July. http://www.idpc.info/php-bin/documents/IDPC_UngassNews_June08_EN.pdf IDPC BRIEFING MEETING AND RECEPTION - 7th JULY. The latest in this series of briefing meetings will be held in the margins of the "Beyond 2008" Global NGO Forum in Vienna. This meeting will update participants on the IDPC contribution to the UNGASS review process, and consider the next steps. Informal presentations will be followed by a drinks reception to allow the maximum opportunity for networking. The global forum runs from 7th to 9th July, and the IDPC briefing and reception will take place at 7.30pm on Monday 7th July at the NH Danube City Hotel, Wagramer Strasse 21, A-1220 Vienna. This hotel is located adjacent to the UN building in Vienna, so delegates to the forum can gain easy access to the IDPC event. If you are a delegate to the NGO Forum , and wish to attend the IDPC briefing, please contact Geni Horwood at [email protected]. GLOBAL SIGN-ON LETTER TO BAN KI MOON Following the call at the AIDS High Level Meeting in New York for more effective HIV prevention amongst injecting drug users, a group of NGOs initiated a sign on letter to senior UN officials pointing out the contradictions between the drive to tackle this problem, and the stigmatisation and marginalisation of drug users that is often part of UN-supported drug control activities. The letter, that is released to coincide with the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, calls for greater cohesion between these two areas of UN activity. http://www.idpc.info/php-bin/documents/GlobalSignonLetterBanKiMoon_June08_EN.pdf WOLA TESTIMONY TO US CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEE On June 19, 2008, WOLA Senior Associate John Walsh testified before Joint Economic Committee of the US Congress (chaired by Senator Jim Webb, Democrat of Virginia) on U.S. drug policy. Walsh stated that decades of forced eradication of coca crops in Latin America has had little impact on cocaine production and trafficking, while leaving “a trail of social conflict, political unrest, violence and human rights violations across the region. In his prepared statement, Walsh said that U.S. drug policies should focus more on harm reduction, which refers not just to reducing the harm caused by drugs to users and their families and communities, but also reduction of the damage caused by misguided, counterproductive policies meant to control drug production and transit. The complete congressional testimony can be found at: http://www.idpc.info/php-bin/documents/WOLA_JohnWalsh_TestimonyJEC_08_EN.pdf Please feel free to pass this alert on to any contacts who may be interested in drug policy issues. If you have received this alert in error, or do not wish to continue receiving our alerts, you can unsubscribe yourself by emailing to [email protected]