International Drug Policy Consortium April 2009 Alert

IDPC Alert – April 2009

Welcome to the new look IDPC Alert.  IDPC has a new logo as can be seen at the top of this April 2009 Alert (you may need to click on 'download pictures' to see it!) The new logo represents a stronger brand identity for the consortium as we move into a new phase of growth and development. IDPC will soon be re-launching the website under the new branding - watch this space.
 
This alert is mostly made up of documents prepared for, or reporting on, the 2009 Commission on Narcotic Drugs, held in Vienna in March 2009.

Recent publications

IDPC Proceedings document on the 2009 CND and High Level Segment

This proceedings document provides the reader with a summary of what happened at the 52nd session of the CND and its High Level Segment and offers an analysis of some of the key discussions and debates.

Political Declaration and Action Plan

This Politcal Declaration and Action Plan are the versions presented to delegates when they arrived at the high level meeting on 11th March. They contain two significant amendments to the version agreed by member states on 3rd March - the addition of the words 'drug abuse' in paragraph 20 of the declaration, and the removal of the word 'considering' in paragraph 47(g) of the action plan. Both changes were made by the CND secretariat, that altered the meaning of those paragraphs towards wording favoured by certain member states. When challenged on these unauthorised changes, the secretariat claimed that they were simple editorial errors but, three weeks after the event, corrected versions have still not appeared on the UNODC website.'

IDPC Briefing paper: Why is the outcome of the United Nations drug policy review so weak and inconclusive?

IDPC and other NGOs have followed the preparations for the 2009 CND closely, in particular the negotiation of the political declaration. We have been disappointed at the unwillingness of member states to meaningfully tackle the policy dilemmas arising from the lack of progress over the last 10 years. The dominant response to the crumbling consensus has been to claim reiterate existing commitments and strategies, and hope that they work better in the next decade. This briefing paper examines the political and institutional pressures that have led to such a weak conclusion.

IDPC Briefing Paper: Antonio Costa’s speech to the High Level Segment of the 2009

Antonio Costa, the Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), gave a speech to the High Level Segment of the 2009 Commission on Narcotic Drugs on the 11th March 2009. The speech drew heavily on a discussion paper published by the UNODC shortly before the meeting – ‘Organised Crime and Its Threat to Security’ (V.09-81081). This speech, and the paper on which it is based, continues a trend in which Mr Costa presents some interesting and helpful arguments that member states should seriously consider, but sometimes undermines the strength of his analysis with unnecessary rhetorical flourishes and the inaccurate use of data and evidence. Read the IDPC briefing here.

IDPC Advocacy Note: Civil Society Engagement - UN High Level Segment 2009

While it is clear that civil society has played a much greater role in this CND than has ever been the case previously, there is still a long way to go for the UNODC and CND to meet the standards set in other UN bodies and commissions. The Beyond 2008 initiative, and the work of networks such as the IDPC, ensured that the awareness, debates, and influence of NGOs was significantly improved for this review process. However, the support provided by the secretariat and member states was patchy at best, and this advocacy note calls for a much clearer commitment to constructive engagement in the future. Read the IDPC advocacy note here.

IDPC Advocacy Note: The Political Declaration - A missed opportunity

The Political Declaration sets a framework and priorities for the next 10 years of international drug policy. IDPC and its members have followed with interest the process for reviewing progress against the objectives set at the General Assembly Special Session on Drugs in 1998 – namely, to eradicate or significantly reduce the production of, and demand for, the non-medical use of controlled drugs. The conclusions of that review and the resulting declaration are deeply disappointing. There is an almost total unwillingness to confront the real policy dilemmas, and a series of increasingly surreal political and diplomatic battles over wording that are entirely disconnected from the reality of drug use and problems as experienced in the outside world. Read the IDPC advocacy note on the Politcal Declaration here.

A Report on Global Illicit Drug Markets 1998-2007

In response to concerns that the official data collected by the UNODC for the 10 year review of drug policy would be insufficient, the European Commission funded a research study into the scale and nature of global drug markets, and the trends in these markets over the last decade. The resulting report was launched at the 2009 CND, and concluded that there was no evidence to support the claim that the scale of the problem was being reduced. This report was produced by the Trimbos Institute and RAND Europe.

The impact of drug policy on health and human rights in Eastern Europe: 10 years after UN General Assembly Special Session on Drugs - A report by the Eurasian Harm Reduction Network

With the goal to assess the 10-year progress in Eastern Europe after the 1998 UNGASS on drugs, Eurasian Harm Reduction Network (EHRN) conducted a review in 4 countries of the region: Georgia, Lithuania, Russia and Ukraine, all of which have experienced a major increase in drug related problems. The report calls for a more balanced approach to drug policy with investment in public health and human rights. The report is available English and in Russian.

 

IHRA report on Civil Society: The Silenced Partners? Civil Society Engagement with the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs

In March 2009 – at the 52nd Session of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) in Vienna – IHRA launched a short paper examining civil society engagement with the Commission (the main UN body tasked with addressing global drug policy). The paper provides a succinct overview of key issues and reveals the extent to which the CND is out of step with UN practice in this area.

IHRA report on Harm Reduction Policy and Practice Worldwide: An overview of national support for harm reduction in policy and practice

In February 2009, IHRA produced a table which outlines harm reduction policy and practice worldwide. In this table, the information previously gathered for the Global State of Harm Reduction 2008 has been updated and reviewed by IHRA and harm reduction networks and researchers from around the world. This new document lists the countries and territories which currently support harm reduction in their national health or drug policies, as well as those that employ key harm reduction interventions such as needle and syringe exchange and opioid substitution therapy – both within and outside of prison settings. Countries and territories which have safer injecting facilities are also listed.

IHRA report on Harm Reduction and Human Rights: The Global Response to Drug-Related HIV Epidemics

This report provides a concise overview of the global situation in terms of drug-related HIV epidemics worldwide, with a particular focus on the regions of Asia, Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia, the Caribbean, Latin America, the Middle East and North Africa, and Sub Saharan Africa.

At What Cost? HIV and Human Rights Consequences of the Global "War on Drugs" – A report by the Open Society Institute

A decade after governments worldwide pledged to achieve a "drug-free world," there is little evidence that the supply or demand of illicit drugs has been reduced. Instead, aggressive drug control policies have led to increased incarceration for minor offenses, human rights violations, and disease. This book examines the descent of the global war on drugs into a war on people who use drugs. From Puerto Rico to Phnom Penh, Manipur to Moscow, the scars of this war are carried on the bodies and minds of drug users, their families, and the health and service providers who work with them.

 

IHRA, Human Rights Watch and the Open Society Institute have released three fact sheets on human rights and drug policy on day one of the regular session of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs.

Ten Ways Drug Policy Affects Human Rights - This document outlines the key reasons why international drug policy effects human rights.

Ten Reasons Why Access to Controlled Medicines is an Issue for CND - This document outlines the key reasons why access to controlled medicines is an issue for the CND.

Ten Reasons Why Human Rights is an Issue for the CND - This document outlines the key reasons why human rights is an issue for the CND.

Building Consensus: A Reference Guide to Human Rights and Drug Policy

Human Rights Watch and the International Harm Reduction Association prepared this overview to assist country delegations during key debates at the UN High Level Meeting on drugs in March 2009 by showing the extent of support from international agencies and experts for human rights-based approaches to drug policy.

Executive Director of UNAIDS calls for ‘harm reduction measures’ in UN Political Declaration

'Michel Sidibé, the newly appointed Executive Director of UNAIDS has written to Selma Ashipala-Musavyi, the Chairperson of CND to convey his hope "that the Commission will further advance UN system-wide coherence in relation to the body of evidence in support of harm reduction measures in tackling drug use." Read the letter here.

Executive Director of Global Fund urges the CND to support comprehensive harm reduction

The Executive Director of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, Michel Kazatchkine, urged the president of the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) to send a strong message to the world with clear and specific language that calls for comprehensive harm reduction services. Read the letter here.

UN Special Rapporteurs write to Chair of CND offering guidance on human rights

The United Nations Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment – Professor Manfred Nowak – and the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health – Mr Anand Grover – have written to the Chairperson of the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) to 'offer guidance' regarding human rights issues that have arisen during the UN’s ten-year drug strategy review. The Letter from the Special Rapporteurs gives comment on the draft political declaration and annex that have been prepared for discussion at a High Level Meeting at the UN in Vienna in March. In the letter, the Special Rapporteurs are deeply critical of the failure of the draft political declaration and annex to give any mention of harm reduction.

International AIDS Society letter

The International AIDS Society letter to the CND calls for the inclusion of evidence-based support for harm reduction, and for essential medicines for OST and palliative care into the global frameworks for control of narcotic drugs.

Upcoming events

Harm Reduction 2009 Programme Released

The final programme for ‘Harm Reduction 2009: IHRA’s 20th International Conference’ is now available to download from the conference website (www.ihraconferences.net) and includes a Major Session organised by IDPC on ‘The UN High Level Segment on Drug Control: Reflections and Implications for International Drug Policy’. This session will feedback from the discussions in Vienna last month and will outline the future directions that global drug policy advocacy could and should take.

The conference theme is ‘Harm Reduction and Human Rights’, and it will take place in Bangkok, Thailand from April 20th to 23rd. There will be over 60 sessions, 200 presentations and 300 poster presenters, as well as keynote presentations, interactive skills-building workshops, a film festival, a Global Fund ‘Dialogue Space’ to “Meet the Leaders”, exhibitions, and networking and social events!