Dear Friends and Colleagues,
It has been pleasure for us to work hand in hand with you in 2021.
We thank you for the trust and your engagement and look forward to a prosperous 2022.
Author: Milutin
Executive Director, Drug Policy Network Youth East Europe
Project partners meeting
Representatives of the partners in the “Emergency support for the provision of HIV and Harm Reduction services among key populations in Ukraine and refugees in selected neighbouring countries” project met today to discuss about services to be provided to key population refugees and reporting from the project.
UN resolution that doesn’t include “drug-free world”
From the Ann Fordham’s article published at the IDPC webiste
For decades, debates and political commitments on drug policy at the United Nations have been plagued by the goal of ‘achieving a society free of drugs’ (or ‘drug abuse’). This fantastical notion has underpinned unimaginable harm as governments all over the world have strived to eradicate drugs through draconian measures. Despite these efforts, the global market in illegal drugs grows ever larger, more robust and with a greater diversity of substances. In parallel, the human cost of the so-called ‘war on drugs’ continues to grow exponentially – a devastating crisis of mass incarceration, overdose deaths, extrajudicial killings and a litany of human rights violations that have impacted some of society’s most marginalised.
Last week the UN General Assembly made history by adopting a resolution on drugs that did not include the long-standing reference to ‘actively promote a society free of drug abuse’ for the first time in three decades. Not only was this overly simplistic, ‘war on drugs’-era notion absent from the text, but the resolution includes some of the strongest ever human rights language relating to drug policy, an aspect on which the main UN drug policy forum in Vienna (the Commission on Narcotic Drugs) has made little progress in recent years.
Resolutions on drug policy at the General Assembly have always been agreed by consensus, however this resolution broke new ground as it was adopted – for the first time in history – after a vote.
It was a reluctant breaking of the consensus with an unprecedented number of countries making statements before the vote in the 3rd Committee, many of them lamenting the need for a vote and noting their hope for a return to the usual consensus for future drug policy resolutions. Ultimately, when the resolution reached the plenary of the General Assembly, a total of 124 Member States voted in favour of the resolution, while 9 voted against, with 45 abstentions.
Overall, by emphasising human rights concepts and doing away with tired and ultimately harmful ideological objectives such as ‘a society free of drug abuse’, the resolution goes a long way towards refocusing international cooperation away from reducing illegal cultivation, production and drug trafficking and towards reducing the negative consequences of the global drug situation on individuals and communities.
Crucially, this progressive text was adopted by an overwhelming majority of Member States, with only 9 countries voting against it. This demonstrates that the ‘Vienna consensus’ has been an instrument to hold back progress on drug policy making, pushing the international community towards policies and narratives that are far more conservative than those of a majority of Member States.
Read more about in the article at the IDPC website following this link>>>.
The Global Fund Eligibility List 2023
Whether a country or region is eligible for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria support is determined by its income classification and disease burden, as detailed in the Global Fund’s Eligibility Policy. The policy is designed to ensure available resources are allocated to countries with the highest disease burden, the least economic capacity, and where key and vulnerable populations are disproportionately affected by the three diseases.
A particular country’s eligibility by component (HIV, tuberculosis and malaria) is recorded annually in the Eligibility List.
The Global Fund published the Eligibility List 2023. It identifies which country components are eligible for an allocation for the 2023-2025 allocation period in support of the Global Fund Strategy for 2023-2028, Fighting Pandemics and Building a Healthier and More Equitable World.’
A few countries from South East Europe are at the list:
- Kosovo* for HIV and Tuberculosis – both Transition (2020 & 2023)
- Montenegro for HIV
- North Macedonia for HIV
- Romania for Tuberculosis – Transition (2023)
- Serbia for HIV
Albania is not at the list any more – their Transition project ended. Newcomer is North Macedonia, which is good, but question is why Bosnia Herzegovina is not at the list as situation there is worse and no har reduction/prevention service is available in the country?
Since Romania is not on the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development’s (OECD) Development Assistance Committee (DAC) list of Official Development Assistance (ODA) recipients, Romania may be eligible for an allocation for HIV for non-governmental or civil society organizations under Paragraph 9b of the Eligibility Policy only if there are demonstrated barriers to providing funding for interventions for key populations, as supported by the country’s epidemiology. As 2023 is an allocation year, the Secretariat has conducted an assessment and has determined that Romania does not meet the requirements under Paragraph 9b of the Eligibility Policy. Therefore, Romania has been determined not to be eligible for an HIV allocation for the 2023-2025 allocation period.
The Eligibility List 2023 is available following this link>>>.
Meeting with the UN agencies
DPNSEE and partners in the “Emergency support for the provision of HIV and Harm Reduction services among key populations in Ukraine and refugees in selected neighbouring countries” project in Serbia held an online meeting with the representatives of he UN agencies in the country. The aim of the meeting was to present the project and to ensure that it is connected with the work of the agencies.
We expect that the support of the UN system will contribute to establishing good relations and eliminate potential challenges in implementation of the project.
End of the Czech EU Presidency
Based on the article from the EMCDDA webpage
This month, the Czech six-month Presidency of the Council of the EU draws to a close. With the motto ‘Rebuild, Rethink, Repower’, the Presidency focused on five key priorities: managing the refugee crisis and post-war reconstruction of Ukraine; energy security; strengthening European defence capabilities and cybersecurity; strategic resilience of the European economy; and the resilience of democratic institutions.
In the drugs field, the country led the Council’s Horizontal Working Group on Drugs (HDG), the body responsible for leading and managing the Council’s work in the drugs field and carrying out legislative and general policy work in the areas of supply reduction and demand reduction.
The human rights dimension of drug policy was a key topic over the six-month period, with work culminating in Council conclusions on this issue on 8 December, endorsed by the Council for Justice and Home Affairs. The document invites EU Member States to ‘further support the development and implementation of evidence-based policies and interventions that put human rights at the centre of drug responses, whilst countering crime and ensuring public safety and security, sustainable and viable livelihoods and the health of individuals, families and communities across the EU’.
The document also invites EU Member States to ‘further promote drug policies that adhere to human rights, address discrimination, and reduce the stigma on people who use drugs, in order to ensure voluntary access to services, including prevention, evidence-based life-skills programmes, risk and harm reduction, early detection and intervention, counselling, treatment, rehabilitation, social reintegration and recovery of people who use drugs, as well as treatment of drug-related comorbidities’.
The text includes many amendments, however thanks to a constructive debate among all EU Member States, it was approved by consensus. DPNSEE, along with other members of the Civil Society Forum on Drugs, participated in consultations and provided contributions to the document. Unfortunately, we see that most of the civil society proposals were not taken into account in the final version. This is the price of the consensus requested by the EU regulations where even one country can block initiatives that are supported by others, even if they are realistic and forward looking.
A project for refugee key populations from Ukraine
The Drug Policy Network South East Europe and its member organisations from Serbia (Prevent, Timočki omladinski centar, Duga, Re Generacija) and Montenegro (Juventas, Cazas) implement the “Emergency support for the provision of HIV and Harm Reduction services among key populations in Ukraine and refugees in selected neighbouring countries” project with the support from the UNODC Regional Programme Office for Eastern Europe.
Primary objectives of the project are:
- Ensuring the continuity of the HIV prevention, treatment and care (including OAT and ARV) services for people who use drugs/living with HIV
- Community-based care and support for people who use drugs, people living with HIV, people in prisons
- Provision of essential requirements, including food and medicines and shelters, in coordination with the penitentiary service/local CSOs
Our organisations will implement the following activities:
- Provide access to information about health services and drugs and ensure clear, reliable and trustworthy health information reaches refugees
- Support in accessing health care in host country
- Rapid provision/purchasing of basic products for existing key populations/refugee shelters/centers
- Provision of HIV harm reduction services for key populations (including refugees)
- HIV and harm reduction services for people who use drugs, including new psychoactive substances
- Mobilising civil society, service providers, policymakers and other national stakeholders from the Western Balkan region to ensure wide and all-involving drug strategy development process
- Increased awareness and understanding regarding comprehensive gender-sensitive HIV services for women who use drugs (WUD) among health care managers, service providers and decision-makers
This project will be conducted in UNODC partnership with the local CSOs and aims to strengthen the capacity of CSOs to address HIV prevention, treatment, care and support among people who use drugs (including those who use NPS/stimulants) internally displaced populations, refugees and prison populations.
Project findings will inform the development and implementation of evidence-based, gender-responsive and sustainable HIV and harm reduction services for people who used drugs/people in and released from prisons, and IDPs/refugees in Ukraine, Moldova, Serbia and Montenegro.
Ministers call for a human rights-centred approach to drug policies
From the Pompidou group website
Closing the 18th Ministerial Conference of the Council of Europe’s Pompidou Group, ministers and high-level participants from 41 Pompidou Group member states have called for a human rights centred approach to address drugs addictions and related disorders.
In their “Lisbon Declaration”, participants furthermore called for exploring strategies to address addictions related to the use of communication and information technologies, as part of a broad policy direction to be followed by the Pompidou Group over the near future.
Portugal, which has been presiding the Pompidou Group since 2019, hosted the two-day conference, which gathered some 150 participants, including ministers, representatives from 46 governments and six international organisations or agencies, as well as drug policy experts, law enforcement, health and justice officials, and civil society representatives.
Before adopting their declaration, participants assessed the impact of current trends in drug trafficking, from increased use of performance- and image-enhancing drugs to behavioural addictions, such as excessive and compulsive video gaming, gambling and online shopping.
On the basis of a report drawn up by the Pompidou Group’s Permanent Correspondents, conference participants also reviewed activities and achievements under Portugal’s presidency and adopted a new work programme for 2023-2025.
The conference inaugurates a new era, as Portuguese Health Minister Manuel Pizarro handed over its presidency to Italy, represented by the Under Secretary of State of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers of Italy, Alfredo Mantovano. Switzerland has been named Pompidou group Vice-President.
The Pompidou Group’s Lisbon Declaration is available following this link>>>.
A visit to UNODC Office in Belgrade
DPNSEE President Nebojša Đurasović, Executive Director Milutin Milošević and Director of the Timok Youth Centre Goran Radisavljević visited Ms Žana Glavendekić, the Regional Project Officer for Drug Demand Reduction.
It was a good opportunity to share about our activities in the region of South East Europe, and to present the “Emergency support for the provision of HIV and Harm Reduction services among key populations in Ukraine and refugees in selected neighbouring countries” project that is just about to start with the support of the UNODC Regional Programme Office for Eastern Europe.
We demand the criminalization of online sexual harassment
The Network for Protection against Discrimination held a promotion of the policy document with a focus on rape and sexual harassment “How to effective protection in cases of sexual violence?”. The event was organized within the framework of marking the international campaign 16 days of activism against gender-based violence. Its purpose was to promote proposed solutions for the effective protection of victims of sexual violence in accordance with the already accepted obligations from the Istanbul Convention and to request the immediate adoption of amendments to the.
In the period of waiting for the amendments to the Criminal Code, which passed the first reading in the Assembly of the Republic of North Macedonia, after more than a year, one can witness inadequate implementation of the procedures for criminal prosecution of the perpetrators of sexual violence, prolonging of the procedures, inappropriate qualification of the acts and unjustified termination of prosecutions that punish victims instead of perpetrators.
Dragana Drndarevska from the Network for Protection against Discrimination and legal adviser in the Coalition Margini (DPNSEE member organisation) opened the event by pointing out that “the delay in adopting the amendments to the Criminal Code means that we still do not have a consensus between the political parties on the issue of protecting victims from gender-based and sexual violence “.
This event, as well as the prepared document for public policies, are activities within the project “Network for Protection against Discrimination: Promotion of Policies and Practices for Protection against Discrimination and Promotion of Equality”, which is financially supported by the Open Society Foundation – Macedonia.
The document is available following this link>>>.