Intensifying EUDA cooperation and collaboration with civil society organisations

A very interesting and fruitful meeting was hosted by the European Union Drugs Agency (EUDA) today in Lisbon, Portugal. The objective of the consultation meeting is to explore ways to strengthen cooperation, share best practices and promote mutual understanding between EUDA and civil society organisations in order to ‘attain maximum efficiency in monitoring, assessing and responding to the drugs phenomenon’ (Article 5(7) of Regulation (EU) 2023/1322).

The European Union Regulation (2023/1322) establishing the European Union Drugs Agency (EUDA) calls on the EUDA to intensify cooperation and collaboration with civil society organisations (CSOs), including organisations of people who use drugs and communities affected by the consumption and sale of drugs or drug-related crime. This should involve consultations, information exchange and knowledge sharing. Recognising the value of these potential developments, the EUDA convened the consultation meeting in the margins of the Lisbon 2024 Addiction Conference.

More than 60 participants came not only from EUDA and civil society organisations from different corners of Europe and covering different thematic areas of drug policy but also from governmental institutions, academia and others. They provided invaluable input for the formulation of a roadmap outlining the regular and systematic cooperation with civil society organisations.

These issues addressed in the sessions dealt with the path of cooperation, the added value and the range of possible cooperation mechanisms. A panel discussion shed light on the concept of affected communities by the consumption and sale of drugs or drug related crime. The final panel discussion examined future perspectives.

DPNSEE Executive Director Milutin Milošević, who was one of the EU Civil Society Forum on Drugs representatives at the meeting, proposed two point for cooperation between EUDA and civil society:

  • Working together of supporting candidate countries in their EU accession process, particularly in adjusting the aquis in the area of drugs which are almost exclusively directed to law anforcement, with just a small reference on health and no single letter about human rights of people who use drugs;
  • Facilitating better cooperation between national institutions and civil society, which are not involved in strategic planning (that is usually missing in the candidate countries) and reporting.

The civil society monitoring report 2021

From the Correlation webpage

The Correlation – European Harm Reduction Network (C-EHRN) published their 2021 civil society monitoring report on 11 May 2022.

The main aim and purpose of C-EHRN monitoring activities is to improve knowledge and information and complement existing data and monitoring efforts in Europe in specific areas of harm reduction based on the perspective of civil society organisations (CSOs). The data collected helps to assess the implementation of certain drug and health policies at the national and local levels and supports our advocacy efforts at the European and EU Member State levels.

The adapted 2021 civil society monitoring incorporated the experiences from the past years. During evaluation meetings with expert groups, it was decided to keep most of the questionnaires in 2020 intact for 2021. That was done both because the questionnaire of 2020 has worked reasonably well and also to allow for comparisons between 2021 and the previous year.

C-EHRN kept our focus on the situation at the city level which allowed for more accurate and precise information. Consequently, the information provided in this report sometimes represents the situation in a particular city or region. Although this information is not representative of a country, it reflects the fact that the situation in a country is diverse and most often dependent upon the approach at the city level. Small modifications were made for clarity in the sections on essential harm reduction services, overdose prevention, Hepatitis C, civil society involvement and new drug trends. More modifications were made in the COVID-19 section to cover a new phase of the pandemic.

In addition to the survey, and on an experimental basis, the expert groups decided to try new forms of data collection. In 2 countries – Finland and the UK – online Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) will be performed to gather data on new drug trends. That was decided due to the low response rate in the online survey and also due to feedback from our Focal Points that this remains the most difficult section of the survey to complete.

More than one hundred organisations and individuals from 34 European countries have contributed to this Monitoring Report. Thanks go to our Focal Points and associated experts at the national and local levels who have filled in the online questionnaire and provided all information and data on time. Without their dedication and commitment, we would not have been able to produce this report.

To read the report, please follow this link>>>.

 

The Role of the Civil Society in the EU Accession Process

In the framework of the EU-funded Technical Assistance to Civil Society Organisations in Western Balkans and Turkey (EU TACSO 3) project, we are pleased to invite you to participate in the P2P on-line event under the title: “The Role of the Civil Society in the EU Accession Process” that will take place on 25 and 26 October 2021.

This event is organised in cooperation with the European Policy Institute (EPI) from North Macedonia and the Think for Europe Network (TEN).

Aiming to discuss the needs for improved CSO inclusion in the EU accession process and IPA programming and particularly to share the current practices, a regional P2P event will be organised. The purpose of the event is threefold:

  • To discuss the importance of CSOs involvement in the EU accession process and IPA (III) programming;
  • To share challenges and to learn about upcoming potential changes in the EU accession process;
  • To learn from best practice examples.

The four main topics of discussion will include:

  • General overview of the mechanisms for CSOs involvement in the EU accession process
  • Mechanisms for CSO involvement in the IPA programming structures
  • Key challenges for meaningful CSO engagement in the EU accession process
  • Challenges posed by the new methodology for accession in terms of the role of CSOs in EU accession

The on-line event will gather up to 60 CSOs, public institutions representatives and experts, mainly those who are members of various platforms for CSO inclusion in the EU accession process in the enlargement region.

If you are interested in attending the P2P event, please register at the following link>>> until Thursday, 21 October till 15:00 hrs CET.

The event’s official language is English, with simultaneous translation provided in Albanian, Bosnian/Serbian/Croatian, Montenegrin, Macedonian and Turkish.

The Zoom link to join the event, along with the agenda and other details, will be sent to all registered participants prior to the event.

 

Turning the tide

IDPC published a historical analysis of civil society advocacy for drug policy reform at the UN, assessing gains, challenges and insight on how the latter have been generally overcome. The “Turning the tide: Growth, visibility and impact of the civil society drug policy reform movement at the UN” briefing paper offers a historical analysis of civil society advocacy for drug policy reform at the UN, assessing the many gains made and challenges encountered over time – and ways in which reform-oriented civil society has met, resisted, and generally overcome, these challenges. This paper is based on desk research, discussions with advocates involved in the key events discussed in the paper, and the lived experiences of the authors, and so is naturally weighted more to the recent moments such as Beyond 2008, the 2016 UNGASS, the 2019 Ministerial Segment, and the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Key international drug policy moments studied in this report – including the 1998 and 2016 UN General Assembly Special Sessions (UNGASS) on drugs, the 2009 High Level Segment and its 10year review in 2019 in particular – have created the momentum for civil society to engage in, and influence, global drug policy debates.

The participation of a wide range of reform-minded civil society representatives – including affected communities of people who use drugs, people in recovery, patients using medicinal cannabis or essential medicines for pain relief, farmers of crops used for illegal drug production, formerly incarcerated people and others – has had an undeniable impact on UN drug policy events, elevating real lived experience from the ground at often dry and bureaucratic debates in Vienna.

To read the briefing paper, follow this link>>>.

Innovation and resilience in times of crisis

From the IDPC website

In March 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) characterised COVID-19 as a pandemic, prompting governments around the globe to declare a state of emergency and/or implement a wide variety of policies and programmes in order to curb outbreaks, minimise mortality rates, and maintain public safety and order. These include, but are not limited to, different forms of travel and/or movement restrictions (such as lockdowns and quarantine), closure of premises deemed non-essential, and restrictions on gatherings and/or events. Such measures have caused significant changes in public life, public services, governance, democracy and policymaking processes around the world – as well as having serious short- and long-term economic implications.

One additional impact of these measures is the disruption of various channels and dynamics of advocacy conducted by civil society organisations. Prior to the global pandemic, civil society organisations were already facing increasing constraints and shrinking space for advocacy. The COVID-19 pandemic has certainly accelerated this downward trend of intensifying repression, in some cases combined with various forms of disinformation, abuse of power and violence. Meanwhile, some civil society actors have been pushed to adapt their ways of working while remaining resilient as they face impacts such as increased workload and/or pressure (amid having less in-person interactions, working from home, and growing demand for services), uncertainty around financial and organisational sustainability, and health concerns, among others.

Aiming to better understand and support the network to respond to these emerging challenges, especially with regard to advocacy for drug policy reform centred on human rights and public health, the IDPC Secretariat initiated a process of documenting and analysing the experiences of civil society and governmental actors working in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The result of this process is report “Innovation and resilience in times of crisis – Civil society advocacy for drug policy reform under the COVID-19 pandemic” available following this link>>>.

 

Bolstering resilience among civil society in the Western Balkans

The Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime (GI TOC), through their Observatory of Illicit Economies in South Eastern Europe (SEE-Obs) and the Resilience Fund, published Stronger Together: Bolstering resilience among civil society in the Western Balkans report.

As the space for civil society appears to be shrinking in the Western Balkans, this report looks at organized crime and corruption in the region from a civil society perspective. It aims to give an overview of how civil society organizations in the Western Balkans deal with issues related to organized crime and corruption and highlights their main activities and concerns.

The GI-TOC’s experience of engaging with community actors all over the world has shown that individuals and community groups are able to build their individual and collective capacity to respond to and recover from organized crime. This report shows that courageous and committed CSOs across the Western Balkans are doing the same, but would benefit from further support to help strengthen communities’ resilience.

More about the report is available from this video

To read the report, follow this link>>>.


GI TOC shall present the report at the webinar scheduled for Friday 19 Mar 2021 at 11 AM (CET). Interpretation to Albanian, Macedonian, and Bosnian-Montenegrin-Serbian will be available during the event.

This webinar will draw together insights from civil society actors from across the Western Balkans working on organized crime and corruption and identify good practices across the region. During the 90 minute discussion we will also explore how these organizations’ resilience can be strengthened and how CSOs themselves can contribute to strengthening resilience in their communities and across the region.

Registration is required: .

 

Social Security Protocol for Civil Society

CIVICUS – a global alliance of civil society organisations and activists dedicated to strengthening citizen action and civil society throughout the world, published “Protecting our co-workers during COVID-19: A Social Security Protocol for Civil Society”. It includes a set of social protection measures that civil society organisations can consider to protect our colleagues from the adverse economic and psychosocial consequences of the pandemic.

Based on the International Labours Organisation’s policy framework to fight coronavirus, the six-point protocol provides a shared template for civil society groups to deliberate context-specific measures and adopt feasible actions in a time-bound and transparent manner. The proposed measures are:

  1. Systems to ensure physical distancing and other precautions.
  2. Support for COVID-19 testing and related treatment.
  3. Protection of jobs and pay across the COVID-19 lockdown and escalation period.
  4. Flexibility and support for home and care related responsibilities.
  5. Extending our community of care to our collaborators and constituencies.
  6. Acting in solidarity with workers and other vulnerable communities.

DPNSEE have signed the Protocol.

Should your organisation like to do the same, find the Protocol following this link>>>

 

SEE government – civil society dialogue on drugs

Following the success of the first dialogue between national authorities and civil society organisations held in 2018, the Office for Combating Drugs of the Government of the Republic of Serbia and Drug Policy Network South East Europe organised the second South East Europe government – civil society dialogue on drugs on 21 February 2020. The meeting was held in Belgrade, in the Palace of Serbia.

The aim of the meeting was to discuss about issues of importance for drug policy and reflect on the cooperation between authorities and civil society organisations at the national and regional level and perspectives of future cooperation.

The key topics for this meeting were:

  1. Decriminalisation of drug consumption and possession for personal use – challenges and experiences
  2. Role of civil society in drug policy

38 participants from all 11 countries of the region and 3 guest countries participated in the Dialogue.

The Dialogue was an excellent opportunity to hear various experiences from the region and wider and exchange ideas and comments.

You can download presentations from the panelists at our web page with publications following this link>>>.

 

Report from the dialogue is available following this link>>>.

 

CND Wrap-up

The 62 Session of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs ended on Friday 22 March. It was a large event, with 2.400 participants, more than 130 Member States and representatives of over 90 civil society organisations and over 20 intergovernmental organisations. The CND 2019 was chaired by Ambassador Mirghani Abbaker Altayeb Bakhet of Sudan.

The meeting began with a ministerial segment on 14 and 15 March aimed at taking stock of the implementation of the commitments made to jointly address and counter the world drug problem.

The regular segment, which lasted for the full working week, agreed on 8 resolutions on various topics including strengthening forensic detection capability for synthetic drugs, promoting alternative development and measures to prevent transmission of HIV for women who use drugs.

Yury Fedotov, the UNODC Executive Director, underlined that “We need to enhance our efforts to bridge the gaps in addressing the persistent and emerging trends and challenges through the implementation of balanced, integrated, comprehensive, multidisciplinary and scientific evidence-based responses to the world drug problem.

The civil society was not so happy with the event. Even though it was clear and based on evidence that the target to “eliminate or significantly reduce” drug use and trafficking in 10 years is far from achieving, the declaration adopted at the ministerial segment doesn’t include a significant shift and genuine re-orientation of drug policies which is so much needed. The civil society strongly recommend ending punitive approaches towards vulnerable groups and individuals. Ann Fordham, the Executive Director of the International Drug Policy Consortium, speaking in the name of a global network of more than 180 NGOs including DPNSEE and several our member organisations, emphasized that “Ending punitive approaches towards those most vulnerable will require that global drug control going forward puts people and communities at the centre, and seeks to improve their living conditions, address their situations of vulnerability and protect their human rights, in line with the SDG vision of ‘leaving no one behind’.

Ann Fordham addressing the Ministerial segment of the 62 CND

The World Health Organisation proposal to reschedule cannabis from schedule IV (same class as heroin, with high abuse potential and no recognised medical value) to schedule I was not discussed with the explanation that it would “allow more time for Member States’ delegations to consider such a potentially radical decision”. But, it is clear that there is no consensus to adopt it and most probably it won’t be reached in a near future.

At the regular meeting, countries mainly glorify their results in fighting drug problem, and civil society organisations mainly appear only on side events so we started discussing if our presence there has a significant effect. As Péter Sárosi, Editor in Chief of the Drugreporter, well noted “Several member states still consider NGOs hostile forces who disturb the business-as-usual operation of the UN“. So, “Tons of expertise and knowledge is channelled to the sometimes rather dull conversations.

Two DPNSEE Board members, the Executive Director and a few representatives of member organisations participated in both segments the CND. It was a good opportunity to exchange with our partners, make new and build new contacts, present our work and learn about new developments. Most of the benefit was achieved at the side events and in informal contacts.

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The side events held on 21 March you may be interested to hear about:

Our recent news on 62 CND:

 

Greek Parliament set to vote on new bill establishing Supervised Drug Consumption Sites

A hearing meeting of the Standing Committee on Social Affairs of the Hellenic Parliament took place on 20 February 2019 to discuss draft law submitted by the Health Ministry. Among others, it includes various amendments of the Law 4139/2013 on drugs as well as a specific provision for the legal establishment of supervised drug consumption sites in Greece. The debate over the recent draft law is entitled “Private Clinics Statutory Framework, Modernization and Reformative recommendations, The National Public Health Organization establishment, the National Institute of Neoplasms and the other provisions establishment”.

Sofia GalinakiSofia Galinaki, Advocacy Officer of Diogenis and representative of the Greek organizations’ Platform for psychoactive substances, participated in the hearing, during which in cooperation with other Platform’s member organizations presented a series of proposals aiming to improve this legislative initiative.

Α relevant proposals’ memorandum was submitted on behalf of the Platform to the Committee and the Minister of Health, Mr A. Xanthos.

The second reading of the draft law by the Committee scheduled for 26 February 2019.

The current Law (in Greek) is available following this link>>>>