UN member states have agreed to hold a Ministerial Segment immediately prior to the 62nd Session of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) ‘to take stock of the implementation of the commitments made to jointly address and counter the world drug problem, in particular in the light of the 2019 target date’ set out to eradicate or significantly reduce the overall scale of the illegal drug market. Tentative dates are 18 – 22 March 2019 for the CND and 14 – 15 March 2019 for the high-level segment.
Building on the successful experience of the Civil Society Task Force (CSTF) consultation organised in the run-up to the UNGASS of 2016 (which reached over 800 organisations from all over the world), a Global Civil Society Consultation has been launched in preparation for the 2019 Ministerial Segment of the CND. The CSTF’s Consultation asks respondents to consider the progress made towards achieving the goals enshrined in the 2009 Political Declaration, and whether these goals should be extended for the next decade. This is a crucial opportunity for civil society to provide input into the 2019 process.
The survey is available following this link>>>. The deadline for submissions is 31 October 2018.
The International Drug Policy Consortium’s (IDPC) latest publications provide valuable information for civil society organisations.
On the road towards the 2019 Ministerial Segment
IDPC outlines key issues for consideration as member states reflect on what has been achieved since 2009, and the implications for the next phase of the international drug policy regime.
In a new publication Taking stock: A decade of drug policy – A civil society shadow report (to be published on 22 October), IDPC evaluates the impacts of drug policies implemented across the world over the past decade, assessing progress made towards the 2019 goals and concluding on the need to move away from punitive approaches.