Tag: United Nations

The lost decade in the global war on drugs

Posted on by Milutin

For the last three months, the IDPC Secretariat (with the invaluable support of the network), has been preparing a landmark report in advance of the 2019 UN Ministerial Segment. “Taking stock: A decade of drug policy” is launched on 22 October 2018.

This shadow report is, and will probably remain, the only comprehensive evaluation of the soon-to-expire 10-year UN Political Declaration and Plan of Action on drugs, which was adopted in 2009. The report unpacks the lack of progress towards the achievement of the so-called “drug-free world” targets – and sheds light on the catastrophic impacts on human rights, public health, security and development.

The report, Taking stock: A decade of drug policy – A civil society shadow report is a response by IDPC and its 174 NGO network to the failure by governments and the United Nations Office of Drug and Crime to comprehensively evaluate the 10-year plan based on a discredited ‘war on drugs’ approach that continues to generate a catastrophic impact on health, human rights, security and development, while not even remotely reducing the global supply of illegal drugs.

Using wide-ranging data from UN, government, academic and civil society sources, the report from the International Drug Policy Consortium (IDPC) shows that this UN goal has been spectacularly missed.

Helen Clark, former Prime Minister of New Zealand and a member of the Global Commission on Drug Policy, states in the report: “What we learn from the shadow report is compelling. Since governments started collecting data on drugs in the 1990s, the cultivation, consumption and illegal trafficking of drugs have reached record levels. Moreover, current drug policies are a serious obstacle to other social and economic objectives… and the “war on drugs” has resulted in millions of people murdered, disappeared, or internally displaced.”

  • A 145% increase in drug-related deaths over the last decade, totalling a harrowing 450,000 deaths per year in 2015.
  • At least 3,940 people executed for a drug offence over the last decade, with 33 jurisdictions retaining the death penalty for drug offences in violation of international standards.
  • Around 27,000 extrajudicial killings in drug crackdowns in the Philippines.
  • More than 71,000 overdose deaths in the United States in 2017 alone.
  • A global pain epidemic, resulting from restrictions in access to controlled medicines, which have left 75% of the world’s population without proper access to pain relief.
  • Mass incarceration fuelled by the criminalisation of people who use drugs – with 1 in 5 prisoners incarcerated for drug offences, mostly for possession for personal use.

To read full report follow this link>>>>

UN agencies statement on ending discrimination in health care settings

Posted on by Milutin

Discrimination in health care settings is widespread across the world and takes many forms. It violates the most fundamental human rights protected in international treaties and in national laws and constitutions. People we work for and with experience it very often.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) had issues a Joint United Nations statement, signed by 12 UN agencies, on ending discrimination in health care settings. Recognizing that discrimination in health care settings is a major barrier to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, United Nations entities commit to working together to support Member States in taking coordinated multisectoral action to eliminate discrimination in health care settings.

The Statement is available at http://www.unaids.org/sites/default/files/media_asset/ending-discrimination-healthcare-settings_en.pdf.

Among a number of measures, the statement called for the “reviewing and repealing punitive laws that have been proven to have negative health outcomes” by member states, which includes “drug use or possession of drugs for personal use”.

The DPNSEE Office, in cooperation with SUPRAM – The Association of Lawyers for Medical and Health Law of Serbia, analysed the situation in the country and prepared a document which highlights some of the basic international documents and national legislation on discrimination, especially in the area of health care. Those who can understand Serbian can download the document presenting the situation following this link. We are in communication with our member organisations in Serbia, with the idea to make a public event to present the Statement and the document produced and call for full respect of the legislation and fight against discrimination. For this, we plan to partner with The Commissioner for the Protection of Equality and UN representatives in the country.

For others, we prepared the set of excerpts from the international documents which is in another document. Please feel free to have a look at the document linked here and if you think you can start a similar campaign like we plan for Serbia, analyse your national legislation which deals with discrimination, access to health and social care, quality of health protection, patients’ safety as well as strategies in these areas. Should you need any support, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

The Diamond CND Session

Posted on by Milutin

Sixtieth session of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs was held in Vienna, Austria from 13-17 March 2017. It has been a session with the record number of participants and side events. Around 100 side events and numerous exhibitions were held during the session of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs, which was attended by more than 1,500 people representing Member States, civil society, academia and international organizations.

The main topic of the discussions at the CND was focused on the implementation of last year’s UNGASS outcome document and planning for the upcoming review of the 2009 Political Declaration and Plan of Action in 2019.

A resolution by countries in Eastern Europe directed to promote community, family and school-based prevention approaches and strategies was adopted. The resolution took an extensive standpoint on prevention, including the role of risk factors, the importance of families and communities in prevention and the need for culturally fitting, multi-component interventions to prevent drug use.

After the discussion at the plenary the Member States decided to schedule a number of New Psychoactive Substances and some precursors that are used in the production of the opioid Fentanyl, which caused a large number of overdoses in the USA and Eastern Europe in recent years.

Among other things discussed were a resolution to prevent HIV /AIDS and other blood borne diseases, principles for Alternative Development and the harms of New Psychoactive Substances (NPS).

Drug Policy Network South East Europe was first time present at the UN premises in Vienna, formally as part of the Diogenis delegation, supported by the EU project. It was a good opportunity to network with our peers from civil society organisations (including preparatory meeting organized by the IDPC and VNGOC meeting), to meet with representatives of the formal national delegations (Croatia, Montenegro, Serbia, Slovenia, among others), and to hear a lot of good experiences at the side events.

Youth activists from member organizations of the DPNSEE, HOPS from Macedonia and Re Generation from Serbia, had presentations in the side event organized by the Youth Organisations for Drug Action (YODA) and Pompidou Group of the Council of Europe in the first year that YODA was present with the ECOSOC status. Side event was focused on the topic related to “Protecting the rights of young people in the areas related to drugs and drug policy, under international regulations” with aim of highlighting the real difficulties young people face under current drug policies.

A good insight in the Commission meeting can be found at the International Drug Policy Consortium (IDPC) blog.