58th Session of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs

The Special Segment on the UNGASS

The Special Segment will take place from 9th to 12th March and will aim at continuing discussions around the way the UNGASS will be organised, as well as the topics that will be discussed. In order to inform the discussions on the UNGASS, IDPC has created a special page on the event, as well as a series of policy asks. We encourage you to review those documents ahead of the segment.

The Commission on Narcotic Drugs

The regular CND session will be held on Friday 13th, Monday 16th and Tuesday 17th March. As usual, the CND will include a thematic debate at the Plenary, as well as the negotiation of the 12 resolutions presented by member states (including a special one on the 2016 UNGASS) at the Committee of the Whole, starting on Thursday 12th March.

Information for participants

• The UNODC has just released information for participants, available here.
• More information, as well as all relevant official documentation will be posted on the CND website.
• For more information about the UNGASS, please click here.
• If you would like to follow the latest debates at CND, please visit the CND Blog.
• CND badges can be retrieved on Sunday 8th March from 15:00 to 18:00 and on Monday 9th March from 8:00 to 16:00.

Guide for NGOs attending the CND

Below is a guide developed by the Vienna NGO Committee on Drugs (VNGOC) to help NGOs wishing to attend the CND. Please also note that the VNGOC will be organising NGO briefings on Monday 9th March from 9:00 to 9:45 (NGO Lounge, MOE27) and on Wednesday 11th March from 9:30 to 10:00 (Boardroom A).

IDPC list of side events

Monday 9th March

• 13:10-14:00: The 2016 UNGASS: Challenges and opportunities – Organised by the Governments of Mexico, Uruguay and the Netherlands, IDPC and TNI. Conference Room BR-A.

Tuesday 10th March

• 13:30-14:45: Drugs and the death penalty: prioritising human rights, health, and harm reduction over punitive approaches to drug policy – Organised by Brazil, Reprieve, Harm Reduction International and IDPC. Mozart Room.
• 14.20-15.10: What next for drug policies in Africa in the run-up to the UNGASS? – Organised by the Government of Ghana, the Kofi Annan Foundation, the African Union, the West Africa Commission on Drugs and IDPC. Conference Room M 6

Thursday 12th March

• 9:00-9:50: Towards better measurements and improved system wide coherence: Policy indicators, development and public health – Organised by the Government of Switzerland, IDPC and the Global Drug Policy Observatory. Conference Room M3.
• 13:15-14:45: Drug policy innovations in the Americas – Organised by IDPC, WOLA, TNI, and CEDD. Mozart Room.

Friday 13th March

• 13:15-14:45: IDPC launch of the e-Book of Authorities – Organised by IDPC, TNI and HRI. Mozart Room [INVITATION ONLY]

For a full list of CND side events, please click here. For a selected list of side events organised by IDPC and partner NGOs, please open the PDF below:

NGO events

A civil society hearing will take place on Monday 9th March from 14:45 to 19:00 in Conference Room BR-A. The agenda for the hearing is available here.

On Wednesday 11th March, there will also be an informal civil society dialogue with the UNODC Executive Director (10:00-10:50, Boardroom A) and with the INCB President (11:00-11:50, location TBC).

Communications and Media

If you are tweeting from the CND, please use the hashtag #CND2015, as well as the hashtag #UNGASS2016 during the UNGASS Special Session.

A vigil to protest against the imposition of the death penalty for drugs offences will be held at 8:30 on Wednesday 11th March in front of the Vienna International Centre.

Finally, don't forget to follow the debates on the CND Blog in English and Spanish!

Keep up-to-date with drug policy developments by subscribing to the IDPC Monthly Alert.