63rd Session of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND)

General information

The dates for the Sixty-third session of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs, Vienna are: 2 - 6 March 2020.

Information for participants is now available here, on the official site of the Session. The VNGOC has also drafted a Guide for NGOs participating in the CND, available here.

The CND Blog will also provide near real-time updates on the plenary session and selected side events. You can also follow IDPC twitter which will provide live updates on key events, or follow the hashtags #CND2020 / #CND63.

CND Digest

IDPC produces a targeted daily update about the meeting, providing updates on the state of resolutions, upcoming agenda items and side events of particular interest. To receive it, message Daisy Bowdery with your name and organisational affiliation.

Webinar series

The CND 63: Key issues and opportunities webinar series sheds light on the key issues that are likely to structure the debates, tabled resolutions and opportunities for engagement, and showcases the experience of IDPC network members in navigating and leveraging this forum for political advocacy. This multilingual webinar series is available in English, Spanish and French.

A video introduction to the Commission's functioning and mechanisms of engagement is also available.

Programme

Side events

IDPC member organisations are involved in over 30 side events. Check them out here.

The IDPC Secretariat co-organises a series of side events at the 63rd CND session:

Monday, 2nd March

• Health responses to the opioid poisoning crisis: On-the-ground experiences and international implications: 14:10-15:00 | MOE100 | Canada, CAPUD, CDPC, Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network, CDPE, IDPC.

Tuesday, 3rd March

• Implementing the UN Bangkok Rules: Women and drug policies: 8:00-8:50 | M6 |Canada, CELS, IDPC, OHCHR, PRI, WOLA, WHRIN.

Wednesday, 4th March

• Communities at the centre: Barriers and opportunities for community led interventions: 9:10-10:00 | M3 | Switzerland, IDPC, INPUD, UNAIDS, OHCHR, UNODC HIV/AIDS Section
• Human Rights Compliant and Gender Sensitive Criminal Justice Responses to Drug Problem: Way Forward -Kyoto Crime Congress 2020: 13:00-13:50 | M3 | Mexico, Norway, Switzerland, EU, IDPC, UNAIDS, OHCHR, HRDP, UNDP, WHO.

Thursday, 5th March

• Social norms and rituals, individual and collective self-regulation strategies in cannabis use- What research and alternative practices can tell to cannabis policy reform: 8:00-8:50 | MOE79 | Associazione la Società della Ragione ONLUS, Associazione Luca Coscioni, Forum Droghe Associazione Movimento per il Contenimento dei Danni, ICEERS, IDPC, Science for Democracy, TNI.
• Next steps for data collection on drugs: Experiences from UN agencies: 9:10-10:00 | Press Room | Mexico, Switzerland, CELS, EU, GDPO, IDPC, OHCHR, UNAIDS, UNDP, WHO.
• Forced treatment, people who use drugs and the right to health: Empirical evidence from Asia and Latin America: 13:00-13:50 | MOE100 | Equis Justicia Para Las Mujeres, IDPC, OHCHR.
• Good practices in cross-sectoral cooperation: Civil society involvement in policymaking in Europe: 14:00-14:50 | MOE79 | Finland, Spain, CSF, Correlation – EHRN, EU, FHN, IDPC, RRF, YODA.

Friday, 6th March

• East African Community Regional Policy on Prevention, Management and Control of Alcohol, Drugs and other Substances: 8:00-8:50 | Press Room | ANPUD, EAC, IDPC, KANCO, MdM (France).
• Drug Crypto Markets Beyond 2020: Policy, Enforcement, Harm, and Resilience: 9:10-10:00 | M6 | the Netherlands, ABD (Energy Control), GDPO, IDPC.

Informal dialogues

A series of informal dialogues between high-level UN representatives and civil society are scheduled to take place as follows:

• Director of the WHO Department of Mental Health and Substance Use | Tuesday, 11:00, Room M3.
• CND Chair | Thursday, 09:00, Room M3
• UNODC Executive Director | Thursday, 10:30, Room M3
• INCB President | Thursday, 11:30, Room M3

VNGOC activities

The Vienna NGO Committee will hold its first Annual General Assembly on Wednesday, at 16:00, in Room BR-D, Building C, 4th floor. The AGM will also see Board elections take place.

The VNGOC also organises 'Finding Common Ground: A Civil Society Conversation on Prevention' (Thursday, 15:00, BR-D, Building C, 4th floor).

For more on the VNGOC, please visit their website dedicated to the CND.

CND App

Within the framework of the Global Partnership on Drug Policies and Development (GPDPD), the CND App has been developed to facilitate navigating and engaging with the debates at the CND. This mobile application will help you track live what is happening, and where, at the CND, receive notifications on key events, resolutions and speakers, and access UN-agreed language on specific drug policy issues. For an optimal experience, please download the app from the Apple or Android store. Alternatively, you can access the app's functionalities with your browser at http://cndapp.org/.