CND Intersessional meeting - Thematic discussions (December 2026)

The first intersessional meeting of the 69th session of the Commission will take place from 7 to 9 December 2026, and will include thematic sessions on the implementation of all international drug policy commitments, following-up to the 2019 Ministerial Declaration.

The following topics will be discussed:

7 December: Drug Trafficking and Converging Criminal Markets

• session 1 - 10:00 - 13:00: Convergence of Drug Trafficking and Other Forms of Organized Crime
• session 2 - 15:00 - 18:00: Links between Drug Trafficking and Corruption, Money-Laundering and, in some cases, Terrorism, including Financing of Terrorism

8 December: Criminal Misuse of Information and Communications Technologies for Drug-Related Activities

• session 3 - 10:00 - 13:00: Evolving Technologies and Online Drug Markets
• session 4 - 15:00 - 18:00: Preventing and Responding to ICT-Facilitated Drug-Related Crime

9 December: Enhancing Responses to Drug-Related Money-Laundering including Confiscation of Proceeds of Crime; and other substantive matters

• session 5 - 10:00 - 13:00: Enhancing responses to drug-related money-laundering including confiscation of proceeds of crime
• session 6 - 15:00 - 18:00: Other Substantive Matters — Member States have proposed a wide range of topics for discussion, ranging from drug checking as an early warning tool and gender-responsive drug policies to international scheduling, forensic analysis, the health effects of non-medical cannabis use, and alternative development.

The thematic discussions will also provide an opportunity to address cross-cutting issues identified in the ‘way forward’ section of the 2024 CND High-Level Declaration, including cooperation at all levels, data collection and analysis, and technological innovation.

Civil society participation – Call for speakers

The Vienna NGO Committee on Drugs (VNGOC) is coordinating civil society participation in the thematic discussions and has extended the deadline for applications to Monday, 9 November 2026, at 23:45 (Vienna time).

Up to three civil society representatives may be selected to speak during each thematic panel, with approximately 2–3 minutes allocated per intervention.

Interested organisations should submit an application through the online form, including an abstract clearly outlining the relevance of their proposed contribution to the selected session. Interventions highlighting examples of good practice, practical experiences and progress in implementing international drug policy commitments are particularly encouraged.

Organisations involved in the Pledge4Action initiative are also invited to share updates on their commitments.

All abstracts and statements must be submitted in English, and interpretation will not be available during the meetings. Speakers will be selected by the VNGOC Board in accordance with its established selection guidelines.

Applications are welcome for all sessions, with further contributions particularly encouraged for the morning and afternoon sessions on 8 December and the morning session on 9 December.

Deadline: 9 November 2026, 23:45 (Vienna time).

Application form:https://forms.cloud.microsoft/e/kTtyMWj79G

Format

The thematic discussions will be organized, in line with past practice, in English only and in a hybrid format – at the Vienna International Centre, Plenary room, M Building, and online. The online meeting links will be shared here in due course.

The morning meetings will be held from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. (Vienna time), and the afternoon meetings from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. (Vienna time).

Each session of the thematic discussions (morning and afternoon sessions) will be organized in different components:

• Introductory statements by UNODC
• Expert panel discussion
• Pledge4Action Progress Spotlight
• Discussion with interventions from the floor

The format of the discussion for the agenda item “Other substantive matters” consists of a general introduction by UNODC followed by an interactive debate with short interventions from the floor moderated by the CND Chair. Member States who submitted a topic for discussion will be given the floor first to introduce it.

For further details, please consult the organizational arrangements agreed by the Commission.