The COVID-19 pandemic is having a profound effect on the provision of health services across the globe and is further magnifying the existing barriers faced by people who use drugs in accessing harm reduction services. Programmes have had to adapt, and efforts are being made to enhance accessibility and ensure the continuity of harm reduction services in a context that is changing daily. But what does this look like in reality, and what practical measures can be put in place to ensure that people who use drugs continue to have access to essential services and support?

Following the first in the series, the aim of this second webinar is to facilitate an interactive and more in-depth discussion on issues related to OST and overdose, sharing of practical field-experiences including issues around non-injecting drug use and advocacy opportunities, and will build upon previous discussions around generally adapting and maintaining harm reduction services during COVID-19.

Speakers will discuss:

Technical considerations for shifting to take home doses and alternative methods of OST provision;

Drug supply changes; managing overdose risks and withdrawal during COVID-19;

Practical example of adapting non-injecting drug use programmes;

Leveraging advocacy opportunities during COVID-19.

During the 30 minute Q&A session, representatives from WHO, UNODC, and experts in the above topics will be available on the panel to answer your questions.

There are two sessions, participants need to register:

Click here to register for the 9:00 CET session

Click here to register for the 16:30 CET session

Webinar #2 on COVID-19 and Harm Reduction Programme Implementation

This Summit will bring together experts from around the world to discuss the legal, cultural, and political issues around the emerging psychedelic renaissance. Efforts to decriminalize or legalize psychedelics have picked up steam around the United States, with Denver recently decriminalizing psilocybin mushrooms and Oakland decriminalizing all natural psychedelics. In addition, advocates in Oregon are planning a statewide ballot initiative to regulate psilocybin in 2020. The topics addressed will include: the process of applying for religious exemptions with the DEA; psilocybin decriminalization initiatives; the right to ameliorate pain and suffering; cognitive liberty; drug use and human rights; ibogaine bills; the upcoming FDA regulation of MDMA and psilocybin; psychedelic harm reduction; licensed health care providers and psychedelic-assisted therapy; the paradoxes of cannabis regulation and NIDA monopoly for research cannabis; conservation of endangered species; human’s relationship to sacred plants and nature; the continuities and discontinuities between recreational, therapeutic and religious use of drugs; the future legal markets; and the commercialization of psychedelics. The Summit aims to discuss the future of psychedelic practices in the US, including decriminalization, legalization, and medicalization. Finally, Chacruna will officially launch the Council for the Protection of Sacred Plants at the Summit. The Council is an initiative of the Chacruna Institute that advocates for the legality of sacred plant medicines among indigenous peoples and non-indigenous communities, encourages legal harm-reduction practices that protect those who use them, educates about conservation of plant species, documents relevant legal and social issues, and consults on legal cases.

Psychedelic Liberty Summit – Now Virtual

Spread of the coronavirus and illness officially known as COVID-19 around the world, in Europe and in the region of South East Europe has a devastating effect on general population as well as on people who use drugs and other connected vulnerable populations (homeless people, sex workers, LGBTI, MSM, people living with HIV and many others).

DPNSEE reacted early on the information about possible outbreak of the coronavirus in Europe sending a Letter to member organisations inviting them to prepare for the coronavirus outbreak with brief instructions, publishing the Public appeal to protect vulnerable groups from coronavirus COVID-19, sharing and translating instructions and advice on coronavirus and keeping contacts with our member organisations and international partners. We regularly update news from South East Europe – they are available at the News section of our website.

We held conference calls with our member organisations by countries from South East Europe last weeks. We heard a lot of good stories about their work and ideas to share.

Analysing the situation and discussing potential developments during and after the outbreak, the DPNSEE Board decided to hold the on-line Conference on protection of vulnerable populations in South East Europe. The Conference will be held with support of the Service for Combatting Drug Abuse at the Croatian Institute for Public Health and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime – UNODC Programme Office in Serbia.

The aim of the Conference is to contribute to ensuring the sustainability of services for key populations during and after the coronavirus epidemic. As stated in the UNODC document 

Suggestions about treatment, care and rehabilitation of people with drug use disorder in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic

 “it is important to ensure the continuity of adequate access to health and social services for people who use drugs and with drug use disorders and provide the continuum of care required as described in the International Standards for the Treatment of Drug Use Disorders (UNODC/WHO, 2020) to the best extent possible also in times of crisis”.

Besides our members and other civil society organisations from the region and wider, we invite to the Conference national drug agencies and health institutions, international organisations partners and donors.

The Conference will be held via Zoom at the following link https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86072202401 on Thursday 23 April 2020 starting at 14:00 CET (15:00 EEST). The conference would last for a maximum of two hours.

Overview of situation with coronavirus among vulnerable populations in South East Europe.

Proposed actions to ensure sustainability of services for key populations during and after the coronavirus epidemic.

The background documents for the Conference we plan to prepare and post here in the next few days include:

Overview of the situation with coronavirus COVID-19 in SEE

Information received from countries of South East Europe

DPNSEE activities during the coronavirus outbreak

Draft list of actions and measures to ensure sustainability of services for key populations

 during and after the coronavirus epidemic.

In preparations for the Conference, we shall also use and refer to the documents which are also produced and promoted internationally, including those from UNODC, UNAIDS, EMCDDA and other national and international intergovernmental and civil society organisations.

We sincerely hope that you shall join us in this effort to make sure that a truly inclusive universal health coverage grounded on rights-based laws, policies and procedures is achieved by prioritizing and protecting vulnerable groups.

Online conference on protection of vulnerable populations in South East Europe

Prisons and justice systems are facing unprecedented challenges brought by the COVID-19 global pandemic. At this launch event for Global Prison Trends 2020

international leaders and experts will address chronic issues that have led to this human rights and public health crisis with people in prison being so vulnerable – and critically, question how we should respond, now and in the long-term.

"Global Prison Trends 2020" Webinar

Since 1955, the United Nations congresses on crime prevention and criminal justice have brought together high-level representatives of Governments, intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations, and criminal justice professionals and scholars, to discuss common concerns, share experiences and seek viable solutions to problems related to crime prevention and criminal justice.

14th United Nations Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice [POSTPONED]

This one-day conference will offer a national and international perspective exploring the trajectories, experiences and impact of substance use among our ageing population.

The Substance Use and Associated Behaviours (SUAB) research centre at Manchester Metropolitan University is delighted to present the SUAB 2020 International Conference 

Older Adults’ Substance Use: An International Perspective

This one-day conference will offer a national and international perspective exploring the trajectories, experiences and impact of substance use among our ageing population. Chaired by Prof Sarah Galvani, with invited speakers:

Dr Beate Peter and Dr Lisa Williams, England

This one-day conference will take place on 

April 1st, 2020, from 9am, at Innside Hotel Manchester.

 Lunch and refreshments will be provided.

SUAB Annual International Conference 2020: Older adult's substance use: An international perspective

In the face of mass quarantines and global uncertainty where is the space for sustaining and motivating campaigning for drug policy reform?

We have decided to set up our activist training online and will adapt our approach to include the use of creative social media.

This gives us a wonderful opportunity to bring you some live links with global campaigners and join from any part of the world.

We haven't finalised the details but expect topics to include:

the power of telling our stories in a policy context

how to engage politicians – pressure points, who holds power, etc.

the difference between activism and advocacy, and when to use each.

how to engage the media including writing opinion pieces, getting quoted, etc

Online drug policy activism training - Recovering Justice

The 7th Annual Service User Conference will take place Thursday 26th March in the City Hotel, Derry. Registration on the day will be from 10am-11am. The event is free and this year we take on Harm Reduction in our Communities.

7th Annual Service User Conference - RSUN

In the interests of keeping everyone safe and well the DDN Conference has been postponed until June.

We consulted widely about this and were confident for a while of going ahead, but the escalation of recent events has also brought forward the likelihood of restrictions. We no longer feel able to promise the packed programme and wonderful day of networking we had envisaged.

We will be announcing our new date in June very shortly and look forward to an absolutely amazing day at The Glee Club in Birmingham!

DDN Conference 2020 [POSTPONED]

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.

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.

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.

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:

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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/.

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

Pre-session consultations for the 63rd Session of CND are expected to take place on 28 February 2020 (Board room D, Vienna International Centre).

CND 63rd session - Pre-session consultations

This webinar is part of a multilingual series, available in Spanish and French here.

Monday, 24 February 2020 (16:30 - 17:00 | London time)

 on the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) focuses on its 63rd Session of the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND), which will take place in Vienna from 2-6 March 2020.

The webinar series will shed light on the key issues that are likely to structure the debates, discuss tabled resolutions and opportunities for engagement, and showcase the experience of IDPC network members in navigating and leveraging this forum for political advocacy.

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

 (Students for Sensible Drug Policy - SSDP).