IDPC Briefing Note - The 10-year review of the United Nations Drug Control System: Difficult questions remain for member states and UN system wide coherence

IDPC produced this briefing note for the ECOSOC high level meeting in July 2009 to alert member state delegates that the political declaration of the CND in March 2009 represents discordance between member states and also between UN mechanisms.

The outcome of the recent review of the global drug control system represents a re-commitment by member states to existing policies and strategies, despite increasing concerns regarding their impact. A political declaration, adopted by consensus, masks deep divisions between member states and contains elements that bring UN drug control policy into conflict with the work of UNAIDS, the development agencies, and the human rights apparatus. To protect the concept of system wide coherence, better mechanisms need to be found to develop a system-wide UN drug control strategy that balances the needs of security with the wider imperatives to promote health, development and human rights.