IDPC Publications

A key role and added value of IDPC is the production of policy analysis for a broad range of audiences including academia, civil society and policy makers. The majority of these publications are collaborations with members and partners, and are translated into multiple languages to support and facilitate advocacy.

Results 1 to 12 of 461

18 September 2024

4th Brandenburg Forum in Geneva: Towards transformative change in human rights-based drug policy - Meeting report

The 4th Brandenburg Forum in Geneva took place on 10th and 11th June 2024 at the historic retreat of the Château de Bossey, approximately 30 minutes outside of Geneva, Switzerland. The Forum was once again organised by the Swiss Confederation, the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), the Office of the Commissioner of the German Federal Government for Drug and Addiction Policy, the Government of the Netherlands, the Norwegian Ministry of Health and Care Services, the Transnational Institute (TNI), and the International Drug Policy Consortium (IDPC). The meeting is part of a long-running series of events and deliverables under the framework of the Global Partnership on Drug Policies and Development (GPDPD) – which is implemented by GIZ on behalf of BMZ. The main Brandenburg Forums have been held in Germany on an annual basis since 2016, with additional Geneva events held since 2021. These Forums seek to provide a unique opportunity for invited government and United Nations (UN) officials to convene alongside academic, civil society and community experts. In order to create a safe space for participants to discuss complex ideas and strategies, the Forums are held under the ‘Chatham House Rule’, which states that anyone can use the information received, but the identity of those making interventions should not be revealed. The 4th Brandenburg Forum in Geneva was attended by 43 participants, and brought together government representatives from Australia, Bolivia, Colombia, Czechia, Germany, Mexico, the Netherlands, Norway, Switzerland and the USA – as well as officials from the European Union, the Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD), the World Health Organization (WHO), and several representatives from civil society organisations and academia.

16 September 2024

Summary of the intersessional panel discussion on human rights challenges in addressing and countering all aspects of the world drug problem - Report of the OHCHR

The OHCHR summarises discussions on the need for a rights- and evidence- based approach to drug policy, including decriminalisation, harm reduction, legal regulation and structural changes to the global drug control regime.

11 September 2024

The crisis of overcrowded prisons in Indonesia: Barriers to accessing alternatives to imprisonment

IDPC and LBHM critically assess the country's punitive drug policies and their impact on prison overcrowding, recommending increased health-oriented provision and legal reforms.

11 September 2024

Drug laws in Thailand: the limits of reforms to relieve prison overcrowding

IDPC discusses alternative measures to incarceration implemented in Thailand from the perspectives of practitioners and people involved in the criminal legal system.

13 August 2024

IDPC Progress Report 2023-2024

IDPC reflects the network's collective efforts toward a world where responses to drug use, cultivation, production and supply are shaped by well-being, solidarity, evidence and compassion.

13 August 2024

Communication to the UN CESCR regarding Honduras periodic review on the right to health of people who use drugs

IDPC and LANPUD focus on key health indicators, impact on criminalisation and stigma, and availability of harm reduction services in Honduras.

13 August 2024

The ‘Vienna Spirit’ shatters: Report of the 67th session of the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs and its high-level segment

IDPC highlights growing tensions at the latest CND session, where geopolitical divides and challenges to the punitive drug control paradigm were prominent and potentiated by civil society.

8 July 2024

Reforming drug laws to address racial injustice - Submission to the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD)

Release, Amnesty International, UNJUST UK, HRI and IDPC shed light on racial disparities in drug policing and associated human rights violations, urging for decriminalisation, the redirection of resources into care systems, and equitable reform.

25 June 2024

LGBTQI+ people who use drugs in Thailand: Advocacy for improved health and human rights responses

APCOM and IDPC urge the public, law enforcement, and policymakers in Thailand to help ensure equality and equity for LGBTQ+ people who use drugs, especially in their access to health and social services, and ending stigma and discrimination against them.

30 May 2024

IDPC contribution to the Global Coalition to Address Synthetic Drug Threats

IDPC recommends improving data collection, prioritising health-based responses, reviewing drug policy frameworks and ensuring robust civil society engagement.

29 May 2024

National stakeholder dialogue: Towards a stigma reduction roadmap for people who use drugs in Ghana

UNAIDS Ghana and IDPC bring together key actors to identify priorities for tackling stigma surrounding people who use drugs, including education, training, and policy reform.

16 April 2024

Decriminalising drug use and sex work to end the criminalisation of poverty and homelessness - Submission to the UNSRs on the right to adequate housing and on extreme poverty and human rights

IDPC and other organisations encourage the Special Rapporteurs to acknowledge the harmful effects of criminalising drug use and sex work in relation to the policing of people living in poverty in public spaces.