As drug policy reform faces renewed repression and securitisation worldwide, 2026 will test whether evidence, human rights and community leadership can still reshape a system under strain — and where the next openings for change may emerge.
RightsCon brings together global civil society, policymakers, technologists and advocates to confront urgent challenges at the intersection of human rights and technology, shaping strategies for a more open, secure and rights-respecting digital future.
Schneider et al. argue that criminalising sex work and drug use forces young sex workers into danger, undermining health and rights, and call for decriminalisation, safe supply and peer-led harm reduction.
Deep budget cuts to the UN’s human rights pillar will severely weaken the organisation’s ability to prevent abuses, protect defenders and support human rights.
The Commissioner warned that ignoring expert recommendations on harm reduction and safe supply violates human rights while claiming over five lives daily across the province.
Civil society groups from around the world reject the 'war on drugs' narrative being used to justify pressure, interference, and intervention in Venezuela—warning of militarisation, human rights violations, and dangerous regional precedents.
The joint letter warns that expanding involuntary treatment in British Columbia would violate medical ethics, endanger patients, and deepen human rights harm, calling instead for evidence-based, voluntary, community-led care.
