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Nairobi, Kenya – May 9-10, 2024 – The Paradigma Coalition proudly held the exhibition, “We Need to Talk About Drugs (Policy)” at the United Nations Civil Society Conference in Nairobi, Kenya, on May 9th and 10th, 2024. This powerful and thought-provoking exhibition aimed to ignite crucial conversations about the global impact of current drug policies.…

Written by: Marialba Quesada Abrams Youth RISE’s Delegation of the Paradigma Coalition. March 20th, 2024. Last Wednesday, March 20, we reached the halfway point of the CND. And despite the non-stop hard work and the lack of sleeping hours, we continued our path of activism and youth inclusion in the discussions held during the various…

Written by Alex Betsos (they/them/theirs) The fourth day of CND started off somewhat differently than most. Vienna, which has had nothing but gorgeous weather since I first arrived took on a different character. What had been consistent morning highs of 13 degrees dropped to a crisp 3. It was as if the weather knew what…

Written by Ruby Lawlor, Executive Director of Youth RISE This week, Youth RISE attended pre-meetings and the High Level Segment of the 67th Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) in Vienna. It’s been a privilege to contribute to the discussions and advocate for youth-centered approaches to drug policy and harm reduction programmes, and ensure the voice…

Traveling light was my choice for the “Youth in Power” event in Dublin, Ireland—a decision befitting the brevity yet intensity of the three-day event. My journey began with my arrival at Dublin International Airport at 8:00 AM on the 27th of January, where, after a brief interaction with immigration, I hailed a car via the…

Online on 1 February 2024 The New York NGO Committee on Drugs and the Vienna NGO Committee on Drugs organized with the support of the UNODC Civil Society Unit a “Civil Society Hearing” for the Global Coalition to Address Synthetic Drug Threats Members, allowing a broad range of civil society organizations to share their expertise…

By Rebeca Marques Rocha, Youth RISE’s Communications & Advocacy In our ongoing series, “Hear the Pioneers: Conversations with Drug Policy & Harm Reduction Veterans,” we have the privilege of engaging with experienced professionals in the field of drug policy and harm reduction. Our goal is to gather insights, experiences, and advice from these pioneers to…

By Ruby Lawlor, Executive Director of Youth RISE The United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) December Thematic Intersessional meetings, held from the 3rd to 6th of December, provided a crucial platform for global discussions on the implementation of international drug policy commitments, on the run up to the 2024 Mid-Term Review of the 2019…