The 65th CND will begin in a couple of days, and will run from March 14 to 18. The CND can seem quite overwhelming at first and even for veteran attendees, but in this blog we give you a run down of the Side Events to look out for, and a collection of useful resources and information.
Learn all the basics about the CND here in this CND 101 video created by IDPC, and if you wish to learn about advocacy at the CND, particularly for youth and more specific for those attending, check out SSDP’s Youth United Nations Drug Policy Advocacy Handbook
You will be able to follow the proceedings of the Plenary through the Webcast. This is public and does not require registration. The meeting times will be 10 a.m. to 12 noon; 2 to 4 p.m.; and 5 to 7 p.m. (CET/Vienna time; Monday: 6 to 8 p.m. CET/Vienna time).
Side events will take place outside of these hours, the UNODC will publish the full side event schedule in the coming days, but for now here is a list of events that have been published that we recommend you should consider attending. View all side events through the UNODC and their timings here.
Note that some of these require registering ahead of time so click the link to check out the procedure!
Monday:
- 12:15-13:05pm Ending Inequalities for People who Use Drugs: How the Global HIV Response can Transform Drug Policy (and vice versa) – Organized by the Medecins du monde with the support of Australia, the Netherlands, and the International Network of People who Use Drugs, the UNAIDS and the UNODC HIV/AIDS Section
- 13:10-14:00pm: Let’s talk about drugs – substance education among the youth – Organized by the Youth Organisations for Drug Action with the support of the Eurasian Harm Reduction Association
Tuesday:
- 9:00-9:50am: Collaboration with civil society and governments in drug policies – Organized by Lithuania with the support of the Czech Republic, and the Council of Europe – Pompidou Group and the Eurasian Harm Reduction Association
- 12:15-13:05pm: Prevention of overdoses and drug-related deaths – Organized by the Netherlands with the support of the Czech Republic, Estonia, Ireland, Slovenia, Sweden, and the European Union
Wednesday:
- 9:00-9:50am: Drug policy in Asia: the importance of intersectional perspectives – Organized by the International Women’s Rights Action Watch Asia Pacific with the support of the Health and Opportunity Network, the International Drug Policy Consortium, and the Persatuan Insaf Murni Malaysia
- 12:15-13:05pm: The inequalities that drive the HIV/AIDS epidemic among people who use drugs and people in prisons – Organized by the UNODC HIV/AIDS Section with the support of the International Network of People who Use Drugs, the UNAIDS and the World Health Organization
- 12:15-13:05pm: The Global Drug Policy Index 2021: A global tool for evaluation and accountability – Organized by the International Drug Policy Consortium with the support of the Eurasian Harm Reduction Association, the Eurasian Network of People Who Use Drugs, the European Network of People who Use Drugs, the Global Drug Policy Observatory, Swansea University, the Harm Reduction International, the Middle East & North Africa Harm Reduction Association, the Women and Harm Reduction International Network and the Youth RISE
- 13:10-14:00pm: Challenging the criminalization of poverty and marginalization in Africa – and beyond – Organized by the Penal Reform International with the support of Ghana, the African Policing Civilian Oversight Forum and the International Drug Policy Consortium
Thursday:
- 9:00-9:50am: The Death Penalty for Drug Offences: Latest developments and impact on Foreign Nationals – Organized by the Harm Reduction International with the support of Australia, Austria, Mexico, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the Council of Europe – Pompidou Group and the European Union and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights
- 12:15-13:05pm: Won’t Somebody Think of the Children? Youth Welfare in Drug Policy – Organized by the Students for Sensible Drug Policy with the support of Canada, the Canadian Students for Sensible Drug Policy, and the Youth RISE
- 12:15-13:05: Young Women Who Use Drugs – Breaking the Silence – Organized by the Youth RISE (Resource, Information, Support, Education) Limited with the support of the Women and Harm Reduction International Network
- 13:10-14:00: Decriminalisation in the Americas: towards a more humane drug policy – Organized by the México Unido Contra la Delincuencia with the support of Mexico, and the Centre on Drug Policy Evaluation, the Elementa DDHH, the HIV Legal Network and the International Drug Policy Consortium
Friday:
- 12:15-13:05pm: Mitigating the risks of corporate capture in emerging legal cannabis markets – Organized by the Transform Drug Policy Foundation with the support of the Global Drug Policy Observatory, the Health Limited, the International Drug Policy Consortium, the Transnational Institute and the Washington Office on Latin America
- 12:15-13:05: Reaching Global AIDS Targets through Harm Reduction and Reform of Restrictive Drug Policy Frameworks – Organized by the UNAIDS with the support of the Harm Reduction International, the International Drug Policy Consortium, the International Network of People who Use Drugs and the World Health Organization
- 13:10-14:00: Women who use drugs: intersecting injustice and opportunity – Organized by the UN Women with the support of Australia, and the UNODC HIV/AIDS Section and the Women and the Harm Reduction International Network
- 13:10-14:00: Drug Policy in Latin America – Challenges for People who Use Drugs – Organized by the Brazilian Harm Reduction and Human Rights Network with the support of the Centro de Convivência É de Lei, the Harm Reduction International, the Intercambios Civil Association, the International Drug Policy Consortium and the Washington Office on Latin America
- 13:10-14:00: Drugs and Elections: How to Advance Drug Policy Reform – Organized by the Open Society Institute
IDPC has already held a webinar on the Key Issues and Opportunities to watch for this year, including the agenda, resolutions and opportunities for engagement. You can watch the recording in English here.
There will be 6 resolutions up for negotiations in the Committee of the Whole between the Member States of the CND this year. You can review the draft proposals here.
We would recommend to watch throughout the week how L5 on promoting scientific and evidence-based early prevention takes shape – this has the scope to include some good language on the importance of including young people and particularly engaging youth-led organizations. In more geopolitical terms, it will be interesting to watch how (if at all) Member States engage with Resolution L5, put forward by the Russian Federation on online misinformation.
We also would advise you to download the CND App on your phone or follow it on this webpage: https://cndapp.org/ This gives very useful live updates on what is being talked about, and what sessions are on at the moment.
For any sessions you miss but are interested in, check out the CND Blog, which gives live transcriptions of the Plenary, the Committee of the Whole, and quite a few side events.