As the 52nd session of CND closes, we'd like to take the opportunity to thank everyone who contributed to CNDblog over the past 2 weeks for your help in making the debates and discussions at CND more accessible than ever before.
From the outset, the objective of CNDblog has been to make sure that the positions and statements of governments on international drug policy made at CND were available to the public, and that civil society could better hold governments accountable for those positions. In this sense, we have succeeded.
There have been over 150 individual posts and nearly 2,000 unique visitors to CNDblog over the past 10 days. CNDblog has therefore made the deliberations at the 52nd CND accessible in a manner not possible before. These proceedings will be maintained on this site as a permanent resource for civil society organisations working of drug policy and harm reduction issues.
There are many people to thank for making this experiment a success.
Thanks to the dozens of blogs and websites around the world that linked to CNDblog, reposted our materials or promoted the site.
Thanks to our many civil society partners (and many government delegations) over the past 10 days who provided us with the official texts of country statements to post on the blog.
But finally and most importantly, thanks to our small but dedicated team of bloggers who sat through days of often boring CND sessions to ensure that the key points were recorded and posted.
And to our readers, thank you for following CNDblog in 2009. We hope your found our efforts useful. Please let us know your thoughts and suggestions on the blog, and how we can make it better for next year.
Friday, 20 March 2009
Japan inserts language to try and undermine UNODC harm reduction activities
In the afternoon business, the plenary adopted various reports.
The report on Drug Demand Reduction includes a paragraph on harm reduction, reflecting the diverse views of member states on these interventions. In the plenary, Japan introduced language noting that some harm reduction programmes maintain illicit drug use, and that UNODC should take this into account.
It should be noted that UNODC is the lead agency within the UNAIDS family on HIV and injecting drug use, and CND is the governing board of UNODC.
The contradiction and possible implications of having UNODC's governing board not support harm reduction in the Political Declaration was a concern raised by a number of civil society representatives this week.
The report on Drug Demand Reduction includes a paragraph on harm reduction, reflecting the diverse views of member states on these interventions. In the plenary, Japan introduced language noting that some harm reduction programmes maintain illicit drug use, and that UNODC should take this into account.
It should be noted that UNODC is the lead agency within the UNAIDS family on HIV and injecting drug use, and CND is the governing board of UNODC.
The contradiction and possible implications of having UNODC's governing board not support harm reduction in the Political Declaration was a concern raised by a number of civil society representatives this week.
CND Day 5 - Agenda decided for 2010 session and Costa provides closing speech
The morning session of day 5 of CND was business oriented. Delegates discussed and approved the agenda for next's year's session. They also agreed the final text of the resolutions that has been negotiated this week in the Committee of the Whole.
The afternoon session began with a wrap up speech from UNODC Executive Director, Antonio Maria Costa. He thanked delegates and NGOs for their participation, and noted the many well attended side events organised this year.
Mr Costa reviewed a number of the resolutions passed, and noted the importance of the resolution on data collection as there is need for additional information on drugs and crime to assure activities are evidence-based.
He noted UNODC involvement in organising joint narcotics control agreement between Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan, and cited the first operation under this new agreement on March 8 along the Iran/Afghanistan border resulting in 16 arrests and the seizure of half a ton of opium.
He affirmed UNODC's commitment to put heath at the heart of drug control, and noted a new agreement signed with Iran to fight the spread of HIV among injecting drug users. He also noted the debate over harm reduction at the High Level Segment last week, describing it as a storm in a teacup, and in this regard called the attention of delegates to the UNODC paper produced last year on reducing the negative consequences of drug use.
He noted the need for enhanced funding for UNODC, particular from core UN funds.
The afternoon session began with a wrap up speech from UNODC Executive Director, Antonio Maria Costa. He thanked delegates and NGOs for their participation, and noted the many well attended side events organised this year.
Mr Costa reviewed a number of the resolutions passed, and noted the importance of the resolution on data collection as there is need for additional information on drugs and crime to assure activities are evidence-based.
He noted UNODC involvement in organising joint narcotics control agreement between Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan, and cited the first operation under this new agreement on March 8 along the Iran/Afghanistan border resulting in 16 arrests and the seizure of half a ton of opium.
He affirmed UNODC's commitment to put heath at the heart of drug control, and noted a new agreement signed with Iran to fight the spread of HIV among injecting drug users. He also noted the debate over harm reduction at the High Level Segment last week, describing it as a storm in a teacup, and in this regard called the attention of delegates to the UNODC paper produced last year on reducing the negative consequences of drug use.
He noted the need for enhanced funding for UNODC, particular from core UN funds.
Thursday, 19 March 2009
CND Day 4 - Statement of Human Rights Watch at the supply reduction plenary
Below is the text of the statement of Diederik Lohman on behalf of Human Rights Watch.
'Thank you, Madam Chair.
Let me start by expressing appreciation for ensuring that the voices of NGOs are heard at this meeting.
I make this intervention on behalf of Human Rights Watch.
Ladies and gentleman, as you undoubtedly know, the 1961 Single Convention created a dual obligation for member states: to ensure availability of narcotic drugs for medical and scientific purposes and to prevent the illicit manufacturing of, trafficking in, and use of such drugs.
The Convention called for a balanced approach in which efforts to reduce supply and demand for illicit drugs would not interfere with their availability for medical purposes.
Unfortunately, in the last fifty years that balance has been lost. CND’s focus has almost exclusively been on drug control efforts, without appropriate attention for their availability for medical purposes.
This has sent a message to member states that the issue of availability is of marginal concern.
This has resulted in many countries ignoring their obligation to ensure adequate availability of drugs like morphine and methadone.
In fact, many countries have adopted drug control regulations that are so restrictive that they directly and severely impede the availability of morphine for the treatment of severe pain and of methadone for drug treatment.
The World Health Organization estimates that tens of millions—I repeat: tens of millions—of people suffer from severe pain without access to treatment. Among them are 5.5 million terminal cancer and 1 million end-stage AIDS patients. Millions of people who are dependent on opioids could benefit from methadone substitution treatment but do not have access to it.
Some delegations here have said that availability of controlled medicines should be left to WHO and the INCB, and that CND has no role to play. But this is not the case. Undoubtedly, on a technical level, WHO and INCB are the lead agencies. But CND, as one of the bodies responsible for the implementation of the drug conventions, has an important political and oversight role. It has the duty to call on countries to meet their obligations under the Conventions. So far, it has largely abdicated this responsibility with respect to availability of controlled substances for medical purposes.
Unfortunately, last week’s political declaration continued the trend. It contains just one lonely paragraph on the topic, whereas dozens of paragraphs are devoted to control of illicit drugs. The paragraph fails to make a commitment to improving availability of controlled medicines, to set targets or benchmarks.
Every year, CND talks about the devastation caused by abuse of controlled substances. It is time that it also starts addressing the enormous suffering caused by the lack of availability of controlled medications.
Thank you.'
'Thank you, Madam Chair.
Let me start by expressing appreciation for ensuring that the voices of NGOs are heard at this meeting.
I make this intervention on behalf of Human Rights Watch.
Ladies and gentleman, as you undoubtedly know, the 1961 Single Convention created a dual obligation for member states: to ensure availability of narcotic drugs for medical and scientific purposes and to prevent the illicit manufacturing of, trafficking in, and use of such drugs.
The Convention called for a balanced approach in which efforts to reduce supply and demand for illicit drugs would not interfere with their availability for medical purposes.
Unfortunately, in the last fifty years that balance has been lost. CND’s focus has almost exclusively been on drug control efforts, without appropriate attention for their availability for medical purposes.
This has sent a message to member states that the issue of availability is of marginal concern.
This has resulted in many countries ignoring their obligation to ensure adequate availability of drugs like morphine and methadone.
In fact, many countries have adopted drug control regulations that are so restrictive that they directly and severely impede the availability of morphine for the treatment of severe pain and of methadone for drug treatment.
The World Health Organization estimates that tens of millions—I repeat: tens of millions—of people suffer from severe pain without access to treatment. Among them are 5.5 million terminal cancer and 1 million end-stage AIDS patients. Millions of people who are dependent on opioids could benefit from methadone substitution treatment but do not have access to it.
Some delegations here have said that availability of controlled medicines should be left to WHO and the INCB, and that CND has no role to play. But this is not the case. Undoubtedly, on a technical level, WHO and INCB are the lead agencies. But CND, as one of the bodies responsible for the implementation of the drug conventions, has an important political and oversight role. It has the duty to call on countries to meet their obligations under the Conventions. So far, it has largely abdicated this responsibility with respect to availability of controlled substances for medical purposes.
Unfortunately, last week’s political declaration continued the trend. It contains just one lonely paragraph on the topic, whereas dozens of paragraphs are devoted to control of illicit drugs. The paragraph fails to make a commitment to improving availability of controlled medicines, to set targets or benchmarks.
Every year, CND talks about the devastation caused by abuse of controlled substances. It is time that it also starts addressing the enormous suffering caused by the lack of availability of controlled medications.
Thank you.'
Wednesday, 18 March 2009
Statement of the International Harm Reduction Association at the demand reduction plenary
The following statement was delivered by Rick Lines on behalf of the International Harm Reduction Association.
'Thank you Mr Chair.
I’m sure I speak on behalf of my two colleagues on my left when I thank you for enabling civil society to participate in today’s session, and ensuring time on the agenda for us to be heard.
I am here today representing the International Harm Reduction Association. Our statement is supported by the Asian Harm Reduction Network, the Caribbean Harm Reduction Coalition, the Eurasian Harm Reduction Network, Intercambios Asosciacion Civil, the Middle East and North Africa Harm Reduction Network, the Sub Saharan Africa Harm Reduction Network, the Canadian Harm Reduction Network, Colectivo por Una Politica Integral Hacia las Drogas, the Harm Reduction Coalition in the US, the International Network of People who Use Drugs, the International Nursing Harm Reduction Network, the Women’s International Harm Reduction Network and YouthRISE.
In June 1998, the United Nations General Assembly Special Session (UNGASS) on the World Drug Problem adopted a resolution entitled ‘International action to combat drug abuse and illicit production and trafficking’. Despite the fact that the link between HIV transmission and unsafe injecting drug use was well-known at that time, the UNGASS political declaration was silent on both HIV prevention and on harm reduction.
Today, more than 10 years on from the UNGASS on drugs, it is estimated that 15.9 million people inject drugs in 158 countries and territories around the world. Since the 1998 political declaration was adopted, many regions of the world have experienced an explosion of injecting-driven HIV infection. In some regions, up to 80% of people living with HIV are likely to have acquired the virus through unsafe injecting. In countries as diverse as China, Estonia, India, Kenya, Myanmar, Nepal, Thailand and Vietnam, HIV prevalence rates among people who inject drugs reach over 50%.
During this same period, injecting-related hepatitis C infection has remained a major unaddressed health concern, with prevalence rates among injectors reaching as high as 95% in some countries. The vast majority of people who inject drugs in countries as far-ranging as Indonesia, Thailand, Pakistan, Mauritius, Estonia, Lithuania, Russia, Ukraine, Luxembourg and Switzerland are living with hepatitis C. Ultimately, death and disease related to hepatitis C may take a bigger toll on drug injectors than HIV infection.
Last week, a High Level Segment of the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) adopted a new Political Declaration on drugs. It was apparent from the negotiations towards agreed language in this Declaration that a small number of countries are prepared to go to extreme lengths to block support for evidence-based, public health led approaches to drug use from appearing in CND resolutions. These obstructionist governments – including the United States, Russia, Japan, Italy and Sweden – blocked any reference to harm reduction in the Declaration, despite the fact that up to 10% of all global HIV infections occur through unsafe injecting drug use (and over 25% of all infections outside Sub-Saharan Africa), and the best evidence suggests that over 3 million people who inject drugs are living with HIV.
CND’s failure to embrace harm reduction, and the continued obstruction of a small number of governments to even non-binding statements of support for harm reduction programmes within the Political Declaration, clearly illustrate the degree to which the Commission is not only out of step with the scientific and medical evidence supporting harm reduction, but is also isolated from the mainstream of UN opinion on this key health policy issue.
Harm reduction is explicitly supported by the UN General Assembly, UNAIDS, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, the World Health Organization, the International Narcotics Control Board, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and others. At least 84 countries around the world explicitly support, or allow the operation of, harm reduction programmes. Moreover, in 2002 the Legal Affairs Section of the UN Drug Control Programme affirmed the legality of harm reduction programmes – including opioid substitution therapy, syringe exchange and safe injecting facilities – under the international drug conventions. This finding authoritatively refutes the continued allegations by obstructionist governments and others that harm reduction is incompatible with treaty obligations.
Yet in spite of this broad and ever increasing support, CND – through its self-imposed ‘consensus at all costs’ working method – perpetuates a system that enables even a single government to block harm reduction language in its resolutions, and now in the Political Declaration. This now creates a situation where UNODC – the lead organisation on HIV and injecting drug use within the UNAIDS family – now has a governing board that refuses to support harm reduction measures. This is a problem that must be addressed.
It is inconceivable and indeed unconscionable that support for scientifically proven, evidence-based harm reduction programmes have again be blocked. States must show responsible leadership and act in the best interests of public health and human rights, rather than the narrow and failed language of ‘a drug free world’. In this regard, we commend the leadership demonstrated by the 26 countries who supported the declarative statement supporting harm reduction at the High Level Segment last week.
Mr Chair, this issue is much bigger than ideology, semantics and intergovernmental wordplay.
It is about saving lives.
Thank you.'
'Thank you Mr Chair.
I’m sure I speak on behalf of my two colleagues on my left when I thank you for enabling civil society to participate in today’s session, and ensuring time on the agenda for us to be heard.
I am here today representing the International Harm Reduction Association. Our statement is supported by the Asian Harm Reduction Network, the Caribbean Harm Reduction Coalition, the Eurasian Harm Reduction Network, Intercambios Asosciacion Civil, the Middle East and North Africa Harm Reduction Network, the Sub Saharan Africa Harm Reduction Network, the Canadian Harm Reduction Network, Colectivo por Una Politica Integral Hacia las Drogas, the Harm Reduction Coalition in the US, the International Network of People who Use Drugs, the International Nursing Harm Reduction Network, the Women’s International Harm Reduction Network and YouthRISE.
In June 1998, the United Nations General Assembly Special Session (UNGASS) on the World Drug Problem adopted a resolution entitled ‘International action to combat drug abuse and illicit production and trafficking’. Despite the fact that the link between HIV transmission and unsafe injecting drug use was well-known at that time, the UNGASS political declaration was silent on both HIV prevention and on harm reduction.
Today, more than 10 years on from the UNGASS on drugs, it is estimated that 15.9 million people inject drugs in 158 countries and territories around the world. Since the 1998 political declaration was adopted, many regions of the world have experienced an explosion of injecting-driven HIV infection. In some regions, up to 80% of people living with HIV are likely to have acquired the virus through unsafe injecting. In countries as diverse as China, Estonia, India, Kenya, Myanmar, Nepal, Thailand and Vietnam, HIV prevalence rates among people who inject drugs reach over 50%.
During this same period, injecting-related hepatitis C infection has remained a major unaddressed health concern, with prevalence rates among injectors reaching as high as 95% in some countries. The vast majority of people who inject drugs in countries as far-ranging as Indonesia, Thailand, Pakistan, Mauritius, Estonia, Lithuania, Russia, Ukraine, Luxembourg and Switzerland are living with hepatitis C. Ultimately, death and disease related to hepatitis C may take a bigger toll on drug injectors than HIV infection.
Last week, a High Level Segment of the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) adopted a new Political Declaration on drugs. It was apparent from the negotiations towards agreed language in this Declaration that a small number of countries are prepared to go to extreme lengths to block support for evidence-based, public health led approaches to drug use from appearing in CND resolutions. These obstructionist governments – including the United States, Russia, Japan, Italy and Sweden – blocked any reference to harm reduction in the Declaration, despite the fact that up to 10% of all global HIV infections occur through unsafe injecting drug use (and over 25% of all infections outside Sub-Saharan Africa), and the best evidence suggests that over 3 million people who inject drugs are living with HIV.
CND’s failure to embrace harm reduction, and the continued obstruction of a small number of governments to even non-binding statements of support for harm reduction programmes within the Political Declaration, clearly illustrate the degree to which the Commission is not only out of step with the scientific and medical evidence supporting harm reduction, but is also isolated from the mainstream of UN opinion on this key health policy issue.
Harm reduction is explicitly supported by the UN General Assembly, UNAIDS, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, the World Health Organization, the International Narcotics Control Board, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and others. At least 84 countries around the world explicitly support, or allow the operation of, harm reduction programmes. Moreover, in 2002 the Legal Affairs Section of the UN Drug Control Programme affirmed the legality of harm reduction programmes – including opioid substitution therapy, syringe exchange and safe injecting facilities – under the international drug conventions. This finding authoritatively refutes the continued allegations by obstructionist governments and others that harm reduction is incompatible with treaty obligations.
Yet in spite of this broad and ever increasing support, CND – through its self-imposed ‘consensus at all costs’ working method – perpetuates a system that enables even a single government to block harm reduction language in its resolutions, and now in the Political Declaration. This now creates a situation where UNODC – the lead organisation on HIV and injecting drug use within the UNAIDS family – now has a governing board that refuses to support harm reduction measures. This is a problem that must be addressed.
It is inconceivable and indeed unconscionable that support for scientifically proven, evidence-based harm reduction programmes have again be blocked. States must show responsible leadership and act in the best interests of public health and human rights, rather than the narrow and failed language of ‘a drug free world’. In this regard, we commend the leadership demonstrated by the 26 countries who supported the declarative statement supporting harm reduction at the High Level Segment last week.
Mr Chair, this issue is much bigger than ideology, semantics and intergovernmental wordplay.
It is about saving lives.
Thank you.'
Canada statement on demand reduction
Canada supports school-based programmes and suppprt for local and community initiatives. It supports the creation of national standards. Evaluation is an important element of demand reduction activities. It is important to tailor responses to the needs of different populations of youth.
Canada is enhancing treatment and support services for First Nations and juvenile offenders. Canada welcome the sharing of best practices.
Canada is enhancing treatment and support services for First Nations and juvenile offenders. Canada welcome the sharing of best practices.
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