UNGASS: opportunities to improve drug policy on national, regional and international level Dasha Matyushina-Ocheret Vilnius, February 2, 2016

The previous UNGASS on Drugs “Unintended consequences” Beyond 2008 (Political Declaration) UNGASS 2016 High Level Meeting 2019

Why drug policies can change now? There is no consensus that drug policy should be repressive – more and more countries decriminalise drugs or legalise cannabis More understanding that current drug policies lead to ‘unintended consequences’ More leaders among PWUD community and more mobilization around drug policy reform

Why should we be engage with UNGASS processes? International level: get your country support for progressive d rug policy reform Regional level: use UNGASS processes to: Reduce the gap between more progressive and less progressive countries of CEECA Enhance the European solidarity in the region, as opposed to the Russian negative influence Country level: start building country consensus on drug policy change

UNGASS ABC UN General Assembly – the main UN decision-making body; equal representation of 193 Member States UNGASS = UN General Assembly Special Session UNGASS on the World Drug Problem New York, April 2016 High Level Meeting, 2019

Outcome document Because of a high risk of absence of consensus, it would an ‘outcome document’ Key topics: (1) drugs and health, (2) drugs and crime, (3) human rights, women and youth, (4) “new realities” (new drugs, Internet) & (5) alternative development (farmers) EU position Country positions

Key issues with the outcome document No mentioning of harm reduction No mentioning of the role of PWUD community Weak language on HIV commitments, no mentioning of the need to expand HIV treatment Good things: Alternatives to incarceration Campaigns against stigmatization of PWUD Addressing needs of women and youth in treatment programs

Main opportunities to participate February 10 : Informal civil society hearing February : Country consultations Estonia, Latvia & Lithuania – EHRN Ukraine– OSF Belarus, Moldova, Kazakhstan– UNAIDS/UNODC Other countries– EHRN is eager to help! March 14: Commission on Narcotic Drugs Country statements EHRN side event April 19-21: UNGASS End of April: Street lawyer forum (EHRN)

Country consultations Aim: to provide an opportunity to discuss a joint position among the government institutions, public health, law enforcement and civil society stakeholders for the UNGASS 2016 on the World Drug Problem. Country position: Country’s key achievement of objectives of the Political Declaration and the Plan of Action; Main barriers to achieving of objectives of the Political Declaration and the Plan of Action; Improvements to the draft UNGASS outcome document.

Regional position for UNGASS Should reflect the regional situation as a whole and relevant for all/majority of countries Should shed light on what to do after UNGASS A base for all regional statements A base for civil society statements on national level Main text + examples Examples: unintended consequences + best practices

Regional position Brain storm - today EHRN and ENPUD comments Promote on February 10, New York Report on “unintended consequences” Present at CND, March 14 Widely disseminate/promote through mass and social media Present at UNGASS –through mass and social media Basis for action after the UNGASS

“Unintended consequences” format Where? When? (after 2009) What happened? Why (in relation to drug policy)? What should be changed? Reference “In Donetsk, Ukriane,, in 2014, 154 cases of police violence against women who use drugs, including 13 sexual abuse cases, were registered. Criminalization of drug possession makes such women extremely vulnerable to police abuse and deprive them from the opportunity to report to prosecutors office. О Stop criminalization of drug possession! Reference:: EHRN Report ***”