The commitment of the GPDPD at UN level
Greater emphasis on development aspects in global drug policy
The United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) is the global forum for discussing government interventions in drug policy. Since 2015, the GPDPD, on behalf of the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), has helped shape the CND’s debates through resolutions, conference papers, numerous side events, and receptions. These efforts have resulted in a greater emphasis on development issues in global drug policy.
Every year, the United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) brings together more than 2,500 experts over several days to discuss joint measures in the field of international drug policy. On behalf of the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), the Global Partnership on Drug Policies and Development (GPDPD) works within the CND to promote policies that take a holistic view of the global drug situation.. This includes placing Alternative Development, public health, and respect for human rights on the United Nations’ (UN) drug policy agenda.
The German delegation is headed by the Commissioner of the Federal Government for Drug and Addiciton Policy. Since drug policy influences many other policy areas, several ministries are represented in the delegation. GPDPD represents the BMZ position in the annual sessions of the CND, contributing development policy aspects and negotiating resolutions, including those on rural development in drug cultivation regions. Since 2016, Germany, together with Thailand and Peru, has tabled a resolution on Alternative Development every year to discuss new findings and challenges in implementing this approach internationally.
The CND...
- was established in 1946 and is the UN’s central drug policy-making body, comprising 53 member countries;
- plays a key role in designing and coordinating international drug policy. It adopts resolutions on specific drug policy issues and often sets out recommended courses of action for national drug control authorities;
- decides which psychotropic substances are subject to control under the international drug control regime;
- holds annual sessions in March at the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in Vienna.
The CND prepares some of the UN General Assembly’s declarations on drug policy. For instance, the Outcome Document of the 2016 United Nations General Assembly Special Session on the World Drug Problem (UNGASS 2016) was negotiated at the CND. Germany played a vital role in structuring and formulating this document and was able to incorporate a separate section on development-oriented approaches to drug policy. GPDPD on behalf of the BMZ helped to shape this process.
The 2016 UNGASS Outcome Document also included a section on human rights in drug policy for the first time. Respect for human rights is a core element of German development policy and a basic principle of the German Government’s drug policy. On behalf of BMZ and in cooperation with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, the GPDPD supported the International Centre on Human Rights and Drug Policy at the University of Essex in drawing up the International Guidelines on Human Rights and Drug Policy. These guidelines were launched during the 2019 session of the CND in Vienna and remain a pioneering instrument promoting human rights in international drug policy.
Since 2015, GPDPD has organised numerous side events on the occasion of the CND. These events, held in addition to the official conference, provide countries with the opportunity to present national or collaborative challenges and tailor-made solutions related to drug policy. For example, the most recent scientific findings and newly developed national strategies in the field of Alternative Development are frequently presented at GPDPD events. The German concept of harm reduction was showcased during several side events and receptions, demonstrating the benefits of health-oriented approaches to drug use The increased emphasis on development, human rights- and health-oriented issues in global drug policy is the result of many years of dedicated effort.
