The BBF in Geneva – a promising setting

Advancing a human-centred approach to drug policy through international dialogue 

 

As drug policies around the world evolve and the global drug situation continues to change, so too must the international response. Developing and adjusting a human-centred approach to drug policy requires open and sustained dialogue – among interested governments, civil society, academics and community experts alike. 

 

To foster this exchange, the BBF co-hosts, together with the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, launched the Brandenburg Forum Geneva (BBF Geneva) in 2021, building on the long-standing “Brandenburg Forum on Drugs and Development Policies” (BBF) held annually in Lübbenau, Germany. Positioned at the intersection of health, development, and human rights, the Forum created a new opportunity to strengthen synergies between the ongoing drug policy debates in Vienna and the human rights mechanisms based in Geneva. Since then, the BBF Geneva has become an established meeting point at the heart of international diplomacy, contributing to a more coherent and inclusive global conversation on drug policy. Like its original counterpart, the BBF Geneva is convened under the Chatham House Rule, enabling frank and forward-looking discussions in a trusted space. 

 

Since its inception, the BBF Geneva has gained recognition as a catalyst for change with regards to the human rights implications of drug policy within the UN system. It has contributed to the coordination of key interventions by human rights actors as well as landmark developments such as: 

• the adoption of Human Rights Council Resolution 52/24, which requested the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) to draft a report on human rights challenges associated with the world drug situation;
• the first-ever in-person statement by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights at the high-level segment of the 67th session of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND);
• the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights’ decision to draft a General Comment on “the impact of drug policies on economic, social, and cultural rights”;
• the continued promotion of the International Guidelines on Human Rights and Drug Policy;
• and an increased focus on Indigenous rights within drug policy debates. 

 

These milestones reflect the growing momentum behind human rights-based and development-oriented drug policies. 

 

The BBF Geneva remains a promising setting to shape transformative change in global drug policy and continues to serve as a vital platform for the exchange of new ideas and experiences, identification of emerging challenges, and definition of common goals.