The 1998 UNGASS made explicit reference to the
engagement of civil society in the 10-year process, but established no
mechanism for this to happen. The Vienna NGO Committee on Narcotic Drugs (VNGOC)
was asked to provide input. It set in motion the Beyond 2008 Forum to reflect on its own
achievements, exchange ideas on new approaches, reach agreements on ways to
work together and make recommendations to the UN drug control system and member
states on future directions. There is a unique opportunity for NGOs to establish
a more effective partnership with UN. NGOs have to push
the discussion before national governments and force discussion of the issues.
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Beyond 2008: Final Declaration and Resolutions |
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 The "Beyond 2008" NGO Forum was held in Vienna, Austria from July 7-9, 2008. It was the final step in the global consultation of NGOs involved in responding to drug related problems and to provide civil society input for the 10-year UNGASS review.
Three draft resolutions and the draft declaration were subject to a line by line examination and intense debate. At the end of the Forum the Declaration and three Resolutions were adopted by consensus by all those participating in the Forum. This was an historic achievement and reflected the maturity and commitment of the global NGO community.
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Read more...
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IDPC Advocacy Guide – Version Three |
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The International Drug Policy Consortium (IDPC)
– of which TNI is a member – published a third version of its Advocacy Guide
that provides an update on the emerging process for the review of global policies
on controlled drugs being conducted under the auspices of the United Nations.
It describes the latest situation on the planning for the review, and sets out
the IDPC position on which issues need to be addressed in the review, and how
these issues may be tackled in order to achieve a constructive outcome.
The United Nations Review of Global Policy on Illegal Drugs
– An Advocacy Guide For Civil Society
Version Three – April 2008
Download the full guide in PDF
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Civil Society Events at 2008 CND |
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NGOs of different background organise events during the Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) in March 2008. Some of the main events are listed here.
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Read more...
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IDPC Advocacy Guide |
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The International Drug Policy Consortium
(IDPC) – of which TNI is a member – published a second version of its Advocacy
Guide that provides an update on the emerging process for the review of global
policies on controlled drugs being conducted under the auspices of the United
Nations. It describes the latest situation on the planning for the review, and
sets out the IDPC position on which issues need to be addressed in the review,
and how these issues may be tackled in order to achieve a constructive
outcome.
Download the full
guide in PDF
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Beyond 2008 |
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A Global Forum
on the 1998-2008 Review of the United Nations General Assembly Special Session
on Illicit Drugs
The Beyond 2008 Forum is an attempt to
collect, analyse and disseminate the views and experience of civil society in
relation to the achievements of the worldwide global drug control efforts based
on the targets established by the UNGASS on Illicit Drugs in 1998. The end of
this ten-year programme also presents an opportunity for the NGO community to
reflect on its own achievements in drug control, exchange ideas on promising
new approaches, reach agreements on ways to work together and make
recommendations to multilateral agencies and UN member states on future
directions for drug control. Moreover, this target date is a unique opportunity
for NGOs to rethink current collaboration mechanisms with UN agencies with a
view to establishing a more effective partnership.
Apart
from the Member States' commitments and pledges adopted on at the 1998 UNGASS,
the General Assembly, directly or indirectly, called upon NGOs to work closely
with governments and others in assessing the drug problem, identifying viable
solutions and implementing appropriate policies and programmes. The Vienna NGO
Committee (VNGOC) is hosting a International NGO Forum to contribute to the
1998-2008 review and forward looking agenda setting exercise. Forum
participants will be invited to attend and will represent a balanced cadre of
ideological interests. This process will require a series
of preparatory meetings on behalf of the Commission and others and these are
likely to take place during 2008. The Forum has, therefore, been
timed to obtain the maximum and most timely impact on that process and has
been set for 7-9 July 2008.
Read more: Beyond 2008 Forum
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