The CND Proceedings Document aims to provide a summary of what happened at this year's 53rd Commission on Narcotic Drugs, including at the various satellite events, and offers a comprehensive analysis of the key discussions and debates that took place during the meeting.

The 2010 Commission on Narcotic Drugs – report of proceedings
International Drug Policy Consortium Briefing, April 2010

International Drug Policy Consortium Briefing Nr. 5, March 2007

This briefing paper summarises the proceedings and outcomes of the 2007 CND. It includes discussion of a wide range of issues - from technical debates on the rescheduling of dronabinol, to the plans for the global review of the 1998 UNGASS objectives - and comments on the performance of the UN agencies in this field, and of the workings of the CND itself.

Current Dilemmas and Prospects for 2008
Martin Jelsma
48th ICAA Conference on Dependencies
Budapest, 24 October 2005

The 48th session of the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND), 7-11 March in Vienna, was plagued by controversy about the legitimacy of harm reduction policies. Ending in stalemate, guidance for UNODC to operate in this field remains ambiguous. In June, at the Programme Coordinating Board (PCB), a consensus was reached regarding a mandate for UNAIDS to be involved in needle exchange programmes and other harm reduction activities among injecting drug users. What options are available to clarify UNODC’s mandate in this area and more in general to achieve a breakthrough in policy dilemmas that surfaced recent years at the UN level. Worldwide trends seem to indicate a growing divergence between zero tolerance ideology and pragmatic approaches, leading to tensions between the letter and spirit of the UN conventions on the one hand and daily practices in an increasing number of countries on the other hand. How can UNODC, but also UNAIDS and WHO, operate efficiently and coherently amidst these tensions? A well prepared procedure for the 2008 review of the 1998 General Assembly Special Session on drugs will be required to address these dilemmas in a serious way.

The UN Drug Control Debate
WOLA Drug War Monitor, January 2004
Martin Jelsma en Pien Metaal

Numerous UN conferences and summits have been devoted to negotiating a harmonized global approach to illicit drugs. Yet more and more cracks are now beginning to appear in the supposedly universal model which is, in reality, based on a highly fragile consensus. The failure to counter the ever-growing problems related to the abuse of illicit drugs has led countries to question the validity of current policies and to experiment with approaches less driven by the US-inspired ideology of "zero tolerance" and more rooted in pragmatism. This has led to increasing acceptance of the concept of harm reduction for consumers, where drug use is treated as a public health rather than a law enforcement problem. On the production side, discussion centers on the need to secure alternative livelihoods for involved farmer communities and how to most effectively promote alternative development.

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