 Wednesday, 20 May 2026, 13:00–15:00 CEST

 Warwick Hotel, Geneva, Switzerland, and online via Zoom

On the occasion of the 79th World Health Assembly, the Global Commission on Drug Policy will convene the fourth edition of its Inter-Ministerial Dialogue.

Since 2023, following discussions with the World Health Organization, the Global Commission on Drug Policy has convened this space for peer-to-peer ministerial dialogue on drug policy and practice. Previous editions have focused on access to essential controlled medicines, harm reduction, and the United Nations common system position on drug-related matters.

“Accelerating Access to Opioid Agonist Maintenance Therapy (OAMT): An Essential Public Health Intervention”

The event will provide a space for high-level exchange on the urgent need to expand access to opioid agonist maintenance therapy as part of evidence-based, rights-affirming and public health-oriented drug policy responses.

Accelerating access to opioid agonist maintenance therapy (OAMT): An essential public health intervention

The struggle for drug policies that are accountable, evidence-based and rights-affirming stands at a crossroads. Despite important wins worldwide, many governments are once again retreating into punishment and repression. While painful, this backlash does not weaken our resolve — it sharpens it. 

We must organise differently, resist strategically, and deepen community engagement to galvanise action.

Support. Don’t Punish 2026 Global Day of Action

, centred around 26 June, is a powerful moment of transnational solidarity. The day brings together communities, movements, and allies to accelerate our commitment towards responses that prioritise care, dignity and justice.

Since 2013, the campaign has grown from a small mobilisation into a decentralised and grassroots-centred movement spanning hundreds of cities worldwide. Each action, whether a march, community dialogue, artistic intervention or direct policy engagement, reflects local priorities. Yet, together, they form a collective demand for change that is impossible to ignore.

This year, we ask you to prepare not for a symbolic day, but a moment of practical and political organising

. To amplify community leadership, confront stigma and criminalisation, and defend rights and democracy at a time when they are increasingly threatened.

, to map actions around the world and provide as much financial and practical support as possible. With resources under strain, thoughtful and strategic preparation will be essential.

You can also strengthen this work by donating to the campaign’s

. All contributions go directly to support grassroots organising in the Global South, where funding is most limited and the harms of repression most severe.

Support. Don’t Punish Global Day of Action 2026

The 9th World Congress Against the Death Penalty will take place in Paris from 30 June to 2 July 2026. The free event will bring together more than 1,000 participants from around the world for three days of debates, cultural actions, youth activities, networking opportunities and key advocacy moments.

The Congress aims to gather the global abolitionist movement, encourage concrete commitments towards ending capital punishment, strengthen cooperation between political leaders and civil society, and raise awareness of the realities of the death penalty. It will also focus on combating discrimination, preventing the resurgence of capital punishment and protecting fundamental rights.

The programme includes plenaries, roundtables, workshops, side events, an Agora of abolition with civil society organisations, and a dedicated youth space. Key themes include the role of the judiciary, the situation in East Asia, youth leadership in the movement, protection of abolitionists, and the continued use of the death penalty in the context of drug control.

9th World Congress Against the Death Penalty

Scientific progress over the 40-plus years of the HIV response has transformed HIV into a manageable condition if you have access to treatment. By the end of 2024, the number of AIDS-related deaths had dropped by 54% and new HIV acquisitions by 40% since 2010. HIV treatment is now so effective that the virus can be undetectable and, therefore, untransmittable. We have highly successful long-acting HIV prevention options, including the injectables, lenacapavir and cabotegravir, with a long-acting oral prevention technology on the horizon.

Despite these gains, UNAIDS data suggests stagnant progress in recent years: 1.3 million people acquired HIV and 630,000 people died of AIDS-related causes in 2023 and again in 2024. There continue to be huge gaps in HIV prevention and treatment: 9.2 million people living with HIV were not getting life-saving medicines in 2024. This is because old barriers to HIV services persist. Among them are stigma and discrimination, criminalization and structural inequalities between populations and countries.

In early 2025, the suspension of US foreign aid, including PEPFAR, triggered a funding crisis that threatens to widen those gaps. This underscores the urgent need for countries to strengthen domestic financing, improve efficiencies and prioritize sustainability.

We have to work together to prevent the current crisis from rolling back progress.

Join the International Aids Society at the 26th annual AIDS conference in Rio de Janeiro and virtually from July 26-31, 2026, for vital conversations to rethink, rebuild and rise.

AIDS 2026 - 26th International AIDS Conference

International Overdose Awareness Day is marked every year on 31 August, bringing together communities around the world to remember the lives lost to overdose and support those grieving. The day also creates space to challenge stigma, share stories and affirm that overdose deaths are preventable.

In 2026, individuals and organisations are invited to take part by hosting or attending events, lighting landmarks purple, holding vigils, sharing tributes, organising educational activities and meeting with decision-makers. These actions aim to raise awareness and build support for evidence-based overdose prevention strategies.

The campaign is guided by the belief that overdose can and must be prevented, and that responses should be rooted in compassion, health, human rights and community-wide action rather than criminalisation.

International Overdose Awareness Day 2026

“Accelerating crime prevention, criminal justice and the rule of law: protecting people and planet and achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in the digital age.”

The Fifteenth Crime Congress will be held from 25 to 30 April 2026 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates under the overall theme “Accelerating crime prevention, criminal justice and the rule of law: protecting people and planet and achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in the digital age”, in line with the General Assembly resolution 

High-level segment (Heads of State, Ministers, etc.)

Single declaration, later reviewed by the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice

Regional preparatory meetings starting in 2025

Emphasis on participation of least developed countries, civil society, academia, and NGOs

Encourages early preparation by Member States and creation of national preparatory committees

15th UN Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice

 Clarion Congress Hotel Prague, Prague, Czech Republic

If you’re working to improve the health or rights of people who use drugs, INHSU 2026 is a must-attend event. A vibrant space where research, practice, policy, and lived experience come together on equal footing.

Over 300+ sessions will take place across tracks on Epidemiology and Public Health Research, Clinical Research, Social Science and Policy Research, and Models of Care and Programs.

Sessions will cover harm reduction innovations, HIV, HCV, HBV, TB and other infections, other drug-related harms, drug policy, and more.

Prague is a powerful and timely setting for INHSU 2026, providing the backdrop to reflect on both achievements and barriers that continue to affect people who use drugs globally.

14th International Conference on Health and Hepatitis in Substance Users (INHSU 2026)

The reconvened 69th session of the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs is expected to take place on 3-4 December 2026 in Vienna, Austria.

Events