AKZEPT is the nationwide umbrella organisation for promoting the acceptance of drug-work and humane drug-policies in Germany.

Akzept es una organización aglutinando a varios grupos, que promueve el establecimiento de programas en materia de drogas y de políticas más humanas para controlar las drogas en Alemana.

Akzept est un réseau national qui promeut la mise en place de programmes liés à la drogue et de politiques plus humaines pour le contrôle de la drogue en Allemagne.

Akzept

89 ONG soulignent la nécessité de s'attaquer aux impacts nocifs des politiques répressives en matière de drogues qui sapent les droits humains. Pour en savoir plus, en anglais, veuillez lire les informations ci-dessous.

To: Ms Ghada Waly, Executive Director, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime

Subject: Open letter on UNODC statement on International Human Rights Day 2021

We urge you to mark International Human Rights Day 2021 by calling on Member States to change drug policies and practices that violate human rights and perpetuate inequality and discrimination.

We are writing to you ahead of International Human Rights Day 2021, which will take place on the 10th December amidst escalating global demands for the reform of laws and practices that entrench racial discrimination and social inequality, including drug policies. Last year, IDPC – together with dozens of other civil society and community organisations – called on you to issue a statement on International Human Rights Day urging Member States to change drug laws and practices that undermine health and human rights. A year later, we ask you to seize this day as an opportunity to show UNODC´s alignment with other UN entities in calling for an end to drug policies and practices that perpetuate inequality and discrimination, and violate human rights.

For decades, punitive drug policies have driven widespread human rights abuses, as has been amply documented by the UN. These include the death penalty for drug offences; extrajudicial killings; arbitrary detention, often masquerading as ‘rehabilitation’; the denial of access to life-saving harm reduction services; widespread barriers to accessing controlled medicines for pain relief; the criminalisation of people who use drugs, subsistence farmers and others groups in situations of vulnerability; corporal punishment; and mass incarceration. In all of these cases, draconian drug policies have disproportionately affected people marginalised on the basis of their gender, race, ethnicity, and economic status, thus entrenching inequality and discrimination.

Along 2021, a broad range of UN entities called on Member States to reform drug policies with discriminatory outcomes. In June 2021, the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention released a landmark study on arbitrary detention and drug polices, which found that ´

the war on drugs may be understood to a significant extent as a war on people. Its impact is often greatest on those who are poor, but also frequently overlaps with discrimination in law enforcement directed at vulnerable groups

´. At the same time, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights published a new ‘Agenda towards transformative change for racial justice and equality´, highlighting that ´

The discriminatory application of criminal law must be tackled at every stage, including by reforming drug-related policies

´. The High Commissioner´s proposal led to Human Rights Council Resolution 47/21, which contains key commitments to uproot systemic racism in the law enforcement and criminal justice systems. The Political Declaration on HIV and AIDS, adopted in June 2021, also showcased the international community´s commitment to ending inequalities as a step towards ending AIDS. Lastly, the new UN system Common Position on Incarceration, led by UNODC in partnership with other UN entities, notes ‘

the overrepresentation of minority and marginalized groups among prisoners, many of whom are charged with petty and nonviolent offences

support reform efforts aimed at ensuring proportionate and individualized sentencing and alternatives to conviction or punishment in appropriate cases, including for minor drug-related offences

These various commitments emerging across the United Nations are aligned with the 2018 Chief Executives Board’s UN System Common Position on drug-related matters, which makes clear that ‘

should be designed and implemented by States in accordance with their human rights obligations

’, and commits all UN agencies, including UNODC, to support drug policies ‘

that put people, health, and human rights at the centre

Similar human rights concerns have been highlighted in the just-released Global Drug Policy Index, which measures and ranks the national drug policies of 30 countries according to how well they align with the UN system Common Position on Drugs and its Task Team report of March 2019.

The theme of the 2021 International Human Rights Day is ‘Equality: Reducing inequalities, advancing human rights’, and is aimed at ´

addressing and finding solutions for deep-rooted forms of discrimination that have affected the most vulnerable people in societies

´. As such, it presents a crucial opportunity for UNODC to align itself with other UN entities in calling for the end of policies that perpetuate inequality and discrimination, while highlighting its commitment to the promotion of human rights, in line with the UN system Common Positions.

It is in this context that we urge you to issue a strong statement on International Human Rights Day, calling on states to change the drug laws, policies and practices that violate health and human rights, and entrench inequality. To be credible, such a statement should explicitly acknowledge the disproportionate impact of drug laws and drug control on people marginalised on the basis of their gender, race, ethnicity, and economic status, and urge Member States to:

Abolish the death penalty in all circumstances. Imposing capital punishment for drug offences has been found to be contrary to international human rights law by the Human Rights Committee, and the Human Rights Council.

Put an immediate end to extrajudicial killings committed in the name of drug control, as has been repeatedly called for by the Human Rights Council and UN human rights experts.

Permanently close compulsory drug detention centres, including those that masquerade as ‘rehabilitation’, and implement voluntary, evidence-informed, and rights-based health and social services, as recently called for by sixteen UN agencies, including UNODC.

Stress the urgent need to provide accessible, affordable, and adequately funded harm reduction services in community and closed settings, to fulfil the right to health and the right to life of people who use drugs, as demanded by several UN human rights bodies and experts. This is also central to UNODC’s core role as lead UNAIDS co-sponsor regarding prisons and HIV amongst people who use drugs.

Take immediate measures to address prison overcrowding, as already recommended by UNODC and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, by promoting alternatives to incarceration, and ensuring proportionate sentencing for all drug offences, including by taking into account mitigating factors – in line with the basic principle that prisons should only be used as a last resort in all circumstances.

Ensure that people who use drugs are not subject to arbitrary detention, torture, or ill-treatment – whether in state custody or public or private drug services. While under detention, people with a drug dependence or health problems associated with their drug use must be offered evidence-based treatment, harm reduction and other drug services on a strictly voluntary basis.

Promote the end of all punishment for drug use, and drug possession and cultivation for personal use, as permitted within the three drug control conventions. Such policy shifts will help to end the stigma, criminalisation, and exclusion faced by people who use drugs, and to facilitate access to health and social services, as called for by the UN system Common Position, UNAIDS, and UN human rights bodies.

Make sure that drug policies incorporate a gender-sensitive perspective. This should be done by tailoring drug services to the specific needs of women, and by ensuring that criminal laws take into account the circumstances of women involved in drug offences, as most of them come from backgrounds of poverty, marginalisation, and oppression.

Clearly outline the ways in which UNODC will work to achieve these changes, and the measures being taken to ensure that human rights are effectively embedded as a core strand for all of the Office’s work.

As the lead UN agency in drug-related matters, UNODC has the responsibility to promote drug policies that respect, protect, and fulfil human rights, in a way that is consistent with the standards developed by the UN system, and in line with the commitments set in the UN system Common Positions on drugs and on incarceration. A strong statement in the forthcoming International Human Rights Day would be an important and welcome step to signal UNODC’s unequivocal commitment.

We look forward to discussing these concerns and recommendations with you.

Les ONG exhortent la Directrice exécutive de l'ONUDC à marquer la Journée des droits humains par un appel à la réforme des politiques en matière de drogues qui perpétuent les inégalités

Les experts de la société civile, préoccupés par le nouvel agenda et le plan d'action, tournent le dos à « l’approche équilibrée » de l'UE en matière de politiques des drogues. Pour en savoir plus, en anglais, veuillez lire les informations ci-dessous.

The following letter was drafted by a coalition of 29 civil society organisations and community networks in the European Union. The letter urges the German Presidency to propose to the EU Horizontal Working Party on Drugs (HDG) that the current draft EU Agenda and Action Plan on Drugs 2021-2025 be rejected, and measures are taken to ensure an appropriate and inclusive strategic development process for the next EU drugs strategy.

We are writing regarding the proposed EU Agenda and Action Plan on Drugs 2021-2025, published by the European Commission on 24 July 2020 (the “2021-25 EU Drugs Agenda”, or the “Agenda”). We have serious concerns regarding both the process for its development as well as with the substance of the document and urge the German Presidency to propose to the EU Horizontal Working Party on Drugs (HDG) that this draft cannot be accepted, and to outline an appropriate and inclusive strategic development process for the next EU drugs strategy.

The formulation of the 2021-25 EU Drugs Agenda through a unilateral Communication of the European Commission without consultation with EU Member States and other relevant EU actors, including civil society is deeply problematic. If the HDG accepts this document as it stands, a worrying procedural precedent will be set. To date, the ‘EU’s drugs strategies and action plans are developed through a rigorous process that allows Member States to work together on the development of strategic approaches. This involves a series of negotiations, evaluations and compromises so that consensus can be reached in the form of a new strategy document.’ The 2021-25 EU Drugs Agenda appears to be the result of a hasty, opaque and non-participatory policy-making process, and represents a drastic departure from agreed EU policies. The lack of appropriate consultation and engagement inevitably means that the different experiences and views of EU Member States and other relevant EU actors have less weight in the new document. It fails to adopt a balanced, integrated, and multidisciplinary approach to drug matters; it is not rooted on human rights, public health, and the key international drug policy documents; and it envisages a diminished role for civil society and affected communities.

The European Union has been a global leader in advancing a balanced, integrated, and multidisciplinary approach to drug policies. The 2005 and 2013 EU Drugs Strategies established a consolidated framework that has become a ‘central guiding model’ for national-level drug strategies across the EU. However, the 2021-25 EU Drugs Agenda proposes -in its own words- a ‘paradigm-shift’. It disproportionately focuses EU policy on law enforcement and supply control, to the detriment of the priority previously given to public health, human rights, international cooperation, and scientific research and evaluation. If implemented, it will signal a diminished support for evidence-based drug treatment and harm reduction services, and it will weaken the voice of the EU in international drugs fora, where it has been a key global actor in defending the balanced, rights-based approach adopted by the 2016 UNGASS Outcome Document.

In spite of the EU’s commitment to seek the ‘active and meaningful participation and involvement of civil society’ in the ‘development and implementation of drug policies’, the participation of civil society in the preparation of the 2021-25 Drugs Agenda has been deeply flawed. European NGOs were only allowed to provide input to the Agenda with the publication of the Road Map, on 10 June 2020, with no other opportunity to feed in the process, besides a call between the Commission and certain CSFD members in April. It should be borne in mind that the Road Map is a document of just over two pages that does not allow for a genuine understanding of, or feedback on, the Agenda. No draft of the Agenda was ever shared.

Furthermore, the European Commission disregarded the overwhelming majority of the 27 submissions sent by European NGOs, which urged the EU to retain the balanced and multidisciplinary approach that characterized the 2005 and 2013 EU Drugs Strategies. The fact that the deadline for submitting feedback was 15 July 2020, a mere nine days before the publication of the Communication, suggests that the consultation was not undertaken in the spirit of genuine inquiry, and that the Agenda was at least near completion when the Road Map was published.

Crucially, although the external evaluation of the 2013 EU Drugs Strategy was finalised in April 2020, the evaluation was not published or otherwise shared with civil society until three months later, on 24 July 2020, thus depriving stakeholders of crucial information when providing feedback to the Road Map. This is important, as there would appear to be a significant disconnect between the Agenda and the external evaluation. For instance, the evaluation consistently found that the 2013 Strategy had ‘sparked a considerable amount of progress’ in the cross-cutting areas of coordination, international cooperation, and monitoring, research and evaluation, which are precisely the areas now removed from the Agenda.

In addition to the grave concerns regarding the process and procedure, we felt it is important to bring your attention the key flaws in the draft Agenda:

. Although the Agenda explicitly claims to seek an ‘integrated, balanced, and multidisciplinary approach’ to drug policies, the draft is not balanced, as over half of its eight priority areas concern security and supply control interventions, with the rest distributed between prisons, prevention, treatment, and harm reduction. Public health measures aimed at reducing the harms that can be associated to drug use have been relegated from the first priority of the 2013 Drugs Strategy to the end of the new Agenda. The cross-cutting themes of coordination, international cooperation, and information and research, which have been successfully developed since 2013 to materialise the multidisciplinary and integrated approach, have been dropped. The many references to the balanced approach across the operative parts of the 2013 Strategy, for instance as the basis for increased coordination across all actors, interventions at the CND, and international cooperation, have also disappeared.

Deprioritising human rights and public health.

 Human rights have practically disappeared from the draft Agenda, which contains no reference to the relevant international or regional human rights instruments, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Furthermore, there is no mention of the International Guidelines on Human Rights and Drug Policy, a critical document developed with the leading support of Germany that lays down, for the first time, a set of clear and comprehensive international standards for articulating rights-based responses to illegal drug economies. In contrast, the 2013 EU Drugs Strategy explicitly referred to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the European Convention of Human Rights, amongst others, and human rights were mentioned several times in the section on international cooperation. Public health has been relegated from the first policy field in the 2013 Strategy to the last priority areas of the Agenda, and has been replaced by ‘drug-related security’ as the first goal of the document.

Dropping support for key international documents.

 Equally surprising is the little attention paid to the 2016 UNGASS Outcome Document - only a footnote in the preambular part of the Agenda, and a mention in the Action Plan, outside its priority areas -, even though it has been consistently described by the EU as ‘the most comprehensive policy agreement of the international community and a milestone in the discussions on international drug policy’. It is also inexplicable that the Agenda would completely fail to reference the 2018 UN System Common Position on Drugs, a watershed document championed by the EU and EU Member States, as it establishes for the first time a coherent position across all UN entities on key topics like decriminalisation and harm reduction.

Reducing the space for civil society and people who use drugs.

 Whereas the 2013 EU Drugs Strategy contained a commitment to promote and encourage ‘the active and meaningful participation and involvement of civil society’, the EU Drugs Agenda only mentions ‘engagement’ with the CSFD. Involvement with civil society beyond the CSFD has been omitted, and there is no reference to engaging with people who use drugs and clients of drug services, which the 2013 Strategy did.

Weakening the external dimensions of drug policy.

 The 2021-25 Drugs Agenda risks weakening the external action of the EU in bilateral and multilateral drugs fora, as it does not set clear guidelines for EU coordinated intervention, and it does not provide strong support for the key international documents that the EU has been forcefully defending and promoting in the last years. For instance, the Agenda does not provide any concrete principle or guideline for intervening at the CND, even though it is arguably the centre of the international drug control system, and the role of the EU there is more important than ever. This contrasts greatly with the 2013 Drugs Strategy, which committed the EU to a ‘strong voice’ in the Commission on Narcotic Drugs, with the aim of promoting the balanced approach. Another case in point is the only reference to alternative development in the whole Agenda, which can be found under the heading ‘dismantling drug production’, and is not deemed to warrant even one of the 24 priority areas set in the document. This is especially surprising considering that the 2018 Council Conclusions adopted exclusively on this topic committed the EU to a ‘leading role (…) in the funding and implementation of alternative development’, and stated clearly that the success of alternative development goes ‘beyond an exclusive focus on illicit drug crop monitoring’.

 In spite of the EU’s leading role in fostering scientific knowledge and research on drug markets and drug use through the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA), the 2021-25 EU Drugs Agenda has dropped the cross-cutting theme on monitoring, research and evaluation, and science-based drug policies are scarcely mentioned in the operative parts of the document. Again, this makes a striking contrast with the 2013 Drugs Strategy, which featured a whole theme on research and evaluation for ‘a better understanding of all aspects of the drug phenomenon’, and provided a role for the EMCDDA in supply reduction, international cooperation, and the overall implementation of the document, among others.

 Although the 2021-25 Drugs Agenda explicitly seeks to reduce drug-related stigma, the European Commission press release accompanying the publication of the proposed Agenda was deeply stigmatising, as it puts drug policies at the same level as child abuse and firearms trafficking. Furthermore, the Agenda contains some instances of stigmatising language (‘substance abuse’ and ‘substance misuse’) that did not exist in the 2013 Drugs Strategy.

In light of the above and following established practices for the development of previous EU drugs strategies, we urge you, as the Council Presidency, to take political leadership and encourage the HDG to reject the draft proposed by the European Commission. A new process for strategy development should ensure that the new document reflects in a balanced manner the existing EU and the latest international commitments (in particular the 2016 UNGASS Outcome Document), the views of the EU Member States and all the relevant actors within the EU institutions, and engages meaningfully with civil society.

We would also be grateful if you could share this letter with your HDG colleagues before the 9 September meeting.
We remain at your disposal for any further discussion on this matter, and look forward to our continued cooperation on this and other topics during the German Presidency.

Les experts en matière de politiques des drogues font part de leurs préoccupations concernant le projet d'agenda et de plan d'action contre les stupéfiants de l'UE 2021-2025 - Lettre ouverte

LONDRES (2 août 2016) – La société civile du monde entier, y compris d’éminentes ONG de défense des droits humains, demande aux autorités chargées du contrôle des drogues aux Nations Unies de prendre des mesures immédiates pour mettre fin aux exécutions arbitraires de personnes suspectées d’avoir commis des délits liés à la drogue aux Philippines. Depuis le 10 mai 2016, plus de 700 personnes ont été assassinées par la police et la milice aux Philippines pour leur implication supposée dans l’usage ou le trafic de drogues. Ceci, suite la campagne du Président Duterte, récemment élu à la tête du pays, pour éradiquer la criminalité dans les six prochains mois.

Jusqu’à présent cependant, l’Office des Nations Unies contre la Drogue et le Crime (ONUDC) et l’Organe International de Contrôle des Stupéfiants (OICS) – les agences des Nations Unies responsables de la lutte anti-drogue au niveau mondial – ont omis de condamner les Philippines pour ces flagrantes violations des droits humains commises au nom de la guerre contre la drogue.

Ce sont 329 organisations non-gouvernementales qui envoient aujourd’hui une lettre ouverte au directeur général de l’ONUDC, M. Yury Fedotov, et au président de l’OICS, M. Werner Sipp, afin de leur demander de prendre des mesures immédiates pour de mettre un terme à ces exécutions arbitraires.

« Nous appelons les organes des Nations Unies chargés du contrôle mondial des drogues de condamner publiquement ces atrocités aux Philippines. Ces assassinats insensés ne peuvent être justifiés par des mesures de contrôle des drogues », affirmait Ann Fordham, directrice générale du Consortium International sur les Politiques des Drogues (IDPC). « Leur silence est inacceptable alors que des personnes sont assassinées en pleine rue jour après jour », poursuit-elle.

La lettre ouverte invite l’ONUDC et l’OICS à appeler Président Duterte à :

Mettre immédiatement fin aux incitations à tuer les personnes suspectées de consommer de la drogue ou d’être impliquées dans le trafic de drogues,

Respecter les obligations internationales relatives aux droits humains, telles que les droits à la vie, à la santé, à un procès juste et équitable, établis au sein des traités relatifs aux droits de humains signés par les Philippines,

Promouvoir des services de traitement et de réduction des risques fondées sur des preuves et le volontariat pour les usagers de drogues, de manière à remplacer le traitement forcé dans des camps militaires, et enfin

Ne pas réinstaurer la peine de mort pour les délits liés à la drogue.

Pour toute question, veuillez contacter :

Gloria Lai (en Anglais, basée en Thaïlande)

Marie Nougier (en Français, basée en Angleterre)

Senior Research and Communications Officer

*******************************************

Données clés sur la crise de la politique des drogues aux Philippines:

Le Président Rodrigo Duterte a été élu président le 30 Mai 2016 et a débuté son mandat présidentiel le 30 Juin. Il a lancé une guerre contre la drogue dans le cadre de laquelle la police et les citoyens étaient encouragés à tuer usagers et trafiquants de drogues

704 personnes ont été tuées entre le 10 Mai et le 29 Juillet 2016 (ABS CBN News)

Le Secrétaire d’Affaires en Communication Martin Andanar a par ailleurs déclaré que 60 000 usagers de drogues dépendants s’étaient rendus à la police (Daily Mail).

Déclarations par des groupes internationaux travaillant sur les droits humains:

Amnesty International, 10 Mai: Philippines: Le nouveau président doit rompre le cycle de violations de droits humains, et non pas l’aggraver

Amnesty International, 30 Juin: Philippines: Le Président Duterte doit rompre le cycle de violations des droits humains

Human Rights Watch, 25 Juillet: Les messages mitigés du Président Duterte sur les droits aux Philippines

Human Rights Watch, 12 Juillet: Les autorités philippines ignorent la forte augmentation des meurtres liés à la drogue

Déclarations par des groupes locaux travaillant sur les droits humains:

Philippine Alliance of Human Rights Advocates & Citizen’s Council for Human Rights, 14 Juillet: Arrêtez le massacre, demandent les défenseurs de droits humains à Duterte

Philippine Alliance of Human Rights Advocates & Citizen’s Council for Human Rights, 14 Juillet: Exécutions extra-judiciaires: Normaliser la criminalité sous l’égide de la paix et de la sécurité

Déclarations par des groupes travaillant sur la politique des drogues:

Drug Policy Alliance, 25 Juillet: Lors de son discours inaugural, le président tient sa promesse de tuer en masse les usagers et dealers de drogues en appelant la population à se montrer sans pitié

Asian Network of People Who Use Drugs & International Network of People Who Use Drugs, Juillet: Philippines: Un appel pour mettre fin aux exécutions, à la pauvreté et à l’exclusion

Plus de 300 ONG appellent les Nations Unies à prendre des mesures immédiates pour mettre fin aux centaines d’exécutions arbitraires de personnes suspectées de délits de drogue aux Philippines

During the expert meeting on 'substitution treatment - Interim results and future prospects' in 2009, the need was expressed to highlight the possibilities of improving access for substitution treatment in outpatient and inpatient settings.

The recent decision of the JCC opened the path for an amendment to improve the directive on psychotherapeutic care of dependent drug users. This expert meeting will provide a forum to discuss examples of best practice for drug treatment and rehabilitation.

Read the PDF below for more information (in German) about the expert meeting. For more information in German.

Keep up-to-date with drug policy developments by subscribing to the IDPC Monthly Alert.

Traitement de substitution et psychothérapie dans des milieux hospitaliers et mobiles

On 1st April 2000, the Third Narcotics Amendment Act legitimised the operation of drug consumption rooms in Germany. Today, 25 consumption rooms have been opened in 16 cities and six Landers.

This report provides information about the mode of operation of the diverse consumption rooms in Germany and the impacts that they have had on risk minimisation, health support, etc. Click here for more information.

Une évaluation des salles de consommation en Allemagne

Avec la devise « Patients ou prisonniers - Pistes vers l’équivalence des soins en prison » la « 6ème conférence européenne pour la promotion de la santé en prison » souhaite donner des nouvelles réponses aux défis principaux concernant les soins en milieu pénitentiaire.

Depuis 2004 les conférences internationales concernant la promotion de la santé en prison relient la théorie scientifique avec la pratique en milieu pénitentiaire ; la dernière conférence s’est déroulée à Hambourg en automne 2010. Nous souhaitons poursuivre ces échanges pour apporter des réponses aux défis que le quotidien carcéral lance aux praticiens et à la société.

La conférence bénéficiera d’une traduction simultanée français/allemand.

Abonnez-vous à l'alerte mensuelle de l'IDPC pour recevoir des informations relatives à la politique des drogues.

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Les ONG exhortent la Directrice exécutive de l'ONUDC à marquer la Journée des droits humains par un appel à la réforme des politiques en matière de drogues qui perpétuent les inégalités

Les experts en matière de politiques des drogues font part de leurs préoccupations concernant le projet d'agenda et de plan d'action contre les stupéfiants de l'UE 2021-2025 - Lettre ouverte

Plus de 300 ONG appellent les Nations Unies à prendre des mesures immédiates pour mettre fin aux centaines d’exécutions arbitraires de personnes suspectées de délits de drogue aux Philippines

Traitement de substitution et psychothérapie dans des milieux hospitaliers et mobiles

Une évaluation des salles de consommation en Allemagne

6ème conférence européenne pour la promotion de la santé en prison