This week is a CND week and the 57th Session of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs was embarked on by the UN drug policy bodies and member states` representatives  in Vienna.

Last week ECAD as a member of Vienna NGO Committee on Drugs, organized 2 events at the launch of the High Level Segment of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs in Vienna.

The VNGOC had its IIIrd informal Civil Society Hearing. The Hearing was held on 12 March in conjunction with UNODC and WHO. It was co-chaired by H.E. Ambassador Khaled Shamaa, Chair of the 57^th Commission on Narcotic Drugs and Michel Perron, Chair of the VNGOC, and was addressed by Mr. Yury Fedotov, Executive Director of UNODC.

The main focus of this event is to provide UN bodies, governments and UNGASS 2016 with a nuanced advice of the NGO community, ensuring that UN do not get a false dichotomy as a result of the CND, but receives coherent policy advice in an evidence-based discussion.

Read a basic summary of the IIIrd Informal Civil Society Hearing here (PDF)

Second significant event was a High-Level Briefing(picture) on the conclusions of the IIIrd ICSH and the 2014 UNODC Scientific Consultation addressing drug use through a Health based aproach on March 13.  The Briefing was opened by Her Majesty Queen Silvia of Sweden, with honourary participance by the UN Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson, Mr. Raymond Yans, President of the INCB, Mrs. Nora Volkow, Director General for NIDA, USA, as well as many state officials and ambassadors. Also policy advice contributions were made by many members of the VNGOC. ECAD was represented by Mr. Yevgeny Bryun, a leading specialist in addiction treatment of the Moscow City Government and the head of NGO Russian Narcological League, ECAD National Representative in Russia (far right in the picture).

Many experts and officials commended NGOs for their relentless and often unthankfull work in the field.  A clear political statement of Her Majesty Queen Silvia of Swedenset the scene of the High-Level Briefing:

• "Drug policy should be based on zero-tolerance, focusing on prevention, treatment, control and recovery... " 
• "We must support and defend UN Conventions on drugs. This year marks the 25th Anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child."
• "We cannot let narcotic drugs be a part of our lives."
• "Civil Society plays a vital role in preventing drug abuse. My vision is a society free from narcotic drugs."

ECAD shares this vision and we are proud that our member cities in 31 European countries would agree with the statement of Her Majesty Queen Silvia.

Please return to this page during the week, we will update you on the launch of new platforms and documents pertaining to international drug policies and ECAD work.