Informal Civil Society Hearing 10 Oct, New York, USA



The first event will be held on 10 October 2014, from 1:15 p.m.-2:45 p.m. (tbc) during the 68th Session of the 3rd Committee of the UN General Assembly in the UN HQ in New York, USA.
On 9 and 10 October the 3rd Committee will discuss the topic International Drug Control, and we plan to give the role of NGOs a most visible platform. The theme of the NGO session will be the continuation of the successful 3rd Informal Civil Society Hearing held during CND 2014, “Addressing drug use together through a health-based approach”.
The tentative agenda includes an opening panel featuring the VNGOC Chair, the UNODC Executive Director and the CND Chair. A second panel will discuss NGO priorities for UNGASS. A more detailed agenda will be shared once time and speakers are confirmed.

We are looking for proposals for NGO speakers at the event. Suggested individuals will ideally be able to attend in person at their own cost, but we will work to allow for distance-participation as well. This is rather urgent, so please send your suggestions to Elisa Rubini at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. no later than Friday, 12 September 2014, Midnight CET.


NGO Briefings to CND and MS - Oct, Nov, Dec 2014, Vienna, Austria
In addition to the above meeting, the board will hold a series of “NGO Briefings to CND and Member States”. They are envisaged to brief CND and Member States representatives on NGO experiences and recommendations to be considered in the leadup to UNGASS. Exact dates and times are still to be confirmed, but we are looking at around 4 panel events to be held in the period of October, November and December 2014. If suitable, these will be tied to CND Intersessional meetings, but can also act as standalone events.  Each event will feature 3-5 speakers who are working at a grass roots level in the area of drugs.  The exact dates and times will be communicated as soon as they are confirmed.

Again, speakers who are able to attend in person would be preferable,  but due to a lack of funding this will not always be possible. Fortunately, the CND Bureau has confirmed their full support to facilitate electronic participation in these events, so it will not be necessary to be in Vienna in order to present at a panel discussion. A Skype or video-conferencing program will be used instead. If you/your organisation is interested in presenting its work, experiences and priorities at such a briefing session, please let us know at your earliest convenience by sending an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Selection of Speakers

The VNGOC board is committed to ensure a balanced and transparent selection of speakers. In this regard you will find the ToR (Terms of Reference) here guiding the selection, as agreed by the board in its meeting on 3 September 2014. If you have any comments about the ToR, please send them to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. as soon as possible.