05 Oct

Civil Society Forum on Drugs (CSF) for the 2015-2017 Period

Dianova International has been selected along with 44 other NGOs to take part in the Civil Society Forum on Drugs (CSF) for the 2015-2017 period. The annual CSF meeting, which will be held in Brussels, will be attended by Dianova International´s representative Lucía Goberna.

As highlighted in the Commission’s Green Paper of 26 June 2006, civil society participation is one of the cornerstones of the European Union’s anti-drugs policy. The CSF is a platform for structured dialogue between the Commission and European civil society, which supports policy formulation and implementation through practical advice.

Contents

The forum will discuss CSF priorities for the years ahead, working groups will be organised and a meeting will be held with the EU’s Horizontal Working Party on Drugs (HDG).

The CSF’s main areas of work for the coming years (to be addressed by the working groups) are as follows:

• Minimum quality standards for drug demand reduction
• Institutional relations with the EU and international structures
• Input to the EU Drugs Strategy and Action Plan on Drugs
• Civil society engagement in national drug policies

Constitution of the new forum

At the meeting, a new CSF council will be created and coordinators will be appointed for each working group. Dianova International will take part in the working groups on “Institutional relations with the EU and international structures” and “Civil society engagement in national drug policies”.

One of the areas of work will be to draw up a list of the CSF’s priorities in relation to the United Nations General Assembly Special Session on Drugs (UNGASS), to be forwarded to the European representatives responsible for defining the EU’s stance on this major event.

A Participatory Process

The process of consultation with civil society organisations and other stakeholders external to the European Commission is seen as an essential part of policy formulation, whether in terms of drugs or other issues. Civil society organisations play a major role in relaying the concerns of ordinary people, tackling social issues and seeking to ensure that these concerns are reflected in the EU’s political and social guidelines.

23 Sep

UNGASS: Drug Policy Consultation Forum at the European Parliament

2016 will be a key year for global drug policies, as the UN General Assembly will be holding a Special Session on the topic (UNGASS), which it is hoped will be a milestone in terms of adopting more efficient and more humane practices.

With this in mind, Europe Against Drugs (EURAD), Dianova International and Polish MEP Michal Boni are jointly organising a European Parliament-sponsored event which will present and appraise the forthcoming Special Session.

Objective

The objective of the event is to inform participants of, and debate on, the many challenges arising from the current drug policies; it will also serve as a preparatory activity ahead of the UN General Assembly Special Session on the global drug problem.

Participants

Members of the European Parliament, European institutions and representatives of civil society will have the opportunity to express their opinions. Over one hundred researchers, representatives of NGOs and government observers will meet to discuss drug policies and the UNGASS.

The event will include the participation of speakers from the United Nations, the European Commission and the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA).

Further information

European Parliament Event: the UNGASS (International Drug Policy Consortium)

29 Apr

57th Regular Session of the Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission

The 57th regular session of the Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission (CICAD) was held in Washington DC. This is one of two occasions in the year when authorities from countries in the Organization of American States (OAS) meet to discuss drugs and their implications for the hemisphere.

Dianova International participated as an observer to the commission’s work, along with other civil society representatives attending the session, and also contributed to a parallel event organized by NGOs and the government of Guatemala in the margins of the session.

The three working days were led by Guatemala, who held the CICAD presidency for 2015. A consensus had to be sought to promote a change in the hemispheric paradigm of drug matters, focusing the debate around public health, and discussions and policies were centered on the individual, rather than on the substance.

Participants

The Guatemalan Minister of Interior, Héctor Mauricio López Bonilla, the Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy of the Unites States, Michael Botticelli, and the Secretary General of the OAS, José Miguel Insulza, were present.

Topics

In this session, participants reflected on alternatives to incarceration, based on experience. Canada, Barbados, USA, Colombia and Ecuador, presented models for alternatives implemented in those countries, as their input to the reflection on the experience of member states and to contribute with best practices to the Technical Report on Alternatives to Incarceration for Drug Related Crimes, which was being drafted and which is now available in the form of an on-line platform that member states can consult for best practices.

Another topic for debate was that of New Psychoactive Substances, which pose an increasing challenge for the Americas. Continually updated information is needed to propose prevention and treatment plans, aimed mainly at young people, who are the population most vulnerable to these emerging trends.

Preparing for UNGASS 2016

In the margins of the regular session, an event exclusively for Commissioners was dedicated to the preparation for UNGASS 2016, the Special Session of the United Nations General Assembly on the World Drug Problem to be held in 2016.

17 Mar

Parallel Event to CSW 59: 20 Ways to Achieve Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women

Dianova organized a parallel event at the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW 59). The Commission undertook a review of progress made in the implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, 20 years after its adoption at the Fourth World Conference on Women, in 1995.

Where

During the session, which was held in New York from 9 to 20 March, Dianova organized a parallel event to support the review. This event took place at the United Nations Church Center in collaboration with the General Board of Church and Society (Methodist Church), IBON International and the Freedom from Fistula Foundation.

Topics

In line with the goals of the Commission, Dianova and partners have analysed the challenges and progress achieved in advancing women’s rights and have identified 20 ideas for supporting the development agenda for women beyond 2015.

Participants

The round table was moderated by Rev. Liberato Bautista, from the Methodist Church and there were four contributions from speakers representing different aspects of the women’s agenda:

• Roma Bhattacherjea, specialist in International Development and Women’s Rights, sharedher experience in social development and in the area of women, peace and security.
• Danica Bourque from Dianova Canada, together with Jeannie Sappa y Pascalle Laneuville presented Dianova’s work with the indigenous Inuit community.
• Susan Burton, Director of Women’s and Children’s Advocacy, General Board of Church and Society, of the Methodist Church,  talked about current challenges for women.
• Maria Theresa Nera-Lauron from IBON international focused her contribution on the concept of justice and its implications for women.

Publication

The conclusions of the panel and discussion have been summarized in a report.

11 Mar

XV European Congress on Therapeutic Communities in Malaga

The XV European Congress on Therapeutic Communities will be organized in Malaga by the Proyecto Hombre association and the European Federation of Therapeutic Communities (EFTC) is organizing the in Malaga.

Participants

Among those who will be attending the congress are personalities such as philosopher José Antonio Marina, internationally-renowned TC expert George de León, and Gabriel Mejía, who was put forth for the Nobel Peace Prize.

Dianova representative Gisela Rodríguez will be presenting her work methodology and her integral educational interventions developed at Dianova Spain’s Can Parellada center (Barcelona).

Content

A multitude of new profiles of people with addiction problems (women, youth, elderly population, patients with dual disorders, migrants, prison population) and what could be done to improve treatment efficiency will be debated at the congress, as a means to improve the practies developed in the Therapeutic Community treatment model.

The central theme, “Therapeutic communities, promoting an integrative model” will invite one to reflect on the current phenomenon of drug consumption.

More information

• XV European Congress on Therapeutic Communities
• Modern Therapeutic Communities for Addiction by George de Leon

09 Mar

58th Session of the United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND58)

The 58^th session of the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) will concentrate on the preparation of the General Assembly Special Session on the world drug problem (UNGASS) which will take place in April of 2016, with interactive debates and high-level sessions.

Participants

High-level representatives will attend. As has occurred since 2008, Dianova International will be present through means of a delegation which will participate in different activities, fulfilling multiple functions.

Contents

• CND58 will allow for a debate on drug policies between member states representatives and international and civil society organizations.
• A special, high-level segment will be dedicated to the preparatory process of the UN General Assembly Special Session on the world drug problem (UNGASS).
• Civil society representatives will emphasize the need of implementing a balanced approach to reducing drug supply and demand in addition to the importance of prevention, more particularly in adolescents.

Where

The session will be held at the Vienna International Center (Austria)

More information

58th Session of the United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND58) (en inglés)