8/9/2019 Report-back on the 53 Session of the CND English

1/4

The Youth PerspectiveReport-back of the 53rd Session of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs

The Long Road to CND

The Commission on Narcotics Drugs (CND)Fifty-Third session in Vienna, Austria fromMarch 8th-12th 2010 was a key opportunity tobuild upon Espoleas & Youth R.I.S.E.sstrategies around drug policy as it afectsyoung people globally. CND is established bythe Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) ofthe United Nations, and it is the central policymaking body at the UN that makes decisionaround drug related matters.

It is important to have a youth presence at the

Commission, because young people who areinvolved in the drug policy field need to bevisible in showing how bad drug policy directlyafects the livelihood of children and youngpeople. We wanted this to be an opportunity tobegin some dialogue with nationalgovernments to re-imagine what thepossibilities could be if young people were ableto live in communities where they are notstigmatized, brutalized, and marginalized in acriminal milieu.

We believe countries need to be constructive in

involving young people in the decision-makingprocesses that afect them around drug useand policy. We saw this time as an opportunityto hold CND as an entity accountable to itscommitment to young people who are mostvulnerable in the war on drugs.

The Plan

Allen Kwabena Frimpong, International NetworkCoordinator of Youth R.I.S.E., and Aram Barra,

International Working Group member fromMexico, and also Espoleas Project Directorattended this years CND. Both were able toobtain ECOSOC status to attend this yearscommission through the Global Youth ActionNetwork (GYAN).

YouthRISEInternationalWorkingGroupMem

berand

EspoleaProjectDirector,AramBar

ra,andYouthRISE

InternationalCoordinator,AllenFrimpong,twittingand

facebookingfromCNDproceedings.

The following are the activities we executedwhile at the Commission on Narcotic Drugs:

In preparation for CND Youth R.I.S.E.conducted a conference call tutorialoverview of the CND process with theInternational Drug Policy Consortium(IDPC) coordinator, Ann Fordham and 12young people from around the world.

Press Release with specificrecommendations for CND (availablehere in English and Spanish).

Networking with partners and countrydelegates from Australia, Argentina,Lebanon, Mexico, Sweden, the US andthe UK as well as conducting interviews.

Live reporting through Ustream andtaking photographs of the processionsto post on Facebook and Twitter.

Making a statement in conjunction withthe Eurasian Harm Reduction Network(EHRN) duringthe demand reductionsection of the CND agenda (Availablehere in English and Russian).

http://www.scribd.com/full/28209927?access_key=key-1lclrk3zff4hbf182fgxhttp://www.scribd.com/full/28209927?access_key=key-1lclrk3zff4hbf182fgxhttp://www.scribd.com/full/28209908?access_key=key-mbddbos9fgkp4xvwfzihttp://www.scribd.com/full/28209908?access_key=key-mbddbos9fgkp4xvwfzihttp://tinyurl.com/yhxspz2http://tinyurl.com/yhxspz2http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=64988955827&ref=tshttp://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=64988955827&ref=tshttp://www.ustream.tv/channel/cnd-2010http://www.ustream.tv/channel/cnd-2010http://www.scribd.com/full/28077903?access_key=key-1lfwpzokord54x80fidjhttp://www.scribd.com/full/28077903?access_key=key-1lfwpzokord54x80fidjhttp://www.scribd.com/full/28045032?access_key=key-14486r317zkx6d966rushttp://www.scribd.com/full/28045032?access_key=key-14486r317zkx6d966rus

8/9/2019 Report-back on the 53 Session of the CND English

2/4

I arrived at CND Monday evening straight from

the airport when the first day of theproceedings were heading to a close, andeveryone was dressed in business attire withsuits, ties, and binders in hand. I on the otherhand was with sports jacket, jeans andsneakers and already felt out of place in thisspace. While I was being briefed by fellowYouth R.I.S.E. member, Aram Barra, by theproceedings this morning, I was alreadythinking about what needed to be done for thenext day in our set plans for CND.

At the same time while meeting with other

colleagues and organizational partners withinthe Drug Policy and Harm Reduction movementI kept receiving the same messages of notmuch change happens at CND or rhetoricalquestions like Why am I even here?. Peoplewere either disgruntled or tired of the process.

I didnt experience frustration until I actuallysat and observed the proceedings and I wouldhear countries say things like, hip-hop culture

Country delegate of Azerbaijan sleeping during the processions. March 10th 2010.

WEDIDNTKNOW

COUNTRYDELEGA

TES

GOTANAPT

IMEWHILEPEOPL

EAROUNDTHE

WORLDAREBEINGINCA

RCERATEDANDAB

USED!

Why am I here?By Allen Kwabena Frimpong

and break-dancing are to blame for drug use in

their country or even stating we should notinclude poor health as an issue to address in thesocial inclusion of young people when regardingdrug abuse, because its too broad. The laststraw was when Aram and I saw a delegatesleeping. We had no choice but to take a picture.

It was at this point I asked myself, Why am Ihere? Well, I knew this was a great learningopportunity for me to share my experiencearound the CND process. I got to network andrevisit partnerships that the organization hasmade. While I didnt feel like we had any direct

influence on the resolutions that afected youngpeople, I realize that we were there to educatepeople outside of those walls and invite them intoa process that wasnt just and fair to civil societyparticipants.

Indeed our time spent holding peopleaccountable in being observers is the very thingwe could do as young people in making theprocess more transparent for the public.

8/9/2019 Report-back on the 53 Session of the CND English

3/4

The Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) is theUnited Nations body charged with overseeingglobal drug policy. However, despite this importantmandate, the Commission does not broadcast itssessions or publishes its minutes publicly. Finalreports of the meetings are extremely limited andthus it is dicult to know the stand of each

government.

But why should this matter to me as a youngperson? Young people are a key populationafected by drug policy around the world, there is acorrelation between drug use and HIV and othersexually transmitted infections well documentedworldwide and usually there is little or no voice ofyouth attending the Commission on NarcoticDrugs.

This year, Espolea and Youth R.I.S.E. incollaboration with the Vienna YouthForce

conducted an e-consultation to hear the voices ofyouth around the world. Over 100 young peoplefrom all regions of the world expressed their viewsregarding their countrys drug policy and healthservices. On this basis were the press release andthe intervention in the plenary of the fourth daybuilt.

What happened at this years CND?By Aram Barra

What was the outcomof this years CND

The draft resolution proposed by the EU, Norway anThailand (English document here) pursued to "achievuniversal access to treatment, care and support fopeople with HIV, including injecting drug users, by thyear 2010." After a heated discussion on human rightand its relevance to the theme -you can read thidiscussion here- the Committee of the Whole adoptethe resolution.

Among other things, this resolution calls the UNODCin support of national authorities, to harmonizpolicies and clarify roles and responsibilities onational entities, including drug control and publ

health agencies and civil society, who may givsupport capacity building and resources for thprovision of comprehensive prevention and treatmencare and related support services. It also indicateswhere appropriate, to apply the technical guide of thWHO, UNODC and UNAIDS to countries, in line witthe targets set for universal access to preventiontreatment and care for injecting drug users.

The resolution also calls the UNODC to significantlexpand its work with relevant groups from civsociety to address the diferences in access to servicefor people living with or afected by HIV, includin

drug users, to address issues of stigma andiscrimination and to support greater capacity anresources for the provision of comprehensivprevention and treatment, care and related supporservices.

Last, the UNODC made the most categorical statementhat it has done in history with regard to threlationship that should exist between human rightand drug control, crime prevention and criminajustice. (Document available in English).

In all, the CND was a good experience both personalland professionally. Its outcomes, while afar from threal needs of young people across the worlddemonstrate subtle and fine approximations tsignificant changes in drug policy. For instance, it iworth noting that the United States became cosponsor of the resolution on universal access. Whilat the end all explicit reference to "harm reductionwas removed, the fact that they were willing tsupport a formal resolution that included support oneedle exchange programs and opiate substitutiotherapy represents a significant breakthrough in drupolicy.

Young people at the 53 Session of the CND in Vienna, Austria.

http://www.unodc.org/documents/commissions/CND-Uploads/CND-53-RelatedFiles/ECN72010_CRP6eV1051605.pdfhttp://www.unodc.org/documents/commissions/CND-Uploads/CND-53-RelatedFiles/ECN72010_CRP6eV1051605.pdfhttp://www.cndblog.org/http://www.cndblog.org/http://www.unodc.org/documents/commissions/CND-Uploads/CND-53-RelatedFiles/ECN72010_L11eV1051531.pdfhttp://www.unodc.org/documents/commissions/CND-Uploads/CND-53-RelatedFiles/ECN72010_L11eV1051531.pdf

8/9/2019 Report-back on the 53 Session of the CND English

4/4

Youth R.I.S.E. withDavid Turner from Vienna NGOCommittee on Drugs

Question: How do youth organizations, suchas Youth R.I.S.E. use resolutions at theCommission on Narcotic Drugs that have adirect impact on young people, as a platformto address some of the issues that countrydelegates are not necessarily addressing inthe sponsorship of resolutions that are

drafted in the name of protecting youngpeople?

Mr. Turner: I think thats both a strategic and apractical question. Strategically, its about notonly making a statement for Youth R.I.S.E. itself,but working within national delegations inadvance when they are talking about forinstance, making a statement on drug demandreduction.

How do you express what you are doing to take

forward the protection of children in theconvention? And even supplying them withsome words, people like it if you tell themsomething that they can use, so working withthat.

I think its also very important to keep onseeing it in statements. When you have anopportunity to make a statement keep pressingit forward. I will give you an example:

Demand reduction, when I first started workingwith the Commission, hardly existed. It was

biased as an issue to be talked about. It wasbiased year after year after year, keep ondemanding that it was raised, it was discussed

SEE, YOU JUST NEED A BIT OFBUILDING-UP OF THE MOMENTUM

Dan Turner, Executive Director for the Vienna NGO Committeesits down with Youth RISE to discuss youth participation at CND.

that we took it forward. And now the idea ofnot talking about demand reduction isimpossible at the Commission, you just cannotdo it. But you need it takes time for thesystem, building allies.

When weve tried to create what you call theguiding principles on demand reduction, the

first meeting we had there were 10 of us, and 4of us were from NGOs. The next year we hadabout 50 and the room was a little small, andafter that we could not actually contain people,and we had to include those that wanted totalk about it, so we started to build up themomentum.

See, you just need a bit of building-up of themomentum. It was very frustrating at times,but the momentum takes time. Once itsmoving its like a big wheel, you try and stop it!

The Youth PerspectiveReportback of the 53rdSession of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs

Text and photo credits:Youth R.I.S.E.Espolea A.C.

Copyleft March 2010