International Drug Policy Consortium

EU Legislative Interests

IDPC is part of the EU Civil Society Forum on Drugs (CSFD). As such, we engage directly in activities aimed at advising and providing recommendations to EU institutions around drug policy issues. IDPC's Head of Research and Communications is a member of the Core Group of the CSFD, coordinating a thematic group focusing on international drug policy issues. Individually, IDPC also collaborates with partners to organise webinars, informal briefings and meetings, as well as produce position papers on European drug policies. IDPC holds regular meetings with EU institutions, including the EUDA, Members of European Parliament, the HDG, the European Council, the European Commission (DG Home) and the EEAS. A large part of our advocacy is related to the implementation and evaluation of the EU's Drug Strategy 2021-2025, the development of the new EU Drug Strategy, and the EU's engagement with the UN.

Communication Activities

IDPC has a strong publications work stream, which includes detailed reports on global drug policy (all available here: www.idpc.net/publications), which are relevant to the EU's position on the international drug control regime. We also published reports around proportionality of sentencing, decriminalisation, harm reduction, gender and other matters of interest for the EU and its member states. We regularly reach out to EU member states and EU institutions (in particular the HDG, the Commission, the Council, the European Parliament, the EEAS and the EUDA) to try and influence their positions around key drug policy matters. We regularly organise expert seminars, informal briefings and bilateral meetings, often in partnership with other NGOs or governments, to discuss strategy and thematic areas, generally on international drug control. These events usually take place in Brussels, in Vienna (where the UN drug control bodies are based), in Geneva (where UN health and human rights bodies are based) or in capitals of key EU countries. For instance, IDPC provided regular written and oral inputs as the EU was evaluating its Drug Strategy and Action Plan for 2013-2020 and fed into the discussions for the elaboration and evaluation of the EU Drug Strategy for 2021-2025. We are now engaging in the drafting process for the new EU Drug Strategy beyond 2025, and the review of the European Council Framework Decision on criminal sanctions for drug trafficking offences. Over the past year, IDPC also engaged in significant advocacy around the creation of a civil society engagement mechanism as part of the new EUDA mandate implementation, through written contributions and side meetings with the HDG, former EMCDDA and MEPs. We also share critical information about drug policy to NGOs and EU member states alike via our monthly newsletter and multilingual website, targeted emails and social media channels. As part of the CSFD working group on international relations, IDPC coordinated the drafting of a number of detailed recommendations around the UNGASS process, the 2019 Ministerial Segment, the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs, he preparations for the 2024 mid-term review of the 2019 Ministerial Declaration on drugs, and now on the multidisciplinary panel responsible for the review of the UN drug control system. Each year, the thematic group/CSFD is invited to present recommendations at a number of HDG meetings, and at a side event organised by the EU at CND and in other international gatherings. Finally, we engage with EU institutions as part of the EU's bilateral dialogues and engagement with third parties, providing detailed written inputs ahead of key bilateral dialogues (in particular with Russia, the USA, the Balkans, CELAC and others) and as major human rights issues arise (for example with regards to the Philippines' war on drugs, or the death penalty for drug offences in Singapore).

Interests Represented

Does not represent commercial interests

Member Of

IDPC is a member of the European Civil Society Forum on Drugs, the Vienna NGO Committee on Drugs, the New York NGO Committee on Drugs, the Alliance of NGOs on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, as well as CoNGO. IDPC also has ECOSOC Consultative Status.

Organisation Members

The full list of our 190+ members per region is available here: http://idpc.net/members