After a very successful week at the UNODC CND in Vienna, where we reconnected in person with many of you, all our energy is focusing on the upcoming event that will take place in Rome from may 2nd to May 5th, 2023:
"Breaking barriers, building bridges: towards a humanitarian drug policy" - The Rome Consensus Summit & the 10th Anniversary of the Red Cross/Red Crescent Partnership on Substance Abuse
The event will be hosted by the Villa Maraini Foundation, and It will be a unique opportunity to meet the leading experts on Humanitarian Drug Policy by joining interactive debates, skills workshops, and field visits. This will be a highly participatory meeting, designed on the national and international experiences of participants through a multidisciplinary learning approach.
The Rome Consensus Summit will focus on:
– The Red Cross/Red Crescent role in tackling drug related issue
– The Rome Consensus 2.0 Statement as a concrete tool to implement Humanitarian Drug Policy
– The Continuum of Care strategy: from Harm Reduction to evidence-based treatment and recovery.
– The Alternatives to Incarceration: “Deflection and Diversion” as a new global strategy that aims to reduce crime, avoid prison, suffering and improve access to health care for people with drug disorders. Law Enforcement and Treatment experts will provide two special sessions focusing on this new emerging policy and practice.
– Special skills workshops will be available to participants, the main topics will be: psychological support and the role of family in recovery; addressing stigma and discrimination; Opioid Substitution Treatment; the intake of Des, human rights and CSOs role.
HOW CAN YOU PARTECIPATE
SIGN UP BY FILLING UP THE FORM
OPEN GRANTS FOR CIVIL SOCIETY & INDIVIDUALS FROM DEVELOPING COUNTRIES:
We will offer a grant to Civil Society and individuals in need of support among the Rome Consensus signatories.
If you are interested please fill the form. For any question please send an email to: info@romeconsensus.com
The Rome Consensus co-founders have limited resources, and will assign the grants as follows:
first come, first served basis
- active involvement and support as a Rome Consensus signatory
- gender and geographical balance
- financial means
Join our side events on Thursday, March 16th, 2023 during the 66th session of the UNODC Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND):
8:00 AM CET “A global call for deflection: as the new policy on policing and drugs”
9:00 AM CET “HUMANITARIAN DRUG POLICY: The Rome Consensus 2.0 as a pragmatic tool of advocacy to implement universal health coverage”
It’s not possible for police and drug treatment to work together…until now. The global emergence of law enforcement deflection.
We are happy to announce that Rome Consensus 2.0 initiative towards Humanitarian Drug Policy will present the side event “It’s not possible for police and drug treatment to work together. Until Now…The global emergence of law enforcement deflection” at the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs – UNODC on Friday, May 20th at 12:15 PM (CET). The event is organized by Rome Consensus and PTACC The Police, Treatment, and Community Collaborative and co-sponsored by the Pompidou Group of the Council of Europe, International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies – IFRC, and Knowmad Institut, European Institute for Multidisciplinary Studies on Human Rights & Science.
THE HUMANITARIAN APPROACH TO DRUG POLICY: OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES FOR AN EFFECTIVE COOPERATION BETWEEN PUBLIC AUTHORITIES AND HEALTH-BASED ORGANIZATIONS - 65TH SESSION OF THE COMMISSION ON NARCOTIC DRUGS ON MARCH 15, 2022 at 13:10-14:00 CET
The event will provide concrete examples of cooperation, and a common ground of commitment between governments and health-based communities and professionals towards a humanitarian drug policy. The goal is to propose common strategies to avoid the suffering and death toll caused by drug abuse disorders, promoting a humanitarian drug policy approach in the international community. In the event, it will be taken into consideration the experience of the “Rome Consensus 2.0: towards a humanitarian drug policy”, as a valid document promoted by civil societies and NGOs, aimed at enhancing treatment accessibility, rehabilitation and mental health services, creating healthier and safer communities.
Among the speakers: Fabiana Dadone, Minister for Youth Policies of Italy with the Mandate for Drug Policies and Addictions; Ghada Fathi Waly, Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime; Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus , Director-General of the World Health Organization; Denis Huber | Executive Secretary of the Pompidou Group of the Council of Europe; Massimo Barra, International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.
ROME CONSENSUS 2.0 AT THE UNITED NATIONS 65TH COMMISSION ON NARCOTIC DRUGS SIDE EVENT IN VIENNA, on march 14, 2022 at 13:10-14:00 CET
On March 14th 2022 at 1:10 PM (CET), during the 65th Session of the United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs in Vienna, the “Rome Consensus 2.0 – Towards Humanitarian Drug Policy” partnership will present a side event “Police and Drug Treatment Together: The Global Emergence of Deflection as a Humanitarian Crime Reduction Approach to Drugs” organized by: the Red Cross and Red Crescent Partnership on Substance Abuse, Villa Maraini Foundation, Italian Red Cross, the Police, Treatment, and Community Collaborative organization (PTACC), Treatment Alternatives for Safe Communities (TASC), Knowmad Institut and Pompidou Group – Council of Europe. The online panel will also involve speakers from Menahra (LEBANON), Drug Policy Network South East Europe, Hops – Healthy Options Project Skopje (NORTH MACEDONIA), and SAPS – South African Police Services.
Rome Consensus 2.0 launches video series for International Overdose Awareness Day 2021
There is still so much we can achieve together and this year the Rome Consensus 2.0 will be joining the world’s largest annual campaign to end overdose, raise awareness and remember without stigma those who have died. The campaign has been launched globally by Penington Institute (Australia), International Overdose Awareness Day is a global event held on 31 August each year and aims to raise awareness of overdose and reduce the stigma of a drug-related death. It also acknowledges the grief felt by families and friends remembering those who have died or had a permanent injury as a result of drug overdose.
International Overdose Awareness Day and Rome Consensus 2.0 spread the message that the tragedy of overdose death is preventable.
Check out the Rome Consensus 2.0 video series for #IOAD2021:
Dr. Massimo Barra, IFRC special envoy for health & founder of Villa Maraini, the National Agency of the Italian Red Cross for pathological addictions – shareable link: https://youtu.be/m5Ljo7s90-I
Ms. Giovanna Campello, Chief UNODC Prevention, Treatment & Rehabilitation Section – shareable link: https://youtu.be/hfq2M12HpbA
Mr. Ric Ohrstrom, chairman C4 Recovery Foundation – shareable link: https://youtu.be/ZEllC3bCtJY
Mr. Jamie Bridge, chief operating officer International Drug Policy Consortium – shareable link: https://youtu.be/XHWlg_a2eyU
We encourage you to share the videos through social media and don’t forget to tag our accounts on Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn and to use the hashtags #HumanitarianDrugPolicy #IOAD2021 and #EndOverdose.
Rome Consensus 2.0 is a Humanitarian Drug Policy alliance, a call from professionals to governments to make urgent moves towards health and human rights based approaches. The Humanitarian Drug Policies’ primary objective is to save lives, alleviate suffering and maintain human dignity by fighting social, legal and cultural criminalization of people who use drugs.
Join Rome Consensus 2.0 and Support Don't Punish
As you may know, June 26th every year is the United Nations official International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking (World Drug Day). Since 1987, this Day has been designed to help focus attention in the media and in politics towards drug-related issues and challenges around the world.
Historically, however, the Day has been “celebrated” in a controversial way – with many governments showcasing the ‘war on drugs’ approach, numbers of arrests, and volumes of drugs seized. In some extreme cases, governments have even held public executions on this day to demonstrate their commitment to the cause. More recently, however, efforts have been made to use this day more productively – and to promote more humane drug policies. In that spirit, the Rome Consensus 2.0 partnership is encouraging you all to engage and join us from June 23rd until June 26th, to help promote its statement worldwide, and to support some of the well-aligned campaigns on World Drug Day.
Which campaigns? Since 2013, the International Drug Policy Consortium (IDPC) has run the Support Don’t Punish campaign – which has made World Drug Day its Global Day of Action. Support Don’t Punish is a locally-driven campaign in support of health- and rights-based drug policies including harm reduction and decriminalization. This year between June 23rd and June 26th, the Rome Consensus 2.0 initiative and Support Don’t Punish will present a co-branded campaign to advocate for a Humanitarian Drug Policy and spread the RC2 statement across 5 continents. If you are planning any other campaigns or advocacy work on World Drug Day this year, which also aligns closely to the Rome Consensus 2.0, please do let us know!
We want to hear from you: how can you get involved? Here are just some of the ways you can be active on (and around) the 26th June this year, and help us to promote the Rome Consensus 2.0 and the other aligned messages:
1. Spread the word!
Please share about the Rome Consensus 2.0, invite your friends to follow our Instagram :: Twitter :: LinkedIn pages, and ask people to join the 1,100 signatories who believe in humanitarian drug policy in order to save lives. We have prepared some example tweets and posts that you can use, and these are available here. We also invite you to share some of the social media images below. By using the pixelated, anonymous faces, we are highlighting that anyone can be impacted by ineffective drug policies – it could be you, a family member, a neighbour, a friend, a colleague. This is not a problem that only affects “others”, it affects us all, and everyone deserves to receive the support, protection and empowerment to overcome the challenges they may face.
2. Join our online discussion on June 23rd – save the date!
On Wednesday, June 23rd at 4 PM (CET) the Rome Consensus 2.0 partnership will host an online discussion, under the theme of Support Don’t Punish, to explore what this means across different continents. More details will follow soon! We are also inviting Rome Consensus 2.0 supporters to apply to speak at this event – to highlight the work you are doing locally and the drug policy situation and challenges in your country or region. To apply to speak, please complete this form by June 8th, 2021.
Download the e-flyer: here and share it among your network ! |
3. Get creative – help us design a new slogan!
The Rome Consensus 2.0 has been created to promote more humane drug policies – but we need a more effective slogan that helps to communicate what we stand for. We are therefore launching a slogan contest. Please enter here by June 8th, 2021, and encourage your friends and colleagues to enter too. The winner will be announced on June 26th.
4. Take your photo!
A key part of the Support Don’t Punish campaign is the ‘photo project’: a form of visual petition whereby more than 10,000 people have so far submitted a photo of themselves holding up the campaign logo in order to demonstrate their support. This year, we encourage you all to download this special poster and take your photo to show that you are backing both the Rome Consensus and the Support Don’t Punish messages. You can then share the photo on social media – maybe even making it your profile picture for the day – but please, don’t forget to tag @rome_consensus_2.0 and @SupportDontPunish on Instagram; @RomeConsensus and @SDPcampaign on Twitter and send it to campaign@idpc.net so that you can be added to the thousands of others that are part of this movement.
Toolkit:
SIGN: I signed the Rome Consensus 2.0 statement because (png); I signed the Rome Consensus 2.0 statement because (editable file).
POSTERS: Could be anyone (1) – Could be anyone (2) – Could be anyone (3)
#RomeConsensus #SupportDontPunish #WorldDrugDay #HumanitarianDrugPolicy #June2
ROME CONSENSUS 2.0 AT THE UNITED NATIONS 64TH COMMISSION ON NARCOTIC DRUGS VIRTUAL SIDE EVENT
The Rome Consensus 2.0 alliance presented a virtual side event at the 64th Commission on Narcotic Drugs on April 16th, 2021: “Moving beyond the divisions in order to develop humanitarian drug policies: the role of the Rome Consensus 2.0 initiative”
ROME CONSENSUS AT THE UNITED NATIONS 63RD COMMISION ON NARCOTIC DRUGS SIDE EVENT IN VIENNA
On March 4th 2020, during the 63rd Session of the United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs in Vienna, the Manifesto “Rome Consensus 2.0 – Towards Humanitarian Drug Policy” was launched during a side event organized by the Red Cross and Red Crescent Partnership on Substance Abuse, together with the C4 Recovery, the Levenson and Villa Maraini Foundations, and the Police, Treatment, and Community Collaborative organization (PTACC).