In June 2025, the World Health Organization (WHO) convened its Fifth Global Forum on Alcohol, Drugs and Addictive Behaviours (FADAB) to strengthen international solidarity and align public health responses to substance use and related disorders. Among the prominent voices at the Forum was Dr. Massimo Barra, founder of Villa Maraini and senior advisor to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), speaking as a champion of the Rome Consensus 2.0.
Putting Dignity at the Center of the Response
Dr. Barra’s remarks highlighted IFRC’s enduring commitment to a humanitarian, inclusive, and evidence-based approach to substance use. His message was clear: people who use drugs are not criminals—they are individuals with health needs and rights.
Key points from the IFRC intervention included:
- Welcoming continued attention to the public health dimension of substance use and addictive behaviors.
- Calling for alignment across sectors—from health to social protection, and from civil society to governance—with a strong role for people with lived experience.
- Strengthening partnerships rooted in dignity and the rejection of stigma.
- Promoting a community-based approach, through humanitarian service points, mobile units, and the efforts of Red Cross and Red Crescent volunteers to ensure services are accessible, co-designed, and non-judgmental.
Policy That Prioritizes Health Over Punishment
Despite growing awareness, only 20% of people in need have access to treatment. Dr. Barra stressed that this gap must be addressed through national policy reform, including a shift away from criminalization toward a health-centered approach—a concept that aligns with the core mission of the Rome Consensus 2.0.
He posed a critical challenge to governments:
“Are we allocating our public resources effectively between repression, prevention, and treatment? The dignity and well-being of millions depends on this reflection.”
No One Left Behind: A Commitment to Action
The IFRC reaffirmed its readiness to scale up prevention, care, and recovery services, standing by the global call of the Rome Consensus 2.0:
To ensure no one is left behind, especially those most affected by stigma, exclusion, and punitive policies.
FADAB 2025 provided a space where public health actors, civil society, UN agencies, and academic institutions came together to strengthen international coordination and work towards achieving Sustainable Development Goal 3.5: strengthening the prevention and treatment of substance use and related disorders.
A Shared Vision for Global Public Health
Rome Consensus 2.0 celebrates this IFRC participation at FADAB as a powerful signal that humanitarian and public health leadership are converging to advance person-centered and dignity-driven drug policy. The Forum reaffirmed that:
- Substance use must be addressed through health, not punishment.
- Communities must be involved in designing and delivering solutions.
- Partnerships and compassion are the foundation of effective responses.
As we look to the future, the Rome Consensus 2.0 will continue to work with IFRC, WHO, and all committed actors to transform principles into action—in courtrooms, clinics, communities, and corridors of power.
We move forward, together. No one left behind.
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