Rome Consensus 2.0: towards a Humanitarian Drug Policy

Side Event, Wednesday 4th of March 2020, 9.10 am, BR-A room,  UNODC, Vienna, Austria, during the 63rd Session of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs. 

The Side Event is sponsored by the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Partnership on Substance Abuse, and co-sponsored by the Government of Italy, the United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime (Drug Prevention and Health Branch), the World Health Organisation (Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse), and by the co-founder of the Rome Consensus initiative: the Levenson Foundation, the C4 Recovery Foundation, PTACC (The Police, Treatment, and Community Collaborative Alliance) and the Villa Maraini Foundation.  

Goal of the event

A health-based drug policy encompasses adequate provision of evidence-based prevention and awareness measures, in order to make more accessible treatment, care and mental health services. Indeed, a Humanitarian Drug Policy takes a realistic and non-judgmental approach to drug consumption: it takes care of people who use substances through treatment and public health measures. Moreover, alternative measures in the criminal justice field represent an effective solution for engaging those who need help for their addiction within a public health approach, empowering people with drug disorders to take control of their addiction, health and lives. Such alternative measures can include pre-arrest deflection and diversion programmes, that avoid incarceration for consumers who needs treatment    

The Rome Consensus 2.0 initiative aims to bring evidence on how a humanitarian-based approach could be considered as a valid, alternative and viable strategy in the spirit of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and in line with the Outcome Document of UNGASS 2016, and to encourage all the leaders, experts and organizations are interested in this initiative, to join the declaration and our alliance and cooperate with us. 

For more info please give a look at the Concept Note Document.

If you are interested in participating in our Side Event in Vienna and want to make a bilateral meeting during the 2020 CND, please click here to contact us.