Dear Chair,

I’m Marcela Jofré, from Harm Reduction International. HRI envisions a world in which drug policies uphold dignity, health and rights.

I speak here representing a network of organisations united in our pursuit of drug policy reforms that are rights- and evidence-based. We welcome the Committee’s decision, announced in October 2022, to initiate work on a new General Comment on the “impacts of drug policies on economic, social and cultural rights”.

This initiative comes at a critical moment when the global community is increasingly recognising the need for paradigm shift in drug policies. Punitive drug policies have proven to be ineffective, yet detrimental to public health and human rights, exacerbating discrimination and inequality against vulnerable and marginalised groups.

Punitive drug policies remain a barrier to the achievement of sustainable development goals and to full realisation of economic, social and cultural rights. UN bodies – including this Committee, civil society and academics have documented violations in the name of drug control in relation to the right to health, the right to work, the right to food, the right to social security, the right to an adequate standard of living, among many others.

In this growing momentum towards policies reforms, the General Comment presents a unique opportunity for the Committe not only to clarify and build upon its interpretation of the Convention regarding this specific topic, but also to consolidate and rationalise existing standards on drug policy and economic, social and cultural rights developed by others in the UN ecosystem. A key guiding consideration is the acknowledgment that drug policies, if well designed, can promote economic social and cultural rights of people who use drugs as well as the society in general.

Since the announcement of the Committe’s work on this General Comment, this network has mobilised to support the Committe’s efforts and ensure a wide participation of civil society, people who use drugs and other affected communities in the process. We have supported valuable inputs to country reports, providing valuable insights into drug policy’s impacts and good practices across different countries.

We stand ready to keep collaborating and supporting the work of the Committee as it develops the General Comment and would be grateful for an update from the Commitee about work timeline and spaces for CSO participation in the development of the General Comment.

Thank you