Item 2, 16 June at 10 AM GVA 

The Working Group will present a thematic study (A/HRC/63/33) examining how States use physical, legal and digital measures to silence dissent and human rights advocacy across borders, including through unlawful extradition, prosecutions and digital surveillance. It will also present a report on its visit to Australia (A/HRC/63/33/Add.1), addressing key aspects of drug control in the country such as drug courts.

The reports provide opportunities for Member States and civil society to highlight the human rights implications of drug law enforcement and responses to drug dependence.

Item 3, 16 September at 3 PM GVA

The Council will consider three reports relevant to drug policy and human rights, including the right to health.

The first is the OHCHR study on protection gaps of vulnerable segments of the population regarding access to medicines and vaccines in the context of the right of everyone to the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health (A/HRC/63/85).

The second is the OHCHR study on the impact of drug policies on the rights of women and girls (A/HRC/63/56), expected to consider the human rights impacts of drug laws, policies and programmes on women and girls; efforts to mainstream gender and ensure women’s participation in drug policy development, implementation, monitoring and evaluation; and, approaches to addressing the specific needs of women and girls affected by drug use and drug law enforcement.

The third (A/HRC/63/46), soon to be available here, addresses the question of the death penalty.

The General Debate following the presentation is a unique opportunity to connect the findings of the three reports to broader drug policy concerns, and reiterate that drug control measures must not undermine the right to health or other human rights.

Item 3, 23 September at 12 PM GVA

The Special Rapporteur on the rights of Indigenous Peoples will present his thematic report (A/HRC/63/30) on historical and contemporary violations of the sexual and reproductive health and rights of Indigenous women and girls; which highlights how drug trafficking and other illicit economies can contribute to the militarisation and criminalisation of Indigenous territories, bringing criminal networks, external workers and private security actors into Indigenous communities. In these contexts, Indigenous women and girls face heightened risks of trafficking, sexual exploitation and violence, which contribute to disproportionately high rates of sexually transmitted infections, including HIV/AIDS.

A report will also be presented on his visit to Botswana (A/HRC/63/30/Add.1), which denounces the vulnerability of Indigenous children, particularly girls, to sexual exploitation, gender-based violence, early pregnancy, HIV infection and exposure to drugs. It also identifies significant barriers to healthcare in remote Indigenous communities, including limited availability of mobile clinics and difficulties accessing treatment and medicines.

The report provide an opportunity to highlight the intersections between drug policy, Indigenous Peoples rights and gender-based violence, and to emphasise that responses to drug trafficking and drug use should not reinforce militarisation, territorial control or discrimination against Indigenous Peoples.

Item 9, 29 September at 3 PM GVA

The Expert Mechanism to Advance Racial Justice and Equality in Law Enforcement will present its thematic report (A/HRC/63/72),and its report on their visit to Colombia (A/HRC/63/72/Add.1), examining the human rights impact of the design and enforcement of drug laws and policies on Africans and people of African descent. The reports reconstruct how ‘racism is embedded in drug control systems and address discriminatory impacts throughout the criminal justice system, including racial profiling, over-incarceration, excessive use of force, arbitrary arrest and detention, and harsher sentencing. They examine the historical and structural roots of systemic racism in drug policy, including the legacy of colonialism and enslavement and the racialisation of drug use, as well as factors that can exacerbate discriminatory enforcement, such as punitive drug control approaches, militarisation and surveillance technologies.

The High Commissioner will also present his report (A/HRC/63/69) on ‘promotion and protection of the human rights and fundamental freedoms of Africans and of people of African descent against excessive use of force and other human rights violations by law enforcement officers through transformative change for racial justice and equality’; which touches upon the disproportionate policing, sentencing and incarceration of people of African descent – including women – for drug-related offences.

The Enhanced ID provides an opportunity for Member States and civil society to highlight evidence of racial discrimination and disproportionate impacts of drug law enforcement both generally and in the context of Colombia, as well as reforms and good practices, including decriminalisation, harm reduction, and alternatives to incarceration and punishment. Interventions can also highlight the need for accountability, effective remedies and reparations for human rights violations, and for affected communities to have a meaningful role in the design, monitoring, and implementation of drug policies.

Item 6, 24 – 28 September

The Council will consider and adopt the final outcomes of the reviews carried out at the 52^nd UPR session on 4 – 15 May 2026 of the following countries: Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, Latvia, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nicaragua, Palau, Paraguay, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Solomon Islands, and Somalia.

The review of Singapore stands out for recommendations directly addressing the death penalty for drug offences. Singapore received several recommendations directly addressing this measure, which are particularly significant given the continued use of capital punishment for drug offences in Singapore.

Sierra Leone, Seychelles and Mozambique also received recommendations addressing approaches to drug use and dependence; while several countries considered recommendations relevant to the HIV/AIDS response.

• OHCHR written update on Sri Lanka (Item 2, 7 September at 3pm GVA), expected to reconstruct the human rights situation in Sri Lanka, and recommend steps to advance accountability and human rights. The General Debate following the update provides an opportunity to highlight persistent challenges related to drug policy and drug law enforcement in the country, including imposition of death sentences for drug offences, over-incarceration, and compulsory drug detention and treatment.

• ID with the Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery and trafficking in persons (Item 3, 9 September at 10am GVA). The Special Rapporteur will present a report on her visit to Brazil (A/HRC/63/36/Add.1) which highlights the vulnerability of people of African descent, Indigenous Peoples and Quilombola communities to exploitation and other human rights violations, including those arising from insecure land rights that expose these communities to encroachment by loggers, miners, agribusiness and criminal actors, including drug traffickers, particularly in the Amazon. These dynamics contribute to displacement, violence, environmental degradation and barriers to healthcare and justice. The report provides an opportunity to highlight how drug trafficking and responses to illicit economies can intersect with existing inequalities, land rights violations and the marginalisation of Indigenous and other affected communities.

• ID with the Special Rapporteur on the right to development (Item 3, 11 September at 12pm GVA). The Special Rapporteur will present a report on his visit to Germany (A/HRC/63/32/Add.1). The report highlights concerns about the repression and defunding of civil society and community-led organisations representing marginalised populations, including people who use drugs and incarcerated people. The report notes the important role of these organisations in reaching vulnerable communities, delivering services and holding governments accountable, and highlights the need for development cooperation to safeguard their participation and rights. This provides an opportunity to emphasise the importance of protecting and meaningfully involving people who use drugs and other affected organisations in drug policy and development programmes.

More information on side events will soon be available here.

Women, Girls and Drug Policies: Advancing a human rights approach

Mon 28 September at 1 pm GVA – Room TBC

This event, organised by OHCHR, will present key findings from OHCHR’s report on the impact of drugs policies on women and girls; highlight promising practices and lessons learned in implementing human rights, health, gender sensitive and evidence-based drug policies; and provide a platform for strengthened dialogue between Council members, UN entities, affected communities and civil society.

Drug Control and Human Rights: from parallel universes to emerging convergence

Tue 29 September at 12 pm GVA – Room Concordia 1

This event, organised by Harm Reduction International, will examine the growing convergence between drug control and human rights over the past two decades. It will focus on how UN human rights mechanisms have increasingly addressed the harms caused by punitive drug policies; how communities and civil society can use UN human rights standards to strengthen advocacy; and what opportunities exist for Member States and UN mechanisms to advance coherent, rights-based drug policy.

Systemic Racism and Drug Policy Enforcement

Wed 30 September at 12 pm GVA – Room V, Building A and online

This event, co-hosted by the Expert Mechanism to Advance Racial Justice and Equality in Law Enforcement and OHCHR, will bring together representatives from Member States, UN entities, and civil society organizations to discuss the intersection of systemic racism and drug policy and law enforcement; building on the findings of the Expert Mechanism’s report on the human rights impact of drug laws and policies on Africans and people of African descent. It will raise awareness of the negative human rights impacts of drug policies, disproportionately impacting marginalized racial and ethnic communities; take stock of promising practices; and, aim to promote human rights-, public health-, and racial justice-based implementation of drug laws and policy.

More information and registration here: https://indico.un.org/event/1025480/.

From Flawed Review to Real Change: Indigenous and peasants’ rights and the future of the coca leaf

Thu 1 October at 1 pm GVA – Room Concordia 1 and online

This event, organised by the International Drug Policy Consortium, will provide a space for civil society, UN experts and government officials to discuss what’s next for the coca leaf, including possible protection mechanisms for the plant and ongoing local-level initiatives from the Andean region, featuring the voices of Indigenous coca farmers.

Extra Punishment: Violence Against Women in the Fight Against Organized Crime

Thu 1 October at 2 pm GVA – Room Concordia 1

Across Argentina, Colombia, and Mexico, policies targeting organised crime impose extra punishment on women, extending well beyond those directly involved. Co-organised by Centro de Estudios Legales y Sociales (CELS), Dejusticia, Elementa and Mujeres Libres, this event will address how these policies exacerbate differential impacts on women at the stages of arrest, the judicial process, and incarceration, including through physical and sexual violence, extortion and infringement of the right to a defense, incrimination by association, and limitations on access to prison benefits and alternative measures. Panelists will also pause on how these policies, though described as exceptional, are in fact systematic and fail to consider gender-based factors and caregiving responsibilities, resulting in an extended punishment that harms women, their children, and their family networks.