Evidence and Science-Based Approaches in Drug Policy, HIV and Health: Good Practices and Windows of Opportunity (HLPF 2025 Side Event)

Thank you all for being here this afternoon. I am Ambassador Alicia Buenrostro Massieu. I am Deputy Permanent Representative of Mexico at the Permanent Mission of my country here, who is a very proud co-organizer of this event. Today, we will discuss evidence and science-based approaches to drug policy, HIV, and health. Through our discussions and dialogue, we will seek to identify windows of opportunity and good practices towards more humane and effective drug policies. I will now deliver some opening remarks on behalf of my country, Mexico. So, Excellencies, colleagues, dear friends, thank you to all co-organizers for making this discussion possible. Mexico is honored to join you in advancing a conversation that remains urgent, that is also complex, and deeply relevant. We often speak of the world drug problem as if it is a single issue with a single solution. But in truth, what we are dealing with are overlapping realities that involve human rights, health justice, gender inequality, and public trust. For too long, responses have relied on simplistic, punitive paradigms that overlook these complexities. These approaches have proven ineffective and, in many cases, counterproductive. Serious efforts must begin with honest reflection, acknowledging the need to rethink past policies to design more effective responses. This rethinking includes listening more carefully to those whose needs have been systematically ignored. People who use drugs continue to face barriers to basic services, especially those in vulnerable situations. Women, for example, experience intersecting forms of inequality shaped by gender norms, discrimination, and unequal access to services. These are not consequences of drug use. They are flaws within the systems we have created. And precisely for that same reason, these are the deficiencies we have the power and responsibility to correct. Everything changes and everything evolves. The numbers are telling. High rates of HIV and hepatitis C among people who inject drugs. rising overdose deaths despite proven interventions, underinvestment in harm reduction services, and the persistent overcriminalization of drug use, often at the expense of public health and human dignity. We have seen that punitive approaches can reinforce cycles of marginalization, erode public confidence, and divert resources away from care and prevention. But behind those figures are people, and how we treat them, whether with support or suspicion, says a great deal about the kind of societies we are striving to shape. For all these reasons, my country, Mexico, underscores that health and human rights are not optional considerations. They are essential, simply essential pillars of effective drug policies. Drug-related challenges are not merely a matter of security, but also issues of social justice that require coordinated public health and development responses. At the national level, we have sought to respond with broader, more comprehensive strategies, national programs like Sembrando Vida and Jovenes Construyendo el Futuro, which are part of a broader effort to transform the structural conditions that foster vulnerability by expanding opportunities in communities historically marginalized. These policies reflect a deliberate shift towards addressing root causes, as a prerequisite for building humane, equitable and sustainable responses to drug-related challenges. Mexico also believes that international cooperation is one of the most effective means, probably the only one, real one that we have to address drug-related challenges. As a testament to that commitment, Mexico has presented the main resolution in the General Assembly related to this matter over 30 years, which was most recently adopted earlier this session by consensus and with 71 co-sponsors. Over the past three decades, we have witnessed a shift beyond narrow interpretations of control to a more comprehensive approach, which acknowledges the importance of public health and human rights in crafting more effective international drug policy responses. These are recognized as essential dimensions that must also ground our work within the UN system, meaning that entities in New York, Vienna, and Geneva must work together to achieve better results. It also means giving civil society and especially communities with lived experience a seat at the table that allows for their meaningful participation. We welcome the progress made in recent years within multilateral forums, including the recognition of harm reduction in UN resolutions. the multiplicity of factors that contribute to addressing drug-related challenges, including UN Women, UNDP, the OHCHR, and UNAIDS, and landmark reports like those of the OHCHR and the Special Rapporteur on the Right to Health that reflect our evolving collective understanding. We celebrate these achievements and must continue to build on them. At the same time, we recognize that there are different contexts that shape diverse responses. We understand and approach this issue from different angles shaped by our histories, legal systems and social contexts. Rather than viewing these differences as obstacles, we should see them as an invitation to learn from one another, identifying where practices align, where they diverge, and how they can evolve. There simply is no one-size-fits-all approach. Similarly, today's discussion is not about prescribing a single model, but about learning from diverse experiences. We will hear from member states, from UN agencies, as well as from civil society, including communities with lived experience. Their contributions will highlight good practices and opportunities for scaling up responses that are grounded in science on human rights and public health. We hope these examples inspire broader cooperation and support, particularly as we look to further align our drug policies with efforts to achieve the sustainable development goals. As we look ahead, we encourage all partners to continue building on this momentum. Please note that in doing so, you can always count on Mexico as a partner and friend, and we look forward to our discussion. And I thank you all for being here. I thank you.

Thank you, Ambassador, for your wise words and for setting the setting the scene for our discussion today. Excellencies, distinguished colleagues, and dear friends, it's our pleasure on behalf of UNDP to welcome you. And let me begin by thanking the governments of Colombia, the Czech Republic, Mexico, and Switzerland, our close partners from the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, the Joint Programme on AIDS, WHO, and the Global Commission on Drug Policy, and the Open Society Foundations. and all of you, communities, civil society, and multilateral partners for your leadership and engagement in this important development issue. We live in challenging times marked by increasing risk, turbulence, and uncertainty, and this is certainly taking a toll on the HIV health and development responses. The 2025 Global AIDS Update reminds us that while there has been progress in HIV, this progress is not guaranteed. New infections continue to rise in key populations, including people who use drugs. We cannot afford to let the HIV response stall or reverse. Losing hard-won gains, especially for the most marginalized people, would be a collective failure. The 2025 World Drug Report confirms yet again that drug use continues to rise. Around 14 million people globally inject drugs. People who inject drugs are 14 times more likely to acquire HIV, and they account for 12% of all people living with HIV, and nearly half are also contending with hepatitis C. We heard about the impact on women. Criminalization of drug use and possession exists in more than 150 countries and pushes people away from services, deepens stigma, and erodes public trust. We clearly need to do things differently. And we need to do more of them, do them better and faster. While the global drug policy framework is under review in line with the 2025 CND resolutions from Vienna this year, let me emphasize that even now we have the tools. We have the science-based, evidence-based and rights-based tools. What we need is the political will and ambition to apply them. The UN system common position on drugs commits us to work together to scale health, human rights and evidence-based approaches. The international guidelines on human rights and drug policy, developed by UNDP, OHCHR, UNAIDS and the University of Essex, provide a practical roadmap for supporting the kind of reform that is needed. Action is already happening. Member states are leading the way. Colombia has embedded the guidelines in their national drug strategy. Brazil is using them to review punitive laws and scale up intersectional community-led services. These are important examples of progress. Momentum is building elsewhere, too. In Ghana, legal reforms are advancing alternatives to incarceration and strengthening harm reduction strategies. In Eastern Europe and Central Asia, punitive environments persist. But countries like Albania are fostering promising judicial practices that could inspire others in the region. Ukraine is in the process of reforming its drug policy. We see evidence and science-based developments in many countries and regions, from Pakistan to Scotland in the United Kingdom. At UNDP, we are committed to working alongside governments, communities, and all stakeholders to advance the kind of legal and policy reform for better HIV health and development outcomes. It's not just about drug policy. It's about inclusive and sustainable development. It's about realizing the right to life, the right to health, and building the institutions and unleashing the local capacity. Oops. Sorry. And unleashing, sorry, some kind of an issue. Today's dialogue.

Helen Clark. Let's see what's happening next.

Excellencies, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, on behalf of the Global Commission on Drug Policy, let me thank the organizers and co-sponsors of this event, Columbia, WHO and the Open Society Foundations. Today's topic, evidence and science-based approaches in drug policy, HIV and health, is timely for a number of reasons, both positive and negative. On the positive side, We see the number of jurisdictions acting to decriminalise possession of drugs for personal consumption growing. And particularly in the case of cannabis, there is movement to legal supply as well. We see Scotland establishing the first ever safer consumption room in the United Kingdom for people who inject drugs. I visited it in Glasgow earlier this month, and I was very impressed. by the firm commitment of the Scottish Government, Glasgow City Council and the National Health Service in Scotland to the service. They are owning the challenge that they have of being ranked highest in western Europe for drug-related deaths by overdose, and they are acting within the legal parameters that they have to do what they can to reduce that number of deaths. The Glasgow service currently awaits approval from authorities in London to be able to test the drugs that people bring to the centre to consume. One hopes that approval can be speedily given, because, if such a service were available, one could anticipate that fewer medical emergencies would arise. Also positive is the agreement at the Commission on Narcotic Drugs to commission an independent expert review of the UN-mandated global drug control policy. And I congratulate Colombia on their successful leadership of this initiative. At the same time, we see some jurisdictions which are stubbornly refusing to move on community-based harm reduction, even in the face of a move away from consumption of plant-based substances to synthetics. and in the face of the growing presence of potent synthetics in the mix of drugs being consumed in a number of places. It's vital for harm reduction to encompass the right of people who use drugs to have their drugs tested, for there to be easily accessible, no questions asked, walk-in services available for safer consumption. for there to be naloxone, which reverses opioid overdoses, to be widely available, and for more research to be done on the most effective treatments for overdoses from synthetics. The evidence is that comprehensive harm reduction services do save lives. Also highly negative, sadly, is the cloud hanging over our global efforts to end HIV/AIDS as a public health threat. The United States PEPFAR program, established by President George W. Bush, has been a major actor in the fight against the AIDS pandemic, and it has literally saved millions of lives. Its fate hangs in the balance, even this very week, as the Senate debates the administration's budget bill. It is to be hoped that enough bipartisan support for PEPFAR can be mustered for it to continue its work. But sadly, the disruption in funding has already resulted in lives lost. And if the funding does go, millions more cases of HIV infections and deaths are forecast. Harm reduction in the form of needle exchange schemes is so vital for ending HIV/AIDS and for prevention of HIV transmission to people who inject drugs. Those people were estimated by UNAIDS in 2022 to be 14 times more likely to have HIV than is the general population. Figures cited by the International Association of Providers of AIDS Care suggest that one in 10 new HIV infections is caused by the sharing of needles. So the evidence is strong. Harm reduction will and does save lives. The prohibitionist approach to drugs, driven by the UN conventions, has failed on every level. Under its rubric, we see impediments to harm reduction and to access to essential medication. We see criminalisation of people who use drugs. We see over-incarceration. We see human rights abuses. The so-called war on drugs is responsible for countless lives lost, people disappeared and forced displacement. It is so important that the UN review panel to be appointed is truly independent and expert. If it looks at the global policy settings objectively, it cannot fail to recommend substantial change which enables evidence and science-based approaches to drug policy. If the panel can achieve that, it will be doing humanity a great service. Thank you for the opportunity to speak to this topic today.

Wonderful. And we'll convey your appreciation to Helen for the video statement. We'd now like to begin the panel discussion moderated by the ambassador, followed by inputs from the floor from member states and UN partners. And then we'll close with a few reflections going forward. Ambassador, over to you.

Thank you. Thank you very much. Mandeep, and we're going to open the session. We turn to our panel discussion. Each speaker will provide a brief narrative reflection on how their country or organization is advancing rights-based, evidence-informed drug policy and harm reduction. So I will introduce each speaker with their title and the topic they will be addressing today. So our first speaker is Jindrich Bohusl, who is advisor to the Prime Minister in the Czech Republic. He will be speaking to us about the role of harm reduction and decriminalization in Czech drug policy. Please take us away. I understand that Mr. Jindrich has not arrived, so we will go directly into Mr. Reubi. Thank you very much for being here. You are our second panel speaker, but now you have become number one. He comes from Switzerland, who will be telling us about Switzerland's harm reduction model and also about their multilateral engagement around this important concept. Please, Mr. Secretary, you have the floor.

Thank you very much, Mrs. Ambassador Maciel, and thank you for leading this discussion and leading also this topic on behalf of Mexico. I'm very grateful to be part of this panel and to be able to share some Swiss national experience with respect to development of harm reduction, as well as to flash some lights on our agenda on this topic within the United Nations. I think it's fair to say that Switzerland has played a pioneer in the development of harm reduction. In the '80s and '90s of the last century, we faced a catastrophic heroin and AIDS epidemic. This forced us to question what we had taken for granted so far, as we realized that a society free of drug was maybe a myth that was causing more harm than good. This crisis has led to numerous new initiatives from grassroots associations, social workers, and medical professionals. This all made it possible that in 1986, we had the opening of the world's first drug consumption room in my hometown in Bern. I remember I was 13 years old, and this made the news in Switzerland, but also internationally. Big debates whether this was a good idea, or at least it was a big change to the policy that we had made so far. Multiple other programs followed, such as heroin-assisted treatment, drug checking, as well as syringes and needles exchanges. These programs were very successful as we saw a massive decrease in the number of new heroin users, the number of drug-related deaths decreased, and the number of HIV infections as well. As an example, a study has shown that In the period between 1980 and 2015, the introduction of harm reduction programs prevented some 16,000 HIV infections, some 5,500 AIDS deaths, and a peak HIV prevalence of 15.7 percent among injected drug users. This past experience of Switzerland, and I think we can be proud of it, should not make us think that there is nothing more to be done. While a broad range of harm reduction services are available today in Switzerland, we still face political resistance and backlash in this area. We also encounter difficulties in ensuring broad access to harm reduction services for our entire population. This applies specifically to people living outside of major urban centres, to minors and to people living in detention centres. Switzerland is not the only country facing this challenge, as the issue of accessibility to harm reduction has been highlighted in the last report of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. To such challenge, challenges, the importance of international drug policy should not to face such challenges. The importance of international drug policy should not be underestimated. One example is the resolution on overdose prevention and response adopted in March 2024 in Vienna. This resolution was a major success as it recognized for the very first time harm reduction measures in the context of the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs, CND. It might seem strange that after 40, 50 years of experience, this is the first time harm reduction was actually mentioned in a CND resolution. However, this recognition is crucial. It should help us to tackle the challenges of tomorrow. It should help us at international level to increase our collaboration. It should help us to resolve and encourage all countries to share their experience in national programs. On national level, this is a milestone and it should be inspire the state to integrate harm reduction in a national strategy. However, policies should be designed to improve access to these services and ensure broad coverage, as I have mentioned, to their population. Indeed, and very often, and this is a very strong link, I think, to the HLPF and to the SDGs, the civil society has been instrumental for pushing this initiative forward. As a matter of fact, most of the innovation in this field of harm reduction is a result of the involvement of civil society and grassroots organizations. These efforts may face, they face challenges, but they deserve our recognition and support. While the world drug situation is very difficult, we can benefit from the current momentum, a momentum resulting from a public health crisis. We must use this as an opportunity to make further progress towards drugs policy centered around health, public health, and human rights for our population in its entirety. Thank you very much, Ambassador.

On the contrary, Secretary Reuvi, thank you for sharing with us what Switzerland, your country, has been doing and the successes around your harm reduction model. Here in multilateral fora, we have witnessed firsthand and how passionate you are about this concept and your tireless promotion to move us towards more humane and international drug policy. Thank you for that. And we now move to our third speaker, which will be the second, who will be joining us online. This is Mr. Anton Vassenko. He's the executive director of the International Network of People Who Use Drugs, and who will be speaking to us about community perspectives and structural barriers to access services for people who use drugs. Please, Mr. Vassenko, you have the floor.

Thank you. Thank you, Chair. Hello, everyone. Thank you, dear delegates, excellencies, I guess. Thank you to the organizers for ensuring this space, which includes the voices of our communities, not just about us, but with us. Can I my slides on the screen, if possible. Yeah, thank you. I speak on behalf of international network of people who use drugs and also as someone who has survived the realities behind the policies we are discussing. I began using drugs when I was 14. I injected for the first time at 16. I received my first clean needle when harm reduction programs finally appeared in my country, in Ukraine, when I was 23. And in the same year, I was diagnosed with both HIV and hepatitis C. I waited 712 days to access antiretroviral therapy. I waited over 13 years for hepatitis C treatment. I survived six overdoses. I was denied medical care three times. lost two jobs because of my status, and narrowly avoided prison on four occasions. I lost close friends to preventable illnesses and criminalization, and still, I was one of the lucky ones. These aren't statistics. They are human cost of failing to put people, not politics, at the center of drug policy. I still recall the day a young friend and community member, please the first slide, the very first slide. Thank you. I still recall the day a young friend and community member died of an overdose, alone and afraid, because the nearest harm reduction service had shut down. As someone who has lived through the fear and stigma of criminalization, I know firsthand How punitive laws turn health issues into life or death struggles. In my own life, every encounter with police or barriers to care has driven me and others underground. This personal experience reminds us why drug policy must be rooted in human rights and real world evidence, not in fear or ideology. Next slide, please. Our recent input survey in April 2025 confirms what our hearts already know. Criminalization and lack of support are crushing our communities. In just 12 days of data collection, 101 respondents, 65% from community-led organizations in low and middle income countries reported severe disruptions to essential services. Next slide, please. Nearly two-thirds, 63%, said that withdrawal of funding had a significant to severe impact on their ability to stay afloat. Almost half lost from 26 to 100% of their budgets overnight, forcing clinics to close, outreach to stop, and peer educators to lose their jobs. The human cost is already evident. 46% of our respondents say people are forced to turn to underground sources for clean syringes and naloxone, and 30% report an increase in overdose death in their communities. Each of these statistics is a stark warning. Years of progress against HIV, hepatitis C, and overdose are unraveling right before our eyes today. Next slide, please. This data is backed by decades of research. We know that outside an evidence-based framework, criminalizing drugs has devastating consequences. Criminal laws put people who use drugs at 35 times higher risk of HIV infection than the general population. Globally today, 152 countries still criminalize possession of even small amounts of drugs, driving users away from healthcare and into the shadows. These punitive laws are in abstract numbers. They mean that people who need syringe exchange, opioid agonist therapy, or even emergency care face arrest or denial of services. As our survey respondents noted, community members are being denied or excluded from essential services simply because they use drugs. This is not only cruel, it is unscientific. No major health or human rights body recommends it. Next slide, please. At Harm Reduction Conference 25 in Bogota recently, I said, "We are not a burden, we are the evidence. We are not the problem, we are the frontline solution." And that message remains true here today in this UN room as we talk about how to reach the Sustainable Development Goals as well. SDG 3 will not be achieved if people who use drugs are dying in back alleys and prisons. SDG 5 will not be achieved if women who use drugs are criminalized, sterilized, or turned away from care. SDG 16 will not be achieved if police violence and punitive drug laws remain the first point of contact between us and the state. Next slide, please. To turn the tide, we need bold policy reforms. First, decriminalize drug use and possession. Removing criminal penalties is the critical legal reform for public health. Evidence shows that decriminalization reduces HIV infections and saves lives. Modeling suggests averting one-third to one-half of new infections among sex workers, for example, each time governments acted. Key population networks demand that decriminalization be at the heart of any effective HIV and health strategy. Only by taking the threat of arrest off the table can people who use drugs seek help and practice safer use without fear. Second, recognize and fund community-led organizations as equal partners. As our survey makes clear, the majority of frontline services today are run by peers and grassroots groups. Yet these groups operate on shoestring budgets. Communities deliver results, but chronic underfunding and rigid grant rules keep them from scaling up. We urge donors and governments to prioritize core and flexible funding for drug users networks. Trust these organizations with resources, not just as implementers, but as a strategic partners. This means fair remuneration for peer outreach, less punitive grant conditions, no more punishing results only funding, and long-term investment in our infrastructure. In the words of many in our community, Leap service to organizations have equitable budgets and real power in decision making. Next slide, please. Third, repeal punitive and discriminatory laws that block health access. We need an end to laws that drive people into the streets. Stop and search, compulsory detention treatment, age-old, vagrancy or morality laws that target drug users. Every country with harmful drug laws is a lost opportunity to curb HIV and hepatitis. Input and other Global Key Population Network position paper reminds us that criminalization, stigma, and anti-rights movements all undermine public health. Governments must roll back laws that ban needle exchange, that detain pregnant people who use drugs, or that stigmatize those who test positive for HIV or hepatitis C. We must integrate healthcare with dignity. As our survey respondents reported, cutting harm reduction has already caused fatal outcomes Imagine the lives saved if instead we invested in compassionate care from the start. And finally, put people who use drugs in the driver's seat. We are the ones who know these problems inside and out. Every policy, every program should include us meaningfully at every stage. This means representation on national drug commissions and health planning committees. But more importantly, it means power sharing, actual decision-making authority, not just talking consultations. The path to ending HIV and improving health for all is to value the expertise of people who use drugs alongside scientists and clinicians. We ask UN agencies, member states, and donors, center us, listen to us. as equals, the position papers, vision of communities at the center isn't abstract, is the only way to ensure policies work on the ground. And in closing, I call on governments, donors, and UN bodies to act on these facts and values now, right now. The data is clear and the moral choice is clear. Prioritize human life, community leadership, and justice in global drug policy. The question is not if we will act, but how urgently we will begin. Let's not wait for more lives to be lost. Let's build a future where people who use drugs don't just survive, we lead, we thrive, and we are no longer punished for being who we are. Next slide. Thank you.

I would like to thank Mr. Anto Vasinco for your intervention and a very important one. Thank you very, very much. I would like now want to be give the floor back to Mr. Jindrich Fofrill, who is the advisor to the Prime Minister in the Czech Republic. He will be joining us online, and he will be speaking to us about the role of harm reduction and decriminalization in the Czech Republic and talking about Czech drug policy. Please take us away, Mr. Fofrill.

Hello. Can you all hear me?

Yes.

Okay, thank you, Chair, for giving me the floor. Dear Excellencies, dear participants, let me first congratulate you for putting such an important meeting together. I would like to start with some reflection on Czech drug policy. You might know that the Czech Republic is one of the eight countries that repeatedly report in less than 1% of HIV among injecting drug users still remains the same last 20 years. So I would say we might have done something right when the revolution started or happened in 1989. The country was almost broke economically and the drug problem started rising because the Iron Curtain fall. But at that point, we decided to reverse our policies to the usual based, usual policies. Because usually the policies are based on the idea of abstinence, abstinence as the prime goal. So we reversed it and said, okay, the country doesn't have so much money. We need to find some very practical solutions. And then we decided and slowly defined our policy as based on harm reduction, where abstinence is part of the solution, but not the only option, not the only choice. When we talk about harm reduction policy, we talk about the policy approach, not harm reduction strategies, not harm reduction interventions. We talk about harm reduction policy. And what does it mean for us? It means legislation, starts with legislation. So as the predecessor speaker said, it's decriminalization. This is a must. We decriminalized the possession for personal use at the end of '90s. And then the following government reversed it back to criminalization. But at the same time, they launched a study to see-- that government launched a study to see what is happening with the effects of the law. And the effects became worse and worse. So 2010, we decided to go back to decriminalization. So this is one of the key possibilities, as Anton before me said, for people who use drugs to actually access any kind of service without being a stigmatized or approaching problems. So that proved to be a policy even not in terms of people who use drugs, but also in terms of organized crimes, organized crime and security actually. is maintained and as probably similar to Switzerland and other countries experience the same, if you come with a harm reduction approach policy, you realize that organized crime doesn't have enough food to feed on. The other area is of course budget and financial mechanisms, as Anton also mentioned before me, without money You can speak about policy, you can design policies, you can have nice papers, we can have nice conferences, but nothing happens in the field at the end for the people who are suffering or are in vulnerable situation. We, in a country of 10 million people, managed to establish 160, let's say, harm reduction intervention type community centers, so it's accessible to every citizen in the country. And I think this is one of the key issues why people have no HIV among injecting drug users in the Czech Republic. These two main, the two main kind of pillars of our policy. Another area that we are trying to push for is something that we call substituted market. We decided and designed a new law, psycho-moderatory substances, we call it, when we say let's regulate substances which are not currently based on the international ban. According to the risks, let's substitute market with less risky possibilities, let's say. One of the areas is, for example, that we can choose to, one is from medical means. We had a heroin epidemic about 15 years ago. Now it's almost gone. One of the main reasons is very easy access to lower risk substance, as you all know, called buprenorphine, which goes through every GP clinic. And what I'm arguing later, if we have a risk of fentanyl coming to Europe, we should even think of over-the-counter limited access to buprenorphine. And that, played an important role of almost diminishing heroin issue in Czech Republic. I would like to stress, if you allow me two more minutes, a few wealth kind of facts. Today we still have almost 3 million people out of 11 million from the prison population, 2.7 million people who are in prison because of drug offenses. More than half million people are imprisoned for simple possession, just possession of drugs for personal use. 40% executions worldwide are for drug offenses still today. It's around 1,000 people, 700 to 1,000 people every year sentenced to death. In some countries, the drug offenses are higher than child abuse or rape. So we have this harsh policies based on ideology of abstinence, but at the same time, as we all know, the problem is rising. In 1998, we said, "Well, free of drugs, we can do it." By 2008, it doubled, and until today, it quadrupled. The illicit market today, as we see it, is a bigger threat than the substances and the health risk itself, because the money flowing from this market is so big. So it's exceeding any previous situation, and it's one of the three biggest areas in money laundering and money flowing to global terrorism. totalitarian states, you name it. And the last thing I want to mention, people dependent or addicted on drugs who are diagnosed with, according to the medical manual, are still put to prison. which as we see it is a clear breach of the human rights and it's a human rights violation per se. So I think this is still happening today and unless we radically call for change and unless we start naming it together, this will only continue. So let me point out at the end a Council conclusion that was taken 2022 by the European Union led through the Czech presidency. I put it in the chat, so I'm not sure if you can all access it. The Council conclusion is Human Rights Council conclusion on a human rights-based policy approach, drug policy approach, 2022, where we also point out issues such as gender inequality in a situation of access to services. And of course, as I mentioned a minute ago, the situation with people who are actually users diagnosed with, according to medical manual, and have no access to substitutions. necessary substitution or prescriptions criminalized for their own diagnosable situation. So I'm very glad that we gathered together like this, and I hope this conference will result in some very strong united voice to send the message for change.

Thank you very much to Mr. Jindrich Bobosil. And now I give the floor to our next speaker, who will also be joining us online. That is Ms. Catherine Cook, who is the acting executive director of Harm Reduction International. She will speak to us about financing harm reduction and some global trends regarding the matter. Please, Ms. Cook, you have the floor.

Thank you so much, Chair, and good afternoon, excellencies and participants. Thank you for the opportunity to join this important discussion today. Can you see my slides? Yes. Great. Okay. My name is Catherine Cook. I'm from Harm Reduction International, and I'm going to talk a bit about the global state of harm reduction to look at what is at stake in this changing funding and political landscape we're currently in, and to point to some critical actions required to protect harm reduction programs. Harm reduction is much broader than the provision of needle and syringe programs or opioid agonist therapies, but on the screen here, I'm showing figures on some of the core interventions that the World Health Organization, UNAIDS and UNODC recommend countries implement as part of their health responses. We've monitored at HRI, we've monitored the global state of harm reduction since 2008, and we've seen slow but steady increase in the number of countries introducing harm reduction in implementation and in their national policies. Governments have signed up to high level targets and commitments on scaling up harm reduction and community led responses and on decriminalisation. Harm reduction is emphasised more than ever before in international commitments, and this is not by accident. This is because it is effective and cost effective and a necessary component to reaching global health goals. Harm reduction is valued on paper and many countries are implementing harm reduction, but we also look at harm reduction funding because budgets are the real value statements, as the previous speaker mentioned. In lower middle income countries in particular, the availability of funding for harm reduction has always fallen far short. While the overall HIV response had a 26% funding gap, in 2022, harm reduction had a funding gap of 94%. Harm reduction is very reliant on donors, and it has become increasingly reliant on the Global Fund, which accounted for 73% of all donor funding for harm reduction in 2022, compared to just 31% in 2007. PEPFAR was the second largest donor in 2022, contributing 8% of donor investment in harm reduction. And we found nine other donors, including the Robert Carr Fund, Open Society Foundations, and the Elton John AIDS Foundation, who provided 5% or less. In 2022 and 20-- sorry, in 2023 and 2024, there were hopeful indications that harm reduction funding was on the increase. Data from the Global Fund showed that allocations for needle and syringe programs had increased by over 50% between grant cycles. A recent study from funders concerned about AIDS found philanthropic HIV donors had increased funding for harm reduction by 21% between 2022 and 2023. And lastly, PEPFAR budget data for 2024 to 2025 showed that their harm reduction funding was set to more than double, reaching around 17 million. But as Anton has already outlined, the drastic changes following the US government pause and subsequent terminations in foreign aid contracts have had severe impacts on harm reduction and the wider infrastructure that it relies upon. There is a really real danger that our next assessment of the funding landscape will be really stark as many institutions undergo prioritisation and streamlining processes in 2025. The gains made and the lives saved through precious investment so far are now under threat and in some cases already tragically lost. Too few governments are using domestic budgets to fund harm reduction. Our tracking found 27 lower middle income countries with domestic funding for harm reduction in 2022, together accounting for around one third of all harm reduction funding that year. And yet. While harm reduction is facing its most profound moment of crisis, governments and donors spend vast amounts on punitive drug approaches around the world. Since the UNGASS on drugs in 2016, many in the harm reduction and drug policy sector have been calling for governments and donors to look critically at this spending and the evidence of a failed war on drugs and the damage this has caused, calling for a redirection of investments into drug responses rooted in communities, health and justice. It is not that there is no money to provide life saving services to people that need them. It is just that it's been spent on punitive approaches that not only do not work to achieve their stated aim of reducing drug use, but also directly impede access to essential health services and stigmatize people. So within this changing landscape, what are the critical actions to take? Governments prioritizing harm reduction in their domestic budgets is the most sustainable option to avoid unnecessary deaths and achieve global health targets. This is a moment to spotlight domestic investment in harm reduction to amplify the positive experiences. like we've heard from Switzerland and Czechia, where this has yielded health, social and economic benefits, to draw attention to the evidence from all parts of the world that harm reduction is not only evidence-based and life-saving, also cost-effective and cost-saving. It is a wise investment. HIV sustainability plans must include harm reduction and community-led responses. Recent WHO guidance classifies harm reduction as tier one, meaning that it must be funded even in the face of resource constraints. But we must make sure that community and civil society organisations receive direct funding through social contracting as they are the backbone of the response in many countries. As governments look at how to fill funding gaps, let's encourage frank dialogue on the benefits of decriminalisation, including the economic benefits. The money is there. Vast amounts are spent on criminalisation and imprisoning people who use drugs. This must be divested and invested in community health and justice. We also must look at the bigger picture. We must make a loud call for economic justice and to move away from a colonial aid system. We need to see debt cancellation and donors decolonising their approaches. And we must be realists that the global health architecture is changing as aid is deprioritised in favour of military spend. We still need a fully funded global fund, and this will require governments and the philanthropic and private sector to step up with strong pledges later this year. Within this picture, we need increased advocacy funding. It's more important than ever to protect harm reduction and help drive the drug law and policy reform required for sustainable harm reduction responses. And community-led organizations must be funded to create and protect resilient and sustainable harm reduction responses. There are no overnight solutions, and these are very worrying times. And I think events like this are so important. So thank you to UNDP and all the many others involved in bringing us together. I will close by just urging all in the room to galvanise the urgent actions that are needed to protect and expand harm reduction and ensure that budget is there to implement these life saving services. Thank you so much.

I would like to thank Ms. Cook for this very important and interesting intervention. And I would like to say thank you to everyone for your excellent contributions to this fascinating discussion. And I will pass now, hand over the floor back to Ms. Mandeep Dhaliwal, who will conduct the next segment. Thank you.

Thank you, Ambassador. And really just to kick off the next session by saying that we're running over time, I may beg people's indulgence to stay an extra 10 minutes, but I'm really going to ask that we restrict our interventions to two minutes, and I will not be as nice as the ambassador in terms of I will cut people off so that we can get everybody's voices. It's so important. So we'd like to now invite inputs from member states and then followed by inputs from our colleagues from the UN family. So if I if there are any member states who would like to speak or intervene, please. Raise your flag. I don't see. I see one person here, 654. I'm not sure who that is. Is there someone who would like to take the floor? Please go ahead. And please introduce yourself, please.

Can you hear me? I would like to thank the panelists for your insightful statements. My name is Yasmine Amhush. I'm a delegate with the International Federation of Medical Students. So the panelists have mentioned a collective shift in the perception of people who use drugs. towards a more humane, a more understanding approach. And I believe this shift is foundational to building effective and inclusive policies. And as today we are speaking of windows of opportunity, I'd like to highlight one, youth. As the statistics show, drugs disproportionately affect young people, but youth are not only vulnerable, we're also engaged, we're informed, and we're ready to be a part of the solution. And like any paradigm shift, this one cannot happen without the meaningful involvement of young people. So we need to invest in educating and empowering the next generation because it's a powerful lever for lasting change. Myself, I see this shift happening among my peers. At my medical school in Canada, every student carries a naloxone kit, which is an antidote that can reverse the effects of an opioid overdose. We are trained in harm reduction, and we support evidence-based harm reduction initiatives that have been mentioned, like supervised injection sites. So I will end on that note. this is the kind of momentum that we must build on, not just support young people, but to work with them if we truly want to move forward. Thank you.

Thank you for making such an important point and for modeling the right kind of timing on an intervention. Much appreciated. Okay, I have another number here, so I'm just going to go across here. So I'll start there and then just go across, please. Apologies, the system is not working, so I can't see names as they come up, so just please go ahead.

Perfect. Thank you, Chair, Your Excellencies, esteemed guests. My name is Divya Sharma, and I'm a student pursuing global political economy at the University of Manitoba. We also work to support research in local and national spaces in the Major Projects Office. I also serve on the board of the, as a board member of the Manitoba Council for International Cooperation, and I have been honoured to represent civil society on behalf of the Manitoba Council for International Cooperation as a delegate to the 60th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women. This year, I'm proud to join the Canadian delegation on the High-Level Political Forum. My work has focused on ensuring youth and women empowerment, especially when it comes to inclusive policies that reflect the realities of all people, particularly women, marginalized communities, and of course, the HLPF. We know that SDG 5 is under review, which calls to achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls. As we discuss evidence and science-based approaches to drug policy, HIV, and health, I want to highlight a critical gap that persists in our research and policy making, the systemic exclusion of women's bodies and experiences in scientific evidence. For decades, clinical trials, health interventions, and even harm reduction strategies have been tested primarily on men. then generalized to everyone, despite clear differences in biology, metabolism, and social determinants of health. If we are truly committed to evidence-based policy, then that evidence must be built inclusively from the start. We cannot continue to base life-saving interventions on Research that ignores half the population, science and policy that do not account for women's bodies, needs, and context are not just incomplete, they are inequitable and at times dangerous. I urge all of us here to take this opportunity to not only promote evidence-based approaches, but also to demand that evidence itself is built inclusively, rigorously, and ethically, reflecting the diversity of people we aim to serve. Thank you.

Thank you very much. And let's leave it to the young people to model quick interventions and very impactful ones. Thank you. And could I encourage member states also? I know we're getting students and civil society, but if member states also want to speak, please do.

Hi. My name is Jaime Orellana, and I have always believed that a healthy society is key to eradicating many problems. And I think that sports is a great tool not only to keep our youth away from addictions, but also to prevent diseases in adults. And my question is, what do you believe are the fundamental bases to convince the population that prevention is the best approach to achieving better health? Additionally, which programs would you recommend for replication in communities to achieve the best results?

Thank you, and I'll ask our colleagues from the UN also to respond to that question. Okay, I'm just gonna go across here, please. Go ahead.

Good afternoon. Good afternoon, I'm John Ngo, a medical student from Hong Kong and part of the International Federation of Medical Student Association. So the panel has rightly highlighted the crucial need for decriminalization and harm reduction in drug policy. And we also know that drug use and drug use disorders are often driven by deeper social and commercial determinants, such as unemployment, homelessness, poverty, which punitive approaches fail to address all these factors. So we call for governments to address these social and commercial determinants of drug use, such as ensuring safe childhoods, inclusive social networks, and ensuring work security, and so that Environments that will make individuals dependent on drug use can be reduced, and it also helps to improve the conditions for individuals to recover from drug use and integrate back into society. And it is also vital for the government to address the social needs of vulnerable groups, such as women, ethnic minorities, and those without stable housing, and involve various stakeholders in policy making. And we also advocate for strengthening supportive healthcare services for those who use drugs. and policies based on harm reduction approaches such as syringe service programs, which have been implemented to reduce the spread of blood-borne viral diseases, as mentioned in the panel before. We cannot tackle the burden posed by drug use disorders imposed on our society without evidence-based harm reduction drug policy and without the government focusing on these social and commercial determinants of drug use and their preventive strategies. Thank you.

Thank you very much. I had two hands over here. So one, two, three, and then I'm coming to our UN colleagues, please. Go ahead and introduce yourself.

Hi, everyone. My name is Annabelle, and I'm from China originally, and I'm currently living in Canada. I'm here to represent the DMUN Foundation as the youth delegation to the United Nations. I want to emphasize that drug policy is not just a technical issue, it is a deeply personal and political one. As someone who studied public policy, these policies shape the lives and health of people in my generation and the generation to come. I want to emphasize on the data. Data must be leaded, but dignity must guide. Evidence-based tools are powerful, but they must serve people, not just systems. We know that data must be protected, responsibly used, and never be exploited at the expense of those who represented it. It must be shaped by community needs and paired with a political will to turn evidence into actions. I also want to emphasize on inclusion must be real and not symbolic. Youth, indigenous people, women, and marginalized communities are often being included in name only. True inclusion means shifting power. As mentioned, decolonized approach, funding community-led harm reduction efforts, and dismantling the barriers that keep us out of the room where policy are made. Thank you again. Thank you for the panelists. And let us to move on the stigma to science, from punishment to prevention, from exclusion to healing. Thank you.

Thank you very much. The next, let's save time on clapping, folks, please.

Thank you, Chair. Excellencies, distinguished panelists and colleagues, I want to thank you for prioritizing the role of science and data in shaping global drug policy. My name is Jackson Rund, and I'm honored to join as a youth delegate representing Students for Sensible Drug Policy, which is a global student-led movement advocating for drug policies rooted in health, human rights, and scientific inquiry. We welcome the growing agreement that drug policy must be grounded in evidence, but there's a serious gap between principle and practice. The global drug control system still obstructs scientific progress. Until we address that contradiction, the sustainable development goals remain out of reach. This isn't just procedural. It's a structural failure that harms the most vulnerable. Children with severe conditions like Dravet syndrome, for example, could benefit from medical cannabis. The WHO has recognized the value of CBD for treatment-resistant epilepsy, yet in so many jurisdictions, cannabis remains criminalized, creating systems of access shaped by wealth, race, or geography, which undermine SDGs 3, 10, and 16. This failure extends to research. What we call research harms are the delays, costs, and barriers that prevent scientists from studying scheduled substances. These obstacles suppress innovation, limit education, and restrict access to scientific work, which also undermines SDGs 9, 4, and 8. At the root is a regulatory model that equates all non-medical use with abuse, ignoring evidence, context, and lived experiences. To build drug policy grounded in science, not stigma, SSDP urges member states to adopt reforms aligned with our official UN submissions. First, revise risk assessments to weigh the harms of scheduling against the harms of restricting research. What public health knowledge are we losing by locking substances out of the lab? Second, align Schedule I research access with Schedule II standards, as recommended by the UK Advisory Council of the Misuse of Drugs. Third, allow class-based research approvals so that scientists can study related compounds like hallucinogens or cannabinoids without filing redundant applications supporting SDG 17 on inclusive partnerships. And finally, integrate medical cannabis into national public health systems and essential medicine lists. This includes equitable insurance coverage, removing discriminatory taxes, and ensuring access is a right, not a privilege, advancing SDGs 1 and 5. If we want drug policy rooted in evidence, we must allow the evidence to exist. And if we truly mean to leave no one behind, we must listen to scientists, to youth, and to the communities that the policy has too long ignored. I thank you.

Thank you very much. And let's go over here. I had a bit of a blind spot. I wasn't looking this way. Please. And this will be the last intervention before we go to the UN family. Thank you.

Excellencies and dear colleagues, my name is Deanna Laughlin, and I speak today on behalf of the International Pharmaceutical Students Federation, representing over 500,000 pharmacy students and young pharmacists from more than 100 countries. We are proud to be a part of the most accessible health care profession in the world, standing with communities on the front lines of HIV prevention, testing, and treatment. But let's be clear, progress is not enough. While ART now reaches 77% of people living with HIV, over 5 million are left behind. Every day, communities face the crushing weight of stigma, discrimination, and punitive drug policies that drive people away from the care they need. This is a human rights crisis, not just a health challenge. As student pharmacists, we demand action, expand access and affordability of HIV treatment by integrating services into universal healthcare coverage and tackling the intersection burdens of NCDs and substance use. As pharmacists, we are the most accessible healthcare professions in the world and can bridge this gap. Invest in harm reduction, not punishment. Needle and syringe programs, opioid agonist therapy, and decriminalization saves lives, the evidence is clear. Center the voices of affected communities, including people who use drugs, adolescents, and young women. Nothing for us or without us. Young people are not leaders of tomorrow. We are leaders of today. We are raising awareness, fighting stigma, advocating for sexual and reproductive health, and demanding governments deliver on these promises. We have the science, we have the strategies, but science without solidarity is not enough. We need courage, political will, and urgent action to end AIDS as a public health threat. We are all resources in this room to combat the HIV epidemic globally. How can we embrace global collaboration to enhance this fight? We shall refuse to wait. Lives depend on this. Thank you.

Thank you very much. Okay, let's move quickly now across the UN family because we still have We want to hear from the Deputy Minister from Colombia, as well as our colleague from Open Societies Foundation. So over to you, Nainan. Nainan is the Senior Advisor to the Secretariat of the Joint Programme on AIDS. Over to you, Nainan.

Thank you very much, Madam Chair, Mandeep. Excellencies, civil society partners, colleagues, UNAIDS is happy to support this event and it's wonderful to see so many friends and drug policy warriors in this room today. People who use drugs are at high risk of acquiring HIV but face major barriers to accessing health and social services due to stigma, discrimination, and punitive drug laws. Despite global commitments such as the Global AIDS Strategy 2126 and the 2023 UN Human Rights Council resolution, progress at the national level remains limited. While criminalization of drug possession for personal use persists, And as long as harm reduction services remain unavailable and underfunded, as Catherine mentioned, it will not be possible to end AIDS as a public health threat. Despite an abundance of evidence on the critical importance of a health-based approach, punitive and coercive policies and practices continue to dominate global drug policy. In some countries, governments are working with organizations led by people who use drugs to expand health-focused drug policies, demonstrating that positive change both possible and achievable. Allow me to leave you with a few recommendations for effecting change. One, scaling up harm reduction and HIV services that are accessible to all, including those in prisons and closed settings. And as Helen Clark mentioned, harm reduction works. Harm reduction saves lives. Decriminalizing drug use and promoting the human rights of people who use drugs through equal treatment and access to services. Eliminating stigma and discrimination, especially in healthcare, legal, and social systems. Redirecting investment from punitive control to health and right-based services, and including supporting and funding and empowering community-led organizations, especially those led by people who use drugs in shaping and delivering policies and programs. Reducing inequalities that drive HIV and the engagement of key populations. are key to the epidemic and key to the response and our global goal of ending AIDS by 2030. I thank you very much.

Thanks. I'm going to ask our UN colleagues to be even briefer than that. Thanks. Could we go to Dr. Werner Obermeyer, who is the director of the WHO office at the UN? Please, Werner.

Thank you, Mandeep. The latest WHO global sector health strategies on HIV, viral hepatitis, and STIs are grounded in a person-centered approach and embedded within the principles of universal health coverage. People who inject drugs bear a disproportionate burden of hepatitis C infections, and injection drug use is estimated to account for up to 40% of their infections. The WHO key population guideline reaffirms the importance of integrated, person-centered prevention, testing, treatment, and care.

Since 2014, our guidelines have underscored the value of considering the decriminalization of drug use and possession of small quantities. We are now updating both our operational guide for needle and syringe programs and our clinical guidelines for the treatment of opioid dependency and overdose. Thank you.

Thank you, Werner. Yves Boukpeti from Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, you're welcome.

Excellencies, distinguished participants, civil society partners, colleagues, let me start with a sentence that the High Commissioner Volker Türk stated on many occasions, that is, war on drugs has failed. The recently published World Drug Report 2025 once again shows that drug use continues to hit record highs. Most of the harm caused by drugs are preventable and can be mitigated by acting on different modifiers. We must focus on preventing harms of drug. Evidence clearly show that it is human connection, human rights, and evidence-based approach that can transform and uplift the lives of people affected by drug. In 2023, OSHR submitted a report to the Human Rights Council calling for transformative change in drug policies. Both Human Rights Council in 2023 and the Commission on Narcotic Drugs in 2024 recognized harm reduction an effective measure to prevent harm. Let me quickly highlight some points. One, evidence is clear, harm reduction measure save lives. Two, harm reduction will not work without clear supportive of legal framework criminalizing of people who use drugs creates stigma and fear three in human reduction In harm reduction and other efforts to address the drug situation, civil society, organizations, and the community of people who use drugs must be included. Four, OSHI is very concerned about the decrease in funds for international aid, including for the health sector. Five, harm reduction education must be included in the prevention toolbox. This measure should be human rights compliant. excellence, participants, and dear colleagues, in conclusion, I would like to emphasize that as we work to ensure no one left behind, we must keep human rights at the center of the global drug policy discussion. In this endeavor, OSHR is committed to support states, civil society, and other stakeholders in line with the UN system, common position on drugs, and the international guidelines on human rights and drug policy. Thank you.

you so much. Could I go next to UN Women and our colleague Elena, please?

Thank you so much. Thank you so much, Chair. Excellencies, distinguished colleagues, for the sake of time, I'm going to zero in on the recommendations based on UN Women programming and evidence. First and foremost, policy responses must be women-centered. It means they must reflect the realities women face, from women living with HIV and using drugs, to sex workers and women in prison, to young women and transgender people. We need better and and more consistent data. Without basic and sex and age segregated data and gender analysis, we cannot understand or respond to the specific barriers women face. Services must be integrated and comprehensive. This includes linking harm reduction and HIV services with interventions addressing and responding to gender-based violence and sexual and reproductive health. Fourth, legal and policy environments must be reformed. Punitive laws continue to drive women underground, away from services and support. And finally, we agree with a lot of has been said about women's leadership. We must invest in women's leadership and meaningful engagement in the design, implementation, and monitoring of all policies and programs that affect their lives. Thank you so much for the opportunity to feedback.

Thank you, and thank you so much for saving us a little bit of time. Let me now go to Delphine Shantz, who's the representative of the UN ODC Liaison Office in New York. Over to you, Delphine.

Thank you very much, Eric. Silence, ladies and gentlemen. On behalf of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, thank you very much for the opportunity to be here today. As you know, UNODC issued last year, last month, the World Drug Report, which shed light that the global number of people who use a drug in the past year was estimated 316 million people, 6% of the global population aged between 15 and 64. An estimated 14 million people, or 0.27% of the global population aged 14 to 64, injected drugs in 2023. So injecting drugs continues to be a significant driver to some infections, particularly global hepatitis and HIV. So most harm of the health could actually be preventable by making services that address opioid use disorder available and accessible, reducing the risk of opioid overdoses, providing services that reduce the transmission impact of communicable diseases among people who use drugs. All such interventions have indeed proved to be effective in reducing HIV and hepatitis C infections, improving quality of life and preventing overdoses. UNODC is committed to supporting Member States implementing such policy as part of a broader, comprehensive drug control. Health systems must be supplied with the resources and tools needed to provide scientific-based evidence, quality interventions, and such intervention must be age and gender appropriate and include efforts to prevent drug use and provide treatment and care for those with drug use disorders, as well as measures that support their long-term recovery. The limited availability of evidence-based services remains a barrier to the provision of effective treatment. Some people are still unwilling to seek treatment owing to the fear of stigma and discrimination. Women face additional barriers, such as the double stigma, expectations about their social roles and responsibilities, fear of legal sanctions, and lack of childcare support. Better policy, the strengthening of health and social systems and services, and education and outreach are needed to tackle these issues. So we remain committed to supporting member states with legislative policy and technical assistance, promoting balanced, evidence-based responses to world drug problem in line with international law and the UN common position on drugs. Thank you.

Thank you so much. And it's now my pleasure to hand back over to the ambassador to close us out with two very, very important interventions. And let me just before that, just to pay tribute to the young people who were clearly very well organized in their interventions, and we certainly need and more of that spirit. And as a fellow Canadian, I was very proud to hear from all of our Canadian colleagues and young people. So keep up the energy and the engagement with the UN system. We need you. Madam Ambassador.

Thank you very much. And I want to thank all our speakers, partners, and participants for your contributions. So to close our session, it is my pleasure to introduce Mr. Mauricio Jaramillo Yacir, Deputy Minister of Multilateral Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Colombia, who will be followed by Mr. Quisito Bienkia, Advocacy Advisor for Multilateral Engagement at the Open Society Foundation. Deputy Minister Jaramillo, you have the.

Thank you, Ambassador, for giving me the floor. Hello, everyone. I would like to start by thanking our longstanding partners and friends from Mexico, Switzerland, Czechia, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, WHO, UNDP, UNAIDS, Open Society, and the Global Commission for organizing this timely event. It is an honor for me to be here with all of you. Our discussions today are rooted in one element that has been crucial in our past and ongoing discussions on drug policy and health evidence. As all of you are aware, for some years now, the centrality of science and evidence as an indispensable tool for informing drug policy has been one of Colombia's major interests at the national and international levels. For us, it is clear facts, data, and scientific rigor are necessary drivers for public policy, particularly when addressing intersecting issues like drugs, health, and human rights. In this context, we always must keep in mind that the original aim of the international drug control system is to protect the health and welfare of humankind. Therefore, we have to instrumentalize evidence as a tool for obtaining those goals. In other words, the main objectives of the international drug system can only be achieved if we adopt evidence and science-based policies. There is a plethora of reports, analysis, and statistics that show that decriminalizing consumption and possession of small amounts of drugs for personal use and adopting and implementing harm reduction measures are effective tools for materializing human rights and for attaining health objectives. In this regard, please allow me to recall two authoritative reports. First, the High Commissioner for Human Rights showed that as a result of lack of services in 2021, 10% of all new HIV infections globally were among people who inject drugs, and people who inject drugs face a 35 times higher risk of acquiring HIV than the rest of the adult population. Secondly, the Special Rapporteur on the right to health said that criminal laws relating to HIV and drug use impede access to HIV prevention and treatment. Thus, it is no surprise that people living with HIV and using drugs are driving away from the appropriate and evidence-based health care that they might need. This shows a clear link between criminalization of drug use and health outcomes, particularly when it comes to HIV, viral hepatitis, and other blood-borne infection diseases. To overcome the situation, we can adopt human, practical, and cost-effective measures, as some of the participants have highlighted. Now, allow me to share with you key developments coming from our national policy that have enabled us to adopt such measures. In our case, the Constitutional Court established that more than 30 years ago that personal consumption cannot be a criminal offense and instead call on all institutions to adopt a public health approach. That historic decision led us also to implement different measures, in particular harm reduction aimed at guaranteeing access to comprehensive health care services for people who use drugs. In 2024, a total of 33 mobile assistance centers, also known as CAMAT, projects were approved with an effective investment of 18.4 Colombian pesos billion. In 2024, 24 CAMAT projects have been approved in prioritized municipalities with a total allocation of 14.4 billion of Colombian pesos, particularly on harm reduction between 2022 and 2024, Colombia tripled public investment in related projects, increasing from 1.8 Colombian pesos billion in 2022 to 6.4 billion in 2024. A total of 22 projects have been implemented across the country. But there is also an international dimension to these discussions, and that is why Colombia has been so vocal in international fora on harm reduction. We are convinced that this is the way to move forward. International action has been taken with resistance, but we are moving forward. For example, the international guidelines on human rights and drug policy have been critical for guiding states to harmonize drug policies with international human rights obligations. The guidelines are and will continue to be pivotal for building momentum on harm reduction and decriminalization. Also, Colombia pushed for the inclusion of harm reduction strategies and policies in the Commission on Narcotic Drugs Resolution 67/4 on overdose care. That was the first time the term harm reduction was adopted by the CND and was a step towards its recognition as an effective public health response to drug use, particularly for the benefit of those most vulnerable. Colombia, together with many other states, including our fellow organizers of this event, have been actively promoting harm reduction in the national fora. For example, we have delivered joint statements in the General Assembly, the Human Rights Council, in the CND, and the World Health Assembly. But to make reality the benefits of harm reduction, we need to engage all sectors of society. We have encountered committed and responsive partners in civil society and jointly with harm reduction international and local civil society organizations. In April 2025, we hosted the Harm Reduction International Conference. This is one of the most important global events on harm reduction, human rights, and drug policy. The event brought together more than 1,000 participants, including frontline health workers, academics, researchers, decision makers, United Nations representatives, and stakeholders in the criminal justice system. Through presentation, workshops, and exchange activities, the conference fostered discussions on best practices, progress, and challenges in the implementation of these measures. I want to highlight the progress made by all of us when we act together, but our achievements are The risk, the abrupt reduction of international funding, the persistence of discriminatory laws, stigma, and structural barriers continue to be there, and in some cases, they are getting reinforced. This is one of the main reasons we have been supporters of the request and look forward to the outcome in October of the critical review of the coca leaf being conducted by the expert committee on drug dependence of the WHO. Therefore, we need to strengthen our collective actions and our political and financial commitment to multilateral, evidence-based, and people-centered responses. Only through the strengthening of public health systems, active community participation, and respect of human rights will it be possible to ensure the policies that are responsive to the health and well-being of all. I want to finalize highlighting the importance of the support and joint commitment of all actors in this endeavor. including many of the agencies and members of the UN system co-sponsoring this event, which we appreciate very much. We will continue to actively pursue partnerships and cooperation with and amongst them. As an example, we have met recently at ministerial level with the Director General of the WHO in the framework of FFD4 in Sevilla to manifest our support and positive interest to strengthen cooperation between these agendas. So we believe there are many lessons and opportunities if we keep momentum and political commitment high in our priorities, and we invite you to take part in this effort. Thank you.

Deputy Minister Jaramillo, thank you very much. And I'll pass the floor to our last speaker, and this is Mr. Bienkier. You have the floor.

Thank you, Chair. Thank you, Excellencies and distinguished guests. A lot of thanks as well to Colombia, Czech Republic, Mexico, Switzerland, UNDP, OHCHR, UNAIDS, WHO, and the Global Commission on Drug Policy. We stand at a pivotal moment in history. There are good opportunities that have all been raised with the global drug control system. With strategic support, We can help transform these opportunities into pathways towards justice, health, and dignity. This is a time and a moment of construction, not critique, exemplified by the good interventions we have heard today. We can build a new drug policy paradigm, one that will reduce criminalization, scale lifesaving services, and center human rights. As we do so, there are great lessons that we can learn from the HIV epidemic to inform our approach. And one of those critical lessons is that when transmission is rapid, the response must be immediate. For example, countries that acted swiftly and prioritized harm reduction all were able to flatten the curve. This underlines the need and importance of timely, evidence-based interventions in the face of fast-moving public health threats. For example, the introduction that we're seeing now of fentanyl is mirroring much of the early days of HIV. We need to be proactive, policy grounded in harm reduction, decriminalization, and community engagement. Like we have heard well from colleagues, Catherine Cook, as well as Anton Basenko. At the Open Society Foundations, we aim to support non-punitive drug policy that recognizes people's dignity, protects human rights, and advances public health. For economically disadvantaged communities to benefit from a sustainable, and regulatory framework, and for people who use drugs to have access to harm reduction. Current policies that focus on punishment and enforcement oversimplify the problem by ignoring the broader economic and political context in which drug production and sales occur. Looking ahead, the future of drug policy must include those who are most impacted. It's also important to include future generations, as we've heard from the great interventions by youth today. It's also a time to shift leadership to communities in the global south and institutions grounded in health, rights, and justice. Today, a new vision is emerging, one that is rooted in evidence, rights, and compassion, importantly, compassion. It's also time to seize this moment and move away from the decades of punitive drug policy that have caused much harm. Thank you.

Thank you very, very much, and thank you for the time you gave us. And thank you again to all participants, co-organizers, and attendants. It was a pleasure to moderate today's discussion, which has shown us that the shift toward evidence-based, rights-affirming drug policy is not only necessary, it is happening. Let us continue to stand with communities, amplify good practices, and work together across sectors and borders. Let's also continue to use multilateralism to advance towards more effective, more humane drug policies. This side event is now closed, so I thank you.