Vienna, 20 March 2019 - The effective implementation of the UNGASS Outcome Document and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development requires a holistic approach that involves civil society at the local, national, regional and global levels.
In an effort to facilitate civil society contribution to the implementation of the Outcome Document and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the Vienna NGO Committee on Drugs (VNGOC) today launched a civil society guide titled "Working Together - Drugs and Sustainable Development: A Guide for Civil Society" which aims to (i) familiarize NGOs with the Outcome Document, (ii) highlight the potential for civil society participation in the implementation of the UNGASS operational recommendations, and (iii) show linkages between the Outcome Document and the SDGs.The guide was jointly developed by UNODC and the VNGOC with the support from the Government of Sweden.
The side event during which the guide was launched also provided the opportunity to showcase grass-root best practices from India, Kenya, and Brazil in addressing the world drug problem in the framework of UNGASS and the SDGs.
In her remarks at the event, H.E. Ambassador Mikaela Ruth Gunilla Kumlin Granit, Permanent Representative of Sweden to the UN in Vienna said that "by providing practical examples on how both civil society organizations and the UNODC carry out their work, the guide illustrates both how it relates to the UNGASS Outcome Document and the SDGs, as well as the linkages between them."
The guide uses examples to show how civil society organizations from all over the world are tackling the world drug problem from many perspectives, including health and human rights-based approaches. Examples of the work of UNODC are also highlighted in the guide to show how the organization is contributing to the realization of the operational recommendations of the Outcome Document and the SDGs.
The guide was launched during the sixty-second session of the CND, whose ministerial segment adopted a declaration that recognizes the role of civil society in the implementation of joint commitments at all levels.
Download the conference edition of the guide here.
Further Information
Commission on Narcotic Drugs 2019 Ministerial Segment - https://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/commissions/CND/2019/2019-high-level-ministerial-segment.html
Political Declarations on the world drug problem - https://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/commissions/CND/Political_Declarations/Political-Declarations_Index.html
Joint Ministerial Statement of the 2014 high-level review
https://www.unodc.org/documents/ungass2016/L15e_V1401384_11march.pdf
2016 United Nations General Assembly Special Session on Drugs (UNGASS) - http://www.unodc.org/ungass2016/
UNODC Engagement with Civil Society on Drug and Crime Prevention - https://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/ngos/DCN0-NGOs-and-civil-society.html
UNODC and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development - https://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/sustainable-development-goals/index.html
Vienna NGO Committee on Drugs - http://vngoc.org/