By Richard Elliott, Executive Director April 29, 2016 It was a surreal exercise that unfolded at the UN in New York last week — a pretend consensus, and a terrible dereliction of duty by some of the world’s governments. And yet, paradoxically, I left the event at the end of the week feeling profoundly encouraged. … Read more
In February 2016, the National UNGASS Working Group (supported by the Canadian Drug Policy Coalition and Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network) delivered a brief to Canada’s federal government, outlining 10 priority recommendations to inform the ongoing negotiations at the UN in the lead-up to the UNGASS in April. This will include negotiations at the upcoming session … Read more
One hundred Canadian civil society organizations are calling on the Canadian federal government to champion progressive and evidence-based drug policy positions at this week’s world forum on drugs. Spearheaded by the Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network and the Canadian Drug Policy Coalition (CDPC), this civil society groundswell is asking federal Health Minister Dr. Jane Philpott to … Read more
As a coalition of interveners in the Supreme Court of Canada case, R. v. Lloyd, we applaud the Court for recognizing that a mandatory minimum sentence (MMS) for certain drug offences is not only harsh and damaging, but also unconstitutional. We hope that this decision is one more step towards ending Canada’s harmful, punitive approach … Read more
By Richard Elliott The applause persisted until the chair of the session eventually gavelled it to an end. The occasion? Canada’s statement last month at the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) in Vienna, where countries were negotiating the text of a declaration to be adopted next week at the UN General Assembly’s Special Session on … Read more
This guide is for women, including trans women, who are living with HIV and who experience or are at risk of experiencing violence from their intimate partner. Intimate partner violence can be physical, emotional, psychological or sexual abuse from someone with whom you have or had an intimate relationship. Abuse by an intimate partner is not … Read more
“The Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network, HALCO and ARCH appreciate the opportunity to comment on the (March 7, 2016) Report from the Medical Officer of Health to the Toronto Board of Health on the integration of supervised injection services into existing clinical health services and to draw the Board’s attention to certain elements which are particularly … Read more
“We welcome the HRC acknowledgement that the full realization of human rights is an essential element in the global AIDS response. Today, more than 30 years into the AIDS epidemic, we have the knowledge, tools and the experience to end AIDS; but it will be impossible to get there without a strong and real commitment … Read more
“In anticipation of UNGASS 2016, Russia is creating international alliances to promote its vision of drug demand and drug supply reduction, with a view to having ‘a unified position at the 2016 UNGASS.’ These include the International Congress of Drug-Free Organizations and the Russian-African Anti-Drug Dialogue. Countries that Russia approaches for participating in these or … Read more
March 14, 2016 This week, the Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) is convening in Vienna to prepare for the highly anticipated UN General Assembly Special Session (UNGASS) on the “world drug problem,” which will take place next month (April 19–21) in New York. The last UNGASS on drugs was in 1998, under the banner of … Read more