Aksion Plus is an Albanian organisation that aims to stop the spread of HIV/AIDS through education of youth and by raising awareness among the general population, especially vulnerable groups such as drug users, sex workers and street children.

Aksion Plus es una organización albanesa que tiene como objetivo de acabar con la propagación del VIH/SIDA mediante la educación de los jóvenes y la sensibilización de la población en general, especialmente los grupos más vulnerables como los usuarios de drogas, trabajadores sexuales y niños viviendo en la calle.

Aksion Plus est une organisation albanaise visant à stopper l’expansion du SIDA par le biais d’interventions éducatives et de prevention parmi la population, et surtout parmi les groupes les plus vulnérables (usagers de drogues, prostitué(e)s et enfants des rues).

Aksion Plus

89 ONG subrayan la necesidad de abordar los daños de las políticas de drogas represivas que socavan los derechos humanos. Más información, en inglés, está disponible abajo.

To: Ms Ghada Waly, Executive Director, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime

Subject: Open letter on UNODC statement on International Human Rights Day 2021

We urge you to mark International Human Rights Day 2021 by calling on Member States to change drug policies and practices that violate human rights and perpetuate inequality and discrimination.

We are writing to you ahead of International Human Rights Day 2021, which will take place on the 10th December amidst escalating global demands for the reform of laws and practices that entrench racial discrimination and social inequality, including drug policies. Last year, IDPC – together with dozens of other civil society and community organisations – called on you to issue a statement on International Human Rights Day urging Member States to change drug laws and practices that undermine health and human rights. A year later, we ask you to seize this day as an opportunity to show UNODC´s alignment with other UN entities in calling for an end to drug policies and practices that perpetuate inequality and discrimination, and violate human rights.

For decades, punitive drug policies have driven widespread human rights abuses, as has been amply documented by the UN. These include the death penalty for drug offences; extrajudicial killings; arbitrary detention, often masquerading as ‘rehabilitation’; the denial of access to life-saving harm reduction services; widespread barriers to accessing controlled medicines for pain relief; the criminalisation of people who use drugs, subsistence farmers and others groups in situations of vulnerability; corporal punishment; and mass incarceration. In all of these cases, draconian drug policies have disproportionately affected people marginalised on the basis of their gender, race, ethnicity, and economic status, thus entrenching inequality and discrimination.

Along 2021, a broad range of UN entities called on Member States to reform drug policies with discriminatory outcomes. In June 2021, the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention released a landmark study on arbitrary detention and drug polices, which found that ´

the war on drugs may be understood to a significant extent as a war on people. Its impact is often greatest on those who are poor, but also frequently overlaps with discrimination in law enforcement directed at vulnerable groups

´. At the same time, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights published a new ‘Agenda towards transformative change for racial justice and equality´, highlighting that ´

The discriminatory application of criminal law must be tackled at every stage, including by reforming drug-related policies

´. The High Commissioner´s proposal led to Human Rights Council Resolution 47/21, which contains key commitments to uproot systemic racism in the law enforcement and criminal justice systems. The Political Declaration on HIV and AIDS, adopted in June 2021, also showcased the international community´s commitment to ending inequalities as a step towards ending AIDS. Lastly, the new UN system Common Position on Incarceration, led by UNODC in partnership with other UN entities, notes ‘

the overrepresentation of minority and marginalized groups among prisoners, many of whom are charged with petty and nonviolent offences

support reform efforts aimed at ensuring proportionate and individualized sentencing and alternatives to conviction or punishment in appropriate cases, including for minor drug-related offences

These various commitments emerging across the United Nations are aligned with the 2018 Chief Executives Board’s UN System Common Position on drug-related matters, which makes clear that ‘

should be designed and implemented by States in accordance with their human rights obligations

’, and commits all UN agencies, including UNODC, to support drug policies ‘

that put people, health, and human rights at the centre

Similar human rights concerns have been highlighted in the just-released Global Drug Policy Index, which measures and ranks the national drug policies of 30 countries according to how well they align with the UN system Common Position on Drugs and its Task Team report of March 2019.

The theme of the 2021 International Human Rights Day is ‘Equality: Reducing inequalities, advancing human rights’, and is aimed at ´

addressing and finding solutions for deep-rooted forms of discrimination that have affected the most vulnerable people in societies

´. As such, it presents a crucial opportunity for UNODC to align itself with other UN entities in calling for the end of policies that perpetuate inequality and discrimination, while highlighting its commitment to the promotion of human rights, in line with the UN system Common Positions.

It is in this context that we urge you to issue a strong statement on International Human Rights Day, calling on states to change the drug laws, policies and practices that violate health and human rights, and entrench inequality. To be credible, such a statement should explicitly acknowledge the disproportionate impact of drug laws and drug control on people marginalised on the basis of their gender, race, ethnicity, and economic status, and urge Member States to:

Abolish the death penalty in all circumstances. Imposing capital punishment for drug offences has been found to be contrary to international human rights law by the Human Rights Committee, and the Human Rights Council.

Put an immediate end to extrajudicial killings committed in the name of drug control, as has been repeatedly called for by the Human Rights Council and UN human rights experts.

Permanently close compulsory drug detention centres, including those that masquerade as ‘rehabilitation’, and implement voluntary, evidence-informed, and rights-based health and social services, as recently called for by sixteen UN agencies, including UNODC.

Stress the urgent need to provide accessible, affordable, and adequately funded harm reduction services in community and closed settings, to fulfil the right to health and the right to life of people who use drugs, as demanded by several UN human rights bodies and experts. This is also central to UNODC’s core role as lead UNAIDS co-sponsor regarding prisons and HIV amongst people who use drugs.

Take immediate measures to address prison overcrowding, as already recommended by UNODC and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, by promoting alternatives to incarceration, and ensuring proportionate sentencing for all drug offences, including by taking into account mitigating factors – in line with the basic principle that prisons should only be used as a last resort in all circumstances.

Ensure that people who use drugs are not subject to arbitrary detention, torture, or ill-treatment – whether in state custody or public or private drug services. While under detention, people with a drug dependence or health problems associated with their drug use must be offered evidence-based treatment, harm reduction and other drug services on a strictly voluntary basis.

Promote the end of all punishment for drug use, and drug possession and cultivation for personal use, as permitted within the three drug control conventions. Such policy shifts will help to end the stigma, criminalisation, and exclusion faced by people who use drugs, and to facilitate access to health and social services, as called for by the UN system Common Position, UNAIDS, and UN human rights bodies.

Make sure that drug policies incorporate a gender-sensitive perspective. This should be done by tailoring drug services to the specific needs of women, and by ensuring that criminal laws take into account the circumstances of women involved in drug offences, as most of them come from backgrounds of poverty, marginalisation, and oppression.

Clearly outline the ways in which UNODC will work to achieve these changes, and the measures being taken to ensure that human rights are effectively embedded as a core strand for all of the Office’s work.

As the lead UN agency in drug-related matters, UNODC has the responsibility to promote drug policies that respect, protect, and fulfil human rights, in a way that is consistent with the standards developed by the UN system, and in line with the commitments set in the UN system Common Positions on drugs and on incarceration. A strong statement in the forthcoming International Human Rights Day would be an important and welcome step to signal UNODC’s unequivocal commitment.

We look forward to discussing these concerns and recommendations with you.

Las ONG instan a la Directora Ejecutiva de la ONUDD a celebrar el Día de los Derechos Humanos con un llamamiento a la reforma de las políticas de drogas que perpetúan las desigualdades

Más de 80 organizaciones sociales de distintos países del mundo denunciamos la desaparición forzada de 43 estudiantes mexicanos en el contexto de la llamada “guerra contra las drogas” y la fallida política de seguridad en México, que generan cada vez más violencia y corrupción institucional. Exhortamos al Estado mexicano a investigar estas desapariciones y sancionar los crímenes.


Los efectos de la “guerra contra las drogas” en México: ejecuciones y desapariciones forzadas de estudiantes

Desde hace un mes, 43 estudiantes mexicanos de entre 17 y 25 años de la Normal Rural Raúl Isidro Burgos de “Ayotzinapa” están desaparecidos después una serie de eventos violentos que habrían involucrado, entre otros actores, a la policía del municipio de Iguala, en el estado mexicano de Guerrero.

Este terrible hecho – en el cual además 6 personas fueron asesinadas y 20 resultaron heridas – deja en claro una vez más el costo social de la llamada “guerra contra las drogas” en México y de una política de seguridad fallida, que ha generado más violencia, graves violaciones de derechos humanos cometidas por las propias fuerzas de seguridad, y crecientes niveles de corrupción estatal.

El 26 de septiembre, unos 80 estudiantes de la Escuela Normal de Ayotzinapa se movilizaban en tres ómnibus y fueron interceptados por policías locales. Sin aviso previo, les cerraron el paso y comenzaron a disparar en ráfagas de manera indiscriminada, matando e hiriendo a 26 personas. Los estudiantes sobrevivientes fueron testigos de cómo los policías municipales subieron a las patrullas a sus compañeros, sin embargo, nunca fueron presentados ante una autoridad judicial.

Distintas fuerzas del Estado mexicano han estado buscando a los 43 estudiantes desaparecidos, y han encontrado en las cercanías de Iguala fosas clandestinas con cuerpos no identificados. Al momento, los familiares se encuentran a la espera de los resultados de peritos independientes para la identificación de los cuerpos, sin embargo, a la par de las investigaciones se han encontrado otras fosas clandestinas, por lo que a este grave escenario se suma un nuevo interrogante sobre los numerosos cuerpos enterrados clandestinamente en esa zona del país.

Es imperioso un cambio de paradigma en materia de políticas de drogas y seguridad que contribuya a evitar casos similares de violencia y corrupción institucional en el futuro.

Las organizaciones sociales firmantes acompañamos el reclamo de los familiares de las víctimas y de los organismos de derechos humanos de México, exigiendo una búsqueda en vida de los 43 estudiantes y exhortamos por tanto al Estado mexicano a investigar y sancionar estos crímenes, incluyendo la determinación de todas las responsabilidades políticas.

“¡Vivos se los llevaron, vivos los queremos!"

Abogadas y Abogados del Noroeste Argentino en Derechos Humanos y Estudios Sociales- ANDHES, Argentina

Abogadas y Abogados para la Justicia y los Derechos Humanos, México

Asamblea Permanente por los Derechos Humanos- APDH, Argentina

Asistencia Legal por los Derechos Humanos- ASILEGAL, México

Asociación Civil por la Igualdad y la Justicia – ACIJ, Argentina

Asociación de Reporteros Gráficos de la Republica Argentina- ARGRA, Argentina

Asociación Lucha por la Identidad Travesti – Transexual- ALITT, Argentina

Asociación para la Prevención de la Tortura- APT

Asociación para la Unidad de Nuestra América- AUNA, Argentina

Asociación Para Una Vida Mejor de Personas Infectadas/Afectadas por el VIH-Sida en Honduras- APUVIMEH, Honduras

Asociacion Pro Derechos Humanos- APRODEH, Peru

Associação Juízes para a Democracia- AJD, Brasil

Brazilian Harm Reduction Network- REDUC, Brasil

Católicas por el Derecho a Decidir- CDD, Argentina

Católicas por el Derecho a Decidir, España

Centro de Derechos Humanos de la Montaña Tlachinollan, México

Centro de Derechos Humanos de la Universidad Católica Andrés Bello, Venezuela

Centro de Derechos Humanos Fray Bartolomé de Las Casas, AC, México

Centro de Documentación en Derechos Humanos “Segundo Montes Mozo S.J.”- CSMM, Ecuador

Centro de Estudios Legales y Sociales- CELS, Argentina

Centro de Investigación Drogas y Derechos Humanos- CIDDH, Peru

Centro de Políticas Públicas y Derechos Humanos, Perú

Centro de Promoción y Defensa de los Derechos Sexuales y Reproductivos- Promsex, Perú

Centro Nicaragüense de Derechos Humanos, Nicaragua

Centro por la Justicia y el Derecho Internacional- CEJIL

Colectiva Mujer y Salud de República Dominicana, República Dominicana

Comisión de Justicia y Paz de Colombia, Colombia

Comisión Ecuménica de Derechos Humanos- CEDHU, Ecuador

Comisión Mexicana para la Defensa y Promoción de los Derechos Humanos- CMDPDH, México

Comité de América y Caribe para la Defensa de los Derechos de las Mujeres- CLADEM

Comité de Familiares de las Víctimas- COFAVIC, Venezuela

Coordinadora de Trabajo Carcelario (Rosario - Santa Fe), Argentina

Coordinadora Nacional de Derechos Humanos, Perú

Defensa de Niñas y Niños Internacional- DNI, Costa Rica

Derechos Humanos Integrales en Acción, A.C.

Documenta, análisis y acción para la justicia social, México

Due Process of Law Foundation- DPLF, Estados Unidos

Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights- EIPR, Egipto

Equipo de Reflexión, Invetigación y Comunicación de la Compañía de Jesús, Honduras.

EQUIS- Justicia para las Mujeres, México

Escuela de Derechos Humanos de la Defensoria del Pueblo, Venezuela

Fundación Memoria Histórica y Social, Argentina

Fundar Centro de Análisis e Investigación, México

Grupo Interdisciplinario por los Derechos Humanos- GIDH, Colombia

Instituto Brasileiro de Análises Sociais e Econômicas- IBASE, Brasil

Instituto de Estudios Comparados en Ciencias Penales de Guatemala –ICCPG, Guatemala

Instituto de Estudios Legales y Sociales- IELSUR, Uruguay

Instituto de Género, Derecho y Desarrollo- INSGENAR, Argentina

International Drug Policy Consortium- IDPC

Madres de Plaza de Mayo, Línea fundadora, Argentina

Movimiento Autónomo de Mujeres, Nicaragua

Movimiento por la Paz con Justicia y Dignidad, México

Oficina Jurídica para la Mujer de Cochabamba – OJM, Bolivia

Plataforma Interamericana de Derechos Humanos, Democracia y Desarrollo- PIDHDD Regional

Programa de Derechos Sexuales y Reproductivos de la Facultad de derecho y Ciencias Sociales de la Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Argentina

Sinergia, Asociación Venezolana de Organizaciones de Sociedad Civil, Venezuela

Students for Sensible Drug Policy, Estados Unidos

Drug Policy Project, Institute for Policy Studies, Estados Unidos

Unidad de Protección a Defensoras y Defensores de Derechos Humanos – UDEFEGUA, Guatemala

Washington Office on Latin America- WOLA, Estados Unidos

Instituto Lationamericano de Seguridad y Democracia- ILSED

Suscríbase a las Alertas mensuales del IDPC para recibir información sobre cuestiones relacionadas con políticas sobre drogas.

A un mes de la desaparición de 43 estudiantes mexicanos

sudeste europeo ofrece las últimas noticias sobre políticas de drogas y reducción de daños en la región.

Más información, en inglés, está disponible abajo.

During its annual meeting in Vienna in March 2012, the Drug Policy Network in South East Europe decided to publish a quarterly Newsletter for a more regular communication between the Network organisations.

The Newsletter was prepared and published by Diogenis, Drug Policy Dialogue in South East Europe, in collaboration with the members of the South East Europe Drug Policy Network. Each newsletter focuses on two or three countries in the region, for which updates are provided on issues related to drug policy reform, criminal justice, social and health programmes and human rights.

The first edition of the Newsletter provides updates on drug policy developments in Albania and Greece.

Novedades de la Red sobre políticas de drogas en el sudeste europeo

The Implementation of National Network of Community Services for Offenders Project in Albania represents the collaboration between the Partnership Associations and Probation Service. The membership associations are Aksion Plus, Refraction and Shelter for Abused Woman. The project is financed by European Commission, Soros and World Bank. This project has been implemented for the past two years, during which the Network has achieved many objectives, but most importantly, has been delivering concrete services to the targeted groups: the rehabilitation and re-integration of ex-offenders in their community.

Recently the Network conducted an assessment of the implementation of the project, in particular the way concrete cases have been addressed and tackled. At the end of the assessment, the Network published a study entittled: The Effectiveness of the Implementation of Alternative Sentence in Albania. The most important issues highlighted in this publication are as below:

A historical overview of Albanian legislation since 1912 regarding Alternative Sentencing,

The national and the international legal framework related to the Probation Service,

An analysis of the Criminal Code articles and amendments

The authors also conducted interviews with judges, prosecutors, attorneys at law, and representatives of Probation Service and ex-offenders.

In the framework of the National Network of Community Services for Offenders Project, a National Conference will take place on 12 December 2011. This conference will be attended by the Probation Services staff, partner associations, experts of the field, representatives of the EU Delegation, UNICEF, OSCE and other local donors. The main objective of this event is to share common achievemnts due to Alternative Sentence Implementation and to assure further collaboration between parts.

Keep up-to-date with drug policy developments by subscribing to the IDPC Monthly Alert.

Novedades del proyecto sobre servicios comunitarios para autores de delitos de drogas en Albania

The overall objective of this project is to support Probation Service on implementation of alternative sanctions in Albania, offering treatment programmes for offenders in the community. The Probation Service is based on finding enhancing and using effectively partnerships within the community and improves public confidence in the effectiveness of comminity sentences.

Please read the project's Newsletter 5 and Newsletter 6 to read more information about the project, or visit the Aksion Plus website.

Aksion Plus

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Contenido relacionado

Las ONG instan a la Directora Ejecutiva de la ONUDD a celebrar el Día de los Derechos Humanos con un llamamiento a la reforma de las políticas de drogas que perpetúan las desigualdades

A un mes de la desaparición de 43 estudiantes mexicanos

Novedades de la Red sobre políticas de drogas en el sudeste europeo

Novedades del proyecto sobre servicios comunitarios para autores de delitos de drogas en Albania

Albania continua su proyecto sobre imposición de penas alternativas