The 67th edition of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) took place in Vienna from 14-22 March 2024. The CND provides a platform for engagement between member states to lobby for various positions, reflecting the rich mix of cultural and societal norms and priorities, while allowing for reflections on review of standards and policy in line with the most current evidence-based best practice. ISSUP’s Chief Executive Joanna Travis-Roberts and Deputy Chief Executive Livia Edegger attended the week-long meeting which provided ample opportunities for meetings and networking with key stakeholders, civil society and partner organizations.
Joanna Travis-Roberts presented ISSUP’s work in substance use prevention and youth engagement as part of a panel on the role of youth participation in drug prevention and highlighted the upcoming Youth Forum at the 2024 ISSUP Conference in Thessaloniki, Greece in June. Joanna and Livia held a meeting with representatives from ISSUP’s National Chapters and attended a number of side meetings including the launch of the International Consortium for Alternatives to Incarceration (ICATI) and the Vienna NGO Committee members’ meeting.
ISSUP’s newly appointed Scientific Advisor Dr Goodman Sibeko attended CND as part of the official South African delegation as a representative of University of Cape Town in his Capacity as Head of the Division of Addiction Psychiatry.
The CND entails engagement with resolutions fielded by countries for consideration by the wider body of the CND, and following inputs and debate, these are put up to a vote for adoption by the Commission. Inputs represented by the South African delegation incorporated strategies around comprehensive continuum of care, reflections on availability of resources for Medication Assisted Therapy and for Overdose Prevention and Management, amongst others. South Africa has well-established ISSUP National Chapters and ICUDDR university partners and an impactful ITTC. Country inputs reflected some of the outcomes of the collaboration between these partners and the South African government and institutions of Higher Learning.
Side events considered and debated the current state of cannabis legislation (African Union Commission and other sessions); provided insights into scalable interventions for the Treatment and Care of Stimulant Use Disorders (UNODC); engaged with evidence and current practices for substance use prevention; engaged on addressing the intersecting scourge of gender-based violence, an executive priority for South Africa; and challenges and solutions to addressing illicit drug manufacture; amongst many others.
The US State Department International Law Enforcement Bureau (INL) hosted a launch event for a report on the global synthetic drug situation as part of the outcomes thus far from the Global Coalition to Address Synthetic Drugs. South Africa has submitted resource packages to the Global Coalition for review and consideration by members of the Coalition, under the ITTC, the South African Medical Research Council, and the National Department of Social Development, reflecting the strong collaborative spirit of intervention and product development in the country. The South African delegation attended and supported the launch of the international Consortium for Alternatives to Incarceration (ICATI). South Africa is already engaged in activities geared towards achieving ATI, and the country is well placed to continue to work with partners such as ICATI and UNODC to further efforts. The Department of International Relations and Cooperation has collated the reports of the South African Delegation and accordingly submitted it for executive review ahead of implementation and review activities in-country ahead of the next iteration of CND next year.
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