At its 62nd session in March 2019 the Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) adopted by consensus the Ministerial Declaration entitled “Strengthening Our Actions at the National, Regional and International Levels to Accelerate the Implementation of our Joint Commitments to Address and Counter the World Drug Problem”. (https://www.unodc.org/documents/commissions/CND/2019/Ministerial_Declaration.pdf)

Following the format used for the thematic discussions held within the CND since 2016, Member States developed a multi-year workplan and will hold, every autumn, inter-active meetings aiming to address the challenges identified in the “stock taking”- part of the Ministerial Declaration. The complete workplan is available here: https://www.unodc.org/documents/commissions/CND/2019/Follow-up_to_2019_Ministerial_Declaration/Intersessional_Meetings/CND_Workplan_2019-2023.pdf

The first of these thematic interessionals will take place October 16-18 2019, in Vienna, Austria and will cover the following challenges: (please visit http://vngoc.org/2019/06/26/4th-cnd-intersessional-2019/ for an overview of the topics that will be covered in the period 2019-24)

16.10.2019: That both the range of drugs and drug markets are expanding and diversifying;

17.10.2019: That the abuse, illicit cultivation and production and manufacture of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances, as well  as the illicit trafficking in those substances and its precursors, have reached record levels, and that the illicit demand for and domestic diversion of precursor chemicals are on the rise;

18.10.2019: That synthetic opioids and the non-medical use of prescription drugs pose increasing risks to public health and safety, as well as scientific, legal and regulatory challenges, including with regard to the scheduling of substances;

For each thematic segment 4-5 NGOs will have the possibility to present their work and positioning. In order to ensure an inclusive, comprehensive and meaningful civil society participation, NGOs will work through the Vienna NGO Committee on Drugs (VNGOC) which has been requested to coordinate contributions.

Each speaker will have 5 minutes to present his or her work on the thematic focus of the day.

Selected speakers will be asked to send in their statements or videos (including. Transcripts) no later than 08 OCTOBER 2019 for the October intersessional. Interpretation in official UN languages (Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish) will be available at meetings but all abstracts have to be submitted in English.

In order to apply for a speaking slot, please fill out the form below by 25 SEPTEMBER 2019 at 11:55 p.m. (CEST, Vienna local time). The VNGOC will follow the guidelines established by the Civil Society Task Force (CSTF) in 2018: http://vngoc.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/CSTF-Speaker-Selection-Guidelines-final-formatted.pdf

Selected candidates will be notified as soon as possible but no later than 30 SEPTEMBER 2019.

Please note that only very limited funding is available to cover your travel to and accommodation in Vienna. The VNGOC will follow the guidelines established by the CSTF in 2018 (https://www.cstfondrugs.org/app/download/16279897996/CSTF%20Policy%20for%20Awarding%20Travel%20Grants%20(formatted).pdf?t=1550508746https://www.cstfondrugs.org/documentation/) to allocate available funds. Please note that video messages are still possible.

The meetings will be webcast on the CND website: https://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/commissions/CND/2019/2019_Thematic_Discussion.html

Please share this form with your respective partners and networks to ensure a wide as possible opportunity to engage.

Thank you and looking forward to your applications.