We are looking for 3-4 civil society experts interested in contributing to a side even held in the margins of the High-level Political Forum in New York.
DEADLINE TO APPLY IS 26 JUNE 2025.
The Vienna NGO Committee on Drugs is organizing a side event in the margins of the High-Level Political Forum 2025 (24-23 July 2025) together with the African Civil Society Forum on Drugs, the American Coalition on Drug Policy, the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction, the National Authority for the Campaign Against Alcohol and Drug Abuse Kenya (NACADA), the New York NGO Committee on Drugs and UNODC Civil Society Unit.
The event titled “Strengthening Civil Society Voices in Drug Policy for Sustainable Development” will take place on Thursday, 17 July at 10AM EST in person in New York (John Jay College, 524 West 59th Street, Room L.61) and online.
The side event will spotlight the essential contributions of civil society in shaping inclusive drug policies that advance the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). While SDG 3 explicitly addresses drug-related issues under its health targets, effective and equitable drug policies are also vital to achieving broader goals such as reducing inequality (SDG 10) and promoting peace, justice, and strong institutions (SDG 16) and many others. The event will underscore the importance of multi-stakeholder partnerships, recognizing that meaningful engagement of civil society enhances accountability, ensures community-centered approaches, and strengthens efforts across sectors to address the complex interlinkages between drug policy and sustainable development.
Up to 4 civil society representatives will have the possibility to present their work and positioning. Each speaker will have approx. 7 minutes to present. Interpretation will not be available during the meeting and all abstracts and statements have to be submitted in English. Limited funding to support in person participation in the event and the High-level Political Forum is available.
In order to apply for a speaking slot, please fill out this online form.
DEADLINE: 26 JUNE at 11.45PM CEST (Vienna time, UTC+2)
Make sure that your abstract is relevant to the topic of the event, and clearly describes what you will be presenting about. Statements focusing on good practice examples of cross-sector collaboration to achieve the SDGs are especially welcome.
The co-organizers will follow the speaker selection guidelines established in 2018 (https://bit.ly/3yCrUYa).
