NGOs in consultative status with the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) are invited to observe and participate in the CND regular and intersessional meetings. Learn more about the possibilities to effectively engage.
The CND, a functional Commission of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), is the principal policy-making body within the UN system on drug control issues.
The Commission meets annually, usually in March, for five days. It also reconvenes at the end of the year to appoint the new Bureau and deal with administrative and budgetary issues. Intersessional meetings may also be organized throughout the rest of the year to continue or advance discussions. Please visit the main CND web page for detailed information on these meetings.
The main meetings in March and December as well as intersessional meetings are open to NGO representatives with ECOSOC consultative status. Detailed information on the registration process can be found here.
Civil society organization, without ECOSOC status that are interested in attending the CND meetings are encouraged to contact the Vienna NGO Committee on Drugs (VNGOC) to explore possibilities to attend.
As part of the effort to implement all international drug policy commitments, following up to the 2019 Ministerial Declaration the CND adopted a multiyear work plan in June 2019. The Commission will hold interactive meetings every September or October in the period up to 2024. The interactive meetings will aim to address the challenges identified in the „stock taking“ part of the 2019 Ministerial Declaration. Each year certain thematic areas will be addressed in meetings of two to three days, the language of the topics has been directly taken from the 2019 Ministerial Declaration. Open calls to select a panelist and up to five speakers for interventions from the floor for these thematic intersessionals, will be held through the VNGOC, the main umbrella organization for drug policy NGOs engaging with the UN.
Useful Links and Resources:
Practical Guide for NGO Participants, published by the Secretariat to the Governing Bodies, UNODC
VNGOC Annual Guide to CND in English, French and Spanish
Dates of the latest CND Events
NGO Marketplace with a global calendar of drug policy events
