Drug Policy, Diplomacy and Global Public Health Course is offered from 24 to 26 October 2017. Course Directors: Professor Michel Kazatchkine and Professor Thomas Zeltner.
Negotiating the health dimension of drug policies
- Intensive three-day course with renowned faculty and leading practitioners
- Combine theory and practice through lectures, high-level panels and exercises
- Meet in the world’s global health capital
- Organised by the Global Health Centre at the Graduate Institute, led by Professor Ilona Kickbusch
The United Nations General Assembly Special Session on the World Drug Problem held in April 2016 in New York was a clear demonstration of the growing momentum in favour of drug policy reform. Even though the outcome document raised some promising points, it has been criticised for containing almost no operational outcomes or actions to address the challenges, tensions and contradictions currently existing in international drug control.
Countries are facing challenges due to the horizontal nature of the drug issue that goes far beyond law-enforcement and prohibition. Some innovative reforms are already being implemented since the UNGASS 2016. What should the new direction be for the future UN governance of international drug policy? How can different actors contribute to a global process that truly advances laws, policies and international cooperation and finally ensures that drug policies help instead of harming the health and welfare of mankind? How can countries develop a coordinated response, in compliance with international drug control rules, when their ministries of health tend to treat users, while their ministries of interior and justice tend to criminalise them? How can the UN have a meaningful and impactful role in addressing drug policy issues? And what should the role of civil society and user networks be in the international debate on drug policies?
You can find more information about the course here.
Source: Graduate Institute Geneva
