International Drug Policy Consortium

International Drug Policy Consortium

Founded	2006 (2006)
Type	Non-profit NGO
Focus	Drug policy
Location	London, United Kingdom
Area served	Worldwide
Product	Drug policy reform network
Key people	Ann Fordham (Executive Director)
Website

The International Drug Policy Consortium (IDPC) is a global network of over 140 NGOs that promote objective and open debate on drug policy at national, regional and international level.^[1] IDPC supports evidence-based policies that are effective at reducing drug-related harm.^[2] The IDPC secretariat is based in London, with staff and consultants around the world.^[3]

Vision and mission

IDPC’s vision is that national and international drug policies are grounded in the principles of human rights and human security, social inclusion, public health, development and civil society engagement.^[4]

Its advocacy positions are based on five core policy principles. These principles are that drug policies should:^[5]

1. be developed through an objective assessment of priorities and evidence
3. be undertaken in full compliance with international human rights law
5. focus on reducing the harmful consequences rather than the scale of drug use and markets
7. promote the social inclusion of marginalised groups, and not focus on punitive measures towards them
9. be developed and implemented based on open and constructive relationships with civil society.

Members

IDPC was set up in 2006 following a meeting of NGOs, which identified the need for a global advocacy and communication structure in the area of drug policy.^[6] Since then, IDPC has welcomed over 140 members, which include NGOs, academic institutions, think tanks, networks and community organisations engaged in drug policy advocacy – located in every region of the world.^[7] IDPC also places a very important emphasis on promoting the voice of most affected groups, including people who use drugs and people engaged in the cultivation of crops destined to the illicit drug market – and some of the key NGOs representing these populations are members of the network.

IDPC is now widely recognised as the global network of expert NGOs on drug policy.^[8] Every decision and advocacy position of IDPC is taken in full consultation with the membership, and the work plan is designed and implemented in close partnership with the member organisations.

In turn, IDPC offers NGOs a platform to share experience and best practice in the field of drug policy, and facilitates the engagement of the network in policy making processes at national, regional and international level – via the provision of advocacy tools, the sharing of key information on how to engage, the organisation of capacity building workshops,^[9][10][11] and the facilitation of meetings between national governments with local NGOs.^[12]

Activities

IDPC intervenes at two levels in the decision making process: It aims to facilitate networking and collaboration between civil society stakeholders and empower our civil society members to better engage with and influence policy-making processes. In parallel, the IDPC Secretariat also intervenes directly in policy making processes by strategically providing analysis and expertise to governments, regional bodies and UN agencies to promote effective and more humane drug policy options on behalf of the network.

IDPC has four main streams of work:

• Networking and communications – via a multilingual website, social media (Facebook,^[13] Twitter,^[14] LinkedIn^[15] and Google +^[16]) and media engagement^[17]
• International advocacy – through direct engagement in policy making processes around drug control at United Nations level, in particular around the UN General Assembly Special Session (UNGASS) on drugs which will be held in April 2016 ^[18]
• National and regional advocacy^[19] – to influence national and regional drug policies, in collaboration with local partners
• Publications – over the years, IDPC has published hundreds of reports, advocacy tools and thematic briefings^[20] – including a drug policy guide,^[21] and a drug policy advocacy training toolkit^[22]

References

External links

• International Drug Policy Consortium official website