European Union statement on the occasion of the First CND Intersessional Meeting, January 2015

10. As regards to the proposed draft provisional agenda for UNGASS 2016, we consider that human rights, access to essential medicines as well as the involvement of the civil society should be cross-cutting issues in all High Level Workshops. We welcome the consensus for a strong engagement of the NGOs in all debates. The EU attaches a great importance to the role of civil society, including the scientific community, in the elaboration and effective implementation of drug policies. We also support the proposal of a formal civil society hearing during CND 2015 and a formal civil society hearing prior to UNGASS, the outcomes of which should contribute to the UNGASS processes, and we welcome the establishment of the Civil Society Task Force.
  • Civil society engagement
  • Human rights
  • Access to controlled medicines

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A series of intersessional meetings took place starting in September 2014 and leading toward the UNGASS Special Segment in March 2015 at the 58th Session of the CND. The European Union has repeatedly promoted the importance of ensuring access to controlled medicines for medical and scientific purposes at these meetings.