This implementation report provides a snapshot of four years of Guidelines implementation efforts by stakeholders across more than 25 countries in the Americas, Asia, Europe, and Sub-Saharan Africa; by the European Union; and by UN human rights mechanisms, reflecting an emerging community of practice among a diverse group of stakeholders. During this period, we have been documenting and analysing the range of practices in order to catalogue this evolving community of practice with the goal of inspiring and expanding the community further.
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Welcomed by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe
Spanish, Russian, and Portuguese versions launched in 2020
Welcomed by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in the 2019 annual report. In February 2020, OHCHR co-organised a side event on the International Guidelines during the Human Rights Council. OHCHR regularly uses the Guidelines in the provision of technical guidance were to several UN country teams around the world
Cited by the UN Committee on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights, and in the 2019 annual report of the UN Working Group on the issue of discrimination against women in law and in practice, and endorsed by the United Nations special rapporteur on the right to health
Introduction of the Guidelines to the United Nations Human Rights Committee November 2019
Embraced by grassroots and civil society organizations and cited in advocacy papers, amicus briefs, and litigation efforts around the world
1st Regional Implementation Dialogue on the Guidelines in Mexico City in January 2020
High level side event on the Guidelines convened at the Human Rights Council in February 2020
Launch of the Guidelines with extensive legal commentary planned for Geneva in late 2020
NATIONAL IMPLEMENTATION OF THE GUIDELINES: The Constitutional Court of Colombia has cited the Guidelines twice: in 2019, in a decision regarding substance use and human rights; and in 2020, in a landmark case on crop eradication with glyphosate.
In 2021, the Pompidou Group of the Council of Europe will launch a national assessment tool on human rights and drug policy using the Guidelines as its foundation
Introduction of the Guidelines to the United Nations Committee Against Torture and to the Committee on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights planned virtually in 2021
The 1st and 2nd regional implementation dialogues on the Guidelines took place in Latin America and Southeast Asia respectively. The 3rd and 4th regional implementation dialogues on the Guidelines are being planned for 2021/22.
Implementation through Stakeholder Trainings
A range of training opportunities are being explored across various regions to support national and regional implementation of the Guidelines. In early 2021, the Guidelines will be introduced at a training for the judiciary in Albania
Developing tools to use the Guidelines to highlight a growing body of national drug policy best practices that are also rights-based
Expanding the coalition of governments in support of rightsbased, humane drug policy reform around the world