EU Statement at CND69 on contributions by the Commission to the work of the Economic and Social Council, including follow-up to and review and implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, 12 March 2026
Distinguished Chair, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,
It is an honour to speak on behalf of the European Union and its Member States. Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Norway, Republic of Moldova, San Marino, Serbia, United Kingdom and Ukraine align themselves with this statement.
The full version of the statement will be published on the UNODC and EU Delegation website.
The EU reiterates its strong commitment to the full, effective and accelerated implementation of the 2030 Agenda, guided by its universality, indivisibility and the integrated nature of the Sustainable Development Goals. We stress that efforts to achieve the SDGs and efforts to effectively address the world drug situation are complementary and mutually reinforcing.
The EU recalls in particular the SDGs’ target 3.5 on strengthening the prevention and treatment of substance abuse, including narcotic drug abuse and harmful use of alcohol and target 16 on promoting peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, providing access to justice for all and building effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels.
The EU also recalls Sustainable Development Goal 5, on achieving gender equality and empowering all women and girls. We fully recognized the specific impacts of drug use and dependence on women and girls and the need to address the specific needs and circumstances of women and girls in drug control policies, measures and interventions. We call for the mainstreaming of a gender perspective into drug-related policies and programmes.
Human rights are essential to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. The EU continues to strongly uphold, defend and promote human rights as a priority and supports human rights-based approaches to drugs policies. The EU strategy is guided by the right to health, which applies to everyone without discrimination. We underline the obligation to ensure equal access to drug-related services and to combat stigma against people who use drugs, including women, children and adolescents, LGBTI persons, persons with disabilities, and persons deprived of liberty. All persons, including people with drug-use disorders, have the right to enjoy the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health, and to live free from violence and discrimination. We recall that drug control efforts must respect due process and the prohibition of torture and other cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment or punishment, including in custodial and health-care settings.
An effective drugs policy must also tackle the socio-economic factors that fuel drug use, cultivation, production, and trafficking. The EU believes that by supporting people to /in obtaining secure sustainable livelihoods, strengthening social support systems, and promoting inclusive economic opportunities, we can reduce community vulnerability to drug use, production, and trafficking. Addressing poverty, improving access to education and employment, and offering mental health and social services are essential for preventing the conditions that lead to drug-related challenges.
In that regard we would like to highlight our support for the draft resolution "Appendix to Complement the United Nations Guiding Principles on Alternative Development", tabled by Thailand, Peru and Germany. To address the dynamic drug situation and related challenges on the ground, key development principles such as inclusivity, economic, social and ecological sustainability, gender equality as well as fostering the meaningful involvement of women and girls in Alternative Development programmes will be anchored more firmly in our approaches.
We continue to encourage an evidence-based, integrated, balanced and multidisciplinary approach to the drugs phenomenon, in compliance with international drug control conventions, at national, EU and international level. This comprehensive approach strengthens the UNODC’s ability to deliver comprehensive and effective responses to the complex global challenges.
The EU strongly supports the outcome document of the 2016 UN General Assembly Special Session (UNGASS) entitled ‘Our joint commitment to effectively addressing and countering the world drug problem’, which is the most comprehensive policy document in that respect.
The Commission on Narcotic Drugs has a key role to play in promoting policy coherence, fostering coordination within the UN system, and providing substantive input to ECOSOC and the High-Level Political Forum. We value the meaningful participation of civil society in the design, implementation and evaluation of drug policies. The EU encourages the CND to further strengthen its contribution to the follow-up and review of the 2030 Agenda, including through improved data collection, the use of relevant SDG indicators, and enhanced cooperation with other relevant UN bodies in line with broader UN80 reform Initiative.
Mr. Chair, to conclude,
The European Union remains firmly committed to working with all partners to accelerate progress towards the SDGs through a comprehensive, balanced and human-centred approach to drug policy. We believe that by fully integrating sustainable development considerations into the work of the CND, we can deliver more effective, inclusive and lasting responses to the world drug situation and contribute meaningfully to the achievement of the 2030 agenda.
Thank you.