– H.E. Madam Helen Clark, Chair of the Global Commission on Drug Policy (GCDP);
– Commissioners of the Eastern and Southern Africa Commission on Drugs:
H.E. Joaquim Chissano, former president of Mozambique;
Professor Abdool Karim;
– Members of Government;
– Members of Civil Society and NGO’s;
– Academia;
– Activists;
– Ladies and Gentlemen and participants in today’s Launch,
Allow me to thank everyone for making time to attend this launch of the Eastern and Southern Africa Commission on Drugs (ESACD), and for your participation.
We are gathered here to discuss and consider fresh ways of dealing with drug policies.
Right from the horn of Africa through Tanzania to Mozambique, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, the Kingdom of Eswatini, and the islands in the Indian Ocean, drug trafficking and abuse is now an acute problem.
On behalf of the Eastern and Southern Africa Commission on Drugs, I would like to express our gratitude to all of you for making your way to Cape Town to be part of this historic launch as well as the discussions on drug policy in our region.
As we regrettably watch the increasing numbers of incarceration for drug related offences, deaths that could have been avoided due to overdose, as well as a constant and misguided stigma, marginalization and criminalization of people who use drugs, we can see that there is an urgent need for fresh thinking on how to approach drug policy in our societies.
Punitive drug control policies systematically leads to human rights violations and abuses: torture, discrimination targeting already marginalized communities, disproportionate drug sentences, arbitrary detention, ineffective compulsory treatment programs, and restricted access to controlled medicines, which leads to failed access to basic health services. This failed approach rejects the fact that science and scientific evidence are relevant and essential pieces of the decision-making process.
For these reasons, we find ourselves again, gathering with renewed hopes that our discussions will highlight the relevant role of evidence based scientific approach and holistic responses for drug policy in the region.
The Eastern and Southern Africa Commission on Drugs was created after intensive discussions among several partners to discuss the idea of establishing this Commission, benefitting from the advice of our elder H.E. Olusegun Obasanjo, who led a similar effort in West Africa.
At the regional and international levels, we Commissioners, act as ambassadors for drug policy reform; our main goal is to achieve a smarter, more humane drug control system in alignment with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The Commission believes that drug policies must be based on scientific evidence and respect for human rights – always putting people at the centre.
This means putting people’s health and safety first, ensure access to essential medicines and pain control, and refocus enforcement responses mainly to drug trafficking and organized crime.
The commission is an independent, high-level analysis and advocacy group working on drug issues in the Eastern and Southern African region. It aims at
• developing evidence-based policy recommendations for political and civil society leaders on how to address drug trafficking;
• mobilize public awareness and political commitment around the issue;
• and promote local and regional capacities to address the multifaceted drug problem.
This is important for the following reasons:
1. There is a growing recognition that drug prohibition has failed to achieve its goals of a “drug-free world” while having a detrimental impact on our societies.
2. Over the past decade, there were impressive reforms around the world at national and sub-national levels. More and more countries are decriminalizing drug use, and adopting innovative approaches based on public health.
3. In such initiatives, policy-making informed by science has played an important role in upholding and strengthening a public health and human rights based approach to drug policy.
4. Therefore, the Commission seeks to promote national legal frameworks and practices in accordance with human rights norms. This involves putting people’s health and safety at the centre, an approach that must overcome political barriers and be backed by adequate investment in evidence-based policy and practice.
5. Without detracting from the responsibility of government, we understand that problematic or dependent drug use affects communities on various layers and so, treatment programmes should employ an inclusive approach with society, business and government working together. A wide range of treatment options exist – including various psycho-social, abstinence-based, behavioural and substitution-based therapies – which have been shown to be effective at improving health and reducing the social costs of drug misuse.
6. This is one example of how science, and science informed policies, should and could advance drug policy reform. The Commission reiterates that drug treatment should be dealt with in a comprehensive manner including all stakeholders.
7. Science can – and should – play a role to not only reinforce health and human rights globally, but also help communities achieve social justice.
To implement more humane strategies towards an inclusive society, we should consider new and people-centred options:
• Replace harsh measures, grounded in repressive ideologies, with more humane and effective policies shaped by scientific evidence, public health principles and human rights standards.
• Prioritization of science and evidence-based decisions in drug policy making is crucial to upholding drug policies aligned with human rights norms.
• We need evidence-based and tailored prevention strategies and treatment for drug dependence in voluntary centres in community settings, while adopting an inclusive agenda for all relevant stakeholders to express their viewpoints, while placing greater emphasis on the link between the science and human rights dimensions of drug policies.
Having better campaigns to understand the challenges we face and then using the scientific knowledge to influence policy making, is a fundamental step towards understanding the fractions in society and the global community.
The launch of the ESACD shines a spotlight on the need for our region to take bold strides in the direction towards harm reduction and support.
The recommendations and outcomes of this conference are crucial for the essential work of nurses, social workers, researchers, volunteers, human rights activists and academics.
Re-shaping our world for human dignity goes hand-in-hand with better policies that hold compassion and science as navigators through hardship.
We welcome and encourage a robust debate around some of the most important global and local factors that have the potential to keep us on track or put us off course definitively.
I thank you.
