Ending the “war on drugs”: Support. Don’t Punish’s #SolutionforPeace at the Paris Peace Forum

Support. Don't Punish mobilises affected communities and allies for drug policies based on health, human rights and development. The Paris Peace Forum offers an ideal platform to share our collective message.

Next week, on 11-13 November, the Support. Don’t Punish campaign and IDPC will be joining dozens of diverse, inclusive and impactful projects at the Paris Peace Forum. While our focus is incredibly varied, we all represent promising initiatives that tackle complex global governance challenges.

For the Support. Don’t Punish campaign, this is a wonderful opportunity to raise awareness on the catastrophic development impacts of the “war on drugs” on communities worldwide, to build alliances with social movements, decision-makers and opinion-formers, and to galvanise participants into mobilising for fairer and humane drug policies that put people first.

Time is of the essence, as the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development will not be met without substantially changing global, regional and domestic drug policy governance, which remains gravely unaccountable and dismissive of communities’ struggles.

For six years, and with limited resources (!), Support. Don’t Punish campaigners worldwide have built a collective front in 110 countries to promote participation, solidarity, empowerment and compassion. We can’t wait to share our movement’s experiences, learning and aspirations for a future free of the “war on drugs”.

If you’re at La Grande Halle de La Villette, please consider joining us for following drug policy-related activities!

Kicking the habit: Rethinking the war on drugs
Wednesday, 13 Nov. | 9:00-9:45 | Agora 3
Panel with Ann Fordham (International Drug Policy Consortium/Support. Don’t Punish), Camila Ruiz Segovia (Catalyst) and Khalid Tinasti (Global Commission on Drug Policy)

Rehab: shaping a more effective response to drug trafficking worldwide
Wednesday, 13 Nov. | 11:30-12:30 | Agora 1
Panel with Gunilla Carlsson (UNAIDS), Martha Delgado (Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mexico), Ruth Dreifuss (Global Commission on Drug Policy), Svante Myric (City of Ithaca, US), Mohammad-Mahmoud Ould Mohamedou (Graduate Institute, Geneva), Alexander Soros (OSF).

Support. Don’t Punish: People power to end the “war on drugs”
Tuesday, 12 Nov. | 10:45 | Pitch Stage 4
Project presentation by Juan Fernandez Ochoa (IDPC, Support. Don’t Punish)

Support. Don’t Punish: Local Actions, Global Voice
Throughout the Forum | Space for Solutions (Development) | Stand D-108
Come visit our campaign stand, join the photo project and learn more about what you can do to end the “war on drugs”.

We will be showcasing testimonies from campaigners from all over the world. So, please don’t hesitate to send us your thoughts, below, on why the campaign has been an important resource for capacity building and mobilisation. We will share them in the campaign’s stand at the Forum.