In the Ministerial Declaration on Accelerating and Strengthening the Global Response to Synthetic Drugs, participating governments expressed their commitment to “taking into account input from civil society in Coalition objectives.”
In order to provide channels for civil society to participate in Coalition activities, the Coalition established two mechanisms, one formal (at the national and international levels) and one informal (via submissions to the Coalition), for soliciting civil society input. The two channels allowed for a frank exchange of views between Coalition participants (governments and intergovernmental organizations) within Sub-Working Groups while maintaining robust channels for engagement with civil society.
I. National Dialogues between Governments and Civil Society Organizations
January to March
The United States Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) hosted the first such domestic national dialogue convening U.S.-based NGOs and civil society on January 24, 2024. Participating Coalition countries were encouraged to host similar events with civil society organizations operating in their countries to solicit feedback and facilitate open lines of communication. In Year 2 of the Coalition the United States and other Working Group chairs will continue to invite and encourage national authorities with a mandate to address drug issues to identify relevant civil society groups, convene such meetings, share information about the Global Coalition, and moderate a discussion around the three Working Group topics.
The national agencies that hold dialogues are encouraged to report the meetings and any resulting recommendations to the Secretariat of the Coalition via the email address: SyntheticsCoalition [at] state [dot] gov (SyntheticsCoalition[at]state[dot]gov). Reporting should include information about the organizing agency, the number of civil society participants as well as a list of attending NGOs, the date of the event, and a detailed narrative report that includes areas of discussion and feedback and recommendations from civil society organizations. Shared items could also include photos and videos of the event as well as any other documentary outcomes. The content shared through the Coalition email address would be posted on the Coalition’s website.
II. Global Civil Society Forum on Synthetic Drugs
February
The Vienna NGO Committee (VNGOC) in collaboration with the New York NGO Committee (NYNGOC) hosted a virtual Global Coalition “Civil Society Forum” on February 1, 2024, in two sessions (8:00-10:00 and 15:00-17:00 CET). This meeting allowed civil society organizations to express their views on each of the three Working Group topics. Coalition government participants also attended this meeting to hear civil society organizations share brief statements on the Coalition topics.
III. Website Exchange of Experiences – Presentations and Feedback
February to April
Following the Global Civil Society Forum, civil society organizations were invited to further provide videos, presentations, and documents for the Coalition’s website. Groups that wish to do so were encouraged to make submissions via the Vienna NGO Committee at the email address: info [at] vngoc [dot] org (info[at]vngoc[dot]org). This feature remains open through September 2024, for the duration of the Coalition’s work.
IV. Participation in Sub-Working Groups
At the discretion of the Co-Chairs, civil society representatives were invited to present at specific Sub-Working Group meetings and their participation contributed to the richness and diversity of the discussions.
V. Civil Society Achievements
April to July
Civil Society Organizations were invited to share achievements they have made addressing the synthetic drug threat. These may be included in the Coalition’s final report. Groups that wish to do so can make submissions through the Vienna NGO Committee at the email address: info [at] vngoc [dot] org.
These contributions from civil society have been collected here on the VNGOC website. The views expressed therein are solely those of the posters and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of the U.S. Government or countries participating in the Global Coalition.
