What is it?

In November 2018, the UN System Chief Executives Board for Coordination (CEB)—which gathers the heads of all UN agencies—adopted the UN system's common position on drug-related issues. This agreement commits the entire UN system to support balanced, evidence-based, and human rights-oriented drug policies that are geared toward development and aligned with the 2030 Agenda. It also established an Inter-Agency Task Team (led by UNODC along with multiple agencies) to coordinate its implementation.

 

Core Elements

• Eight shared principles (health, human rights, development, gender equality, leaving no one behind, etc.) that explicitly endorse harm reduction and alternatives to criminal sanctions. The CEB text mentions the decriminalization of possession for personal use "where appropriate."

• An Inter-Agency Task Team to put these commitments into practice across UN Country Teams and at headquarters.

 

How we got here:

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• 2016: The General Assembly Special Session (UNGASS) on the world drug problem called for increased inter-agency coordination within the UN.

• 2018: The CEB adopts the Common Position and establishes the Task Team to "speak with one voice."

• 2019–present: The Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) and various UN agencies regularly discuss inter-agency coordination. Although many States and agencies reference the Common Position, explicit mentions in CND resolutions are often disputed, leading to the use of more general language regarding "effective inter-agency collaboration."

 

The current landscape

The UN Common Position on Drug Policy was adopted during the UNGASS 2016 in New York:

• Recent UN resolutions on the world drug problem call for comprehensive responses, with attention to human rights, and urge UNODC to promote joint initiatives, in line with the Common Position.

• The CND routinely discusses inter-agency coordination and requests periodic reports from UNODC on this work, which is aligned with the Common Position, although we lack commitments among the rest of the UN agencies.

 

Official UN Resources

• UN Chief Executive Board Coordination: Overview and downloadable PDF of the Common Position.

• UNODC Portal: Dedicated site for the Common Position, featuring the principles, the Task Team, and materials.

• Official PDF (CEB/2018/2): Full text with operational commitments (harm reduction, alternatives to conviction, health in prisons, development approaches).

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What's needed for real operationalization

Despite having a solid policy foundation, implementation remains uneven. To move from principles to practice, Ágora advocates for:

 

Integration at the Country Level

• Ensuring that UN Country Representations systematically incorporate the Common Position’s commitments (harm reduction; alternatives to criminal sanction; decriminalization of use where appropriate; health and rights in prisons) into Sustainable Development Cooperation Frameworks and joint work plans, with clear budgets and indicators.

 

Transparent Task Team Work Plans and Metrics

• Publishing an annual public implementation report: detailing which countries have adopted which measures, funding mobilized, and results (e.g., incidence of HIV/HCV, overdose deaths, prison overcrowding, access to services).

 

Strengthening Resident Coordinators (RCs)

• Developing country diagnostics on drug policy and its links to development/rights, and providing quick-response support teams to help governments design harm reduction programs and alternatives to imprisonment.

 

Aligning Vienna–Geneva–New York

• Promoting explicit reference to the Common Position (or at least its principles and products) in CND and UNGA resolutions, and requesting regular public reports, thus overcoming the current fragmented language.

 

Linked Agendas: Prisons and Justice

• Connecting the Common Position on drugs with the UN Common Position on Incarceration (2024), to reduce excessive imprisonment and improve health and rights in detention—areas directly affected by punitive drug laws.

 

Normative Guides and Technical Packages

• Consolidating model legal and policy options (e.g., decriminalization frameworks; minimum harm reduction packages; proportionality in sentencing) into a UN-endorsed toolbox for ministries, complete with estimated costs and case studies.

 

Call to Action

• We collaborate with UN agencies, health/justice ministries, and civil society to localize the Common Position into national strategies and Cooperation Frameworks.

• We monitor progress through independent dashboards and publish case studies of implementation.

• We advocate in Vienna, Geneva, and New York so that resolutions and guidance give name and operability to the Common Position, ensuring that health, human rights, and development are not optional additions but standard practice.

 

References:​

• Primary Source: “United Nations System Common Position Supporting the Implementation of the International Drug Control Policy Through Effective Inter-agency Collaboration (CEB/2018/2).”

• UN Portal: UNODC – UN System Common Position on Drugs (principles, Task Team, resources).

• Evidence Document: “What we have learned over the last ten years” (UN Inter-Agency Task Team, 2019).

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