Civil Society Involvement in the Global Coalition

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. This will still allow 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) will host the first such domestic national dialogue convening U.S.-based NGOs and civil society on January 24, 2024. Participating Coalition countries are encouraged to host similar events with civil society organizations operating in their countries in order to solicit feedback and facilitate open lines of communication. The United States and other Working Group chairs will 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) will host 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 will allow civil society organizations to express their views on each of the three Working Group topics. Coalition government participants are invited to join this meeting where civil society organizations will be invited to share brief statements on the Coalition topics. Those interested in more information or attending can contact VNGOC at info [at] vngoc [dot] org (info[at]vngoc[dot]org). Coalition governments are encouraged to participate and will receive a calendar invite.

III. Website Exchange of Experiences – Presentations and Feedback

February to April

Following the Global Civil Society Forum, civil society organizations will be invited to further provide videos, presentations, and documents for the Coalition’s website. Groups that wish to do so can 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 may be invited to present at specific Sub-Working Group meetings.

V. Civil Society Achievements

April to July

Civil Society Organizations are 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 (info[at]vngoc[dot]org).

Tentative Schedule for Non-Governmental Organization Consultations