Human rights at the heart of our action

The Pompidou Group provides knowledge, support and solutions for effective, evidence-based drug policies, which fully respect human rights based on the following principles:

Human rights are a transversal issue that is taken into account in all Pompidou Group activities to help member states meet their obligations under the Council of Europe and United Nations conventions in the delivery of their drug policies.

A balanced and multidisciplinary approach combines the potential benefits offered by different strands of drug policy (e.g. law enforcement, treatment, prevention).

Innovative and evidence-based policies involve linking policy with practice and research as a prerequisite for informed, coherent and effective drug policy responses.

Effective and efficient use of available resources increases the impact of drug policy interventions by member states.

The Pompidou Group is an integral part of the Council of Europe, the institutional guardian of human rights in Europe, and this is reflected in the quest for synergies with other sectors of the Organisation.

The Pompidou Group works with other regional and international organisations to create synergies and give greater emphasis to human rights in drug policies.

 Read more about the Pompidou Group's work on human rights

Using the occasion of its 50th anniversary, member states of the Pompidou Group adopted a revised statute on 16 June 2021 which lays the framework for its work in the field of drug policy.

The modernised statute should lead to:

• an extended scope of the Group’s work to include addictive behaviours related to illicit substances (such as alcohol or tobacco) and new forms of addictions (such as Internet gambling and gaming),
• a stronger focus on human rights in all our actions, being the only international drug policy platform with a statutory mission to promote and protect the rights of people,
• a reinforced multidisciplinary approach to address drug challenges which can only be tackled effectively if policy, practice and science are linked.

  Resolution of the Committee of Ministers including the revised Pompidou Group statute