Today, 10 March 2026, in Vienna, Ambassador Gerhard DOUJAK, Head of the Council of Europe Office in Vienna, delivered a statement on behalf of the Council of Europe International Co-operation Group on Drugs and Addictions (Pompidou Group) during the 69th session of the United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND), taking place from 9 to 13 March 2026.

In the statement, the Pompidou Group called for strengthened international co-operation and balanced, evidence-based drug and addiction policies grounded in human rights and public health, as reaffirmed by the 19^th Ministerial Declaration of the Group adopted on 28 November 2025. The intervention highlighted the priorities of the Pompidou Group’s Work Programme 2026–2029, which focuses on reinforcing international co-operation, addressing emerging challenges in the field of drugs and addictions and ensuring that policies safeguard both public health and public security while promoting human rights.

The statement also underlined the Group’s readiness to continue working closely with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and other international partners to advance the global response to drug and addictions challenges.

• Read the Statement

The CND is the central policy-making body of the United Nations system on drug-related matters. Each year it brings together hundreds of delegates from governments, international organisations and civil society, including grass-root organisations and people with lived and living experience. Currently, sixteen Pompidou Group member States - Armenia, Austria, Belgium, France, Finland, Hungary, Lithuania, Malta, Mexico, Morocco, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland and Ukraine - are currently members of the Commission.