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The following article was written by H.E Mrs Ruth Dreifuss, former President of Switzerland and chair of the Global Commission on Drug Policy. The article was written on the occasion of the 72nd World Health Assembly, where Kofi Annan’s contributions to global health and drug policies were recognised. It was originally in…
What We Owe to Kofi Annan’s Legacy in Global Health by H.E. Ruth Dreifuss
The following article was written by H.E Mrs Ruth Dreifuss, former President of Switzerland and chair of the Global Commission on Drug Policy. The article was written on the occasion of the 72nd World Health Assembly, where Kofi Annan’s contributions to global health and drug policies were recognised. It was originally in Tages-Anzeiger. GENEVA – This week, as representatives from all countries gather in Geneva for the World Health Assembly, a notable person, who did so much to advance global public health solutions, will be sorely missed: Kofi Annan, who passed away in summer, 2018. On Monday, May 21, 2019,…
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Convened by Kofi Annan, the West Africa Commission (WACD) on Drugs comprises a group of distinguished West Africans from the worlds of politics, civil society, health, security and the judiciary. The Commission, chaired by former President Olusegun Obasanjo of Nigeria, is an independent body and can therefore speak with impartiality and directness.…
West Africa Commission on Drugs
Convened by Kofi Annan, the West Africa Commission (WACD) on Drugs comprises a group of distinguished West Africans from the worlds of politics, civil society, health, security and the judiciary. The Commission, chaired by former President Olusegun Obasanjo of Nigeria, is an independent body and can therefore speak with impartiality and directness. With the support of leading experts and the Global Commission on Drug Policy, the WACD delivered comprehensive policy recommendations and an authoritative report in June 2014. This report is the culmination of one and a half years of engagement by the Commission with national, regional and international parties…
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15 December 2016 Dear Friends, First of all I would like to thank the Swiss government, the Global Commission on Drug Policy and the Graduate Institute for organizing this event and inviting me to say a few words to you. Our Chair, my friend Ruth, has briefly introduced the Global Commission on…
Health and human rights-centered drug policies: the essential role of International Geneva
15 December 2016 Dear Friends, First of all I would like to thank the Swiss government, the Global Commission on Drug Policy and the Graduate Institute for organizing this event and inviting me to say a few words to you. Our Chair, my friend Ruth, has briefly introduced the Global Commission on Drug Policy, of which I am proud to be a member. When we talk about drug policy today and lament that earlier this year the international community could have done much more and did not make as much progress as many of us here in this room had…
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The West Africa Commission on Drugs was convened by the Kofi Annan Foundation in 2013 to help counter the threat posed by the illegal drugs trade. ——————————– Two Commissioners of the West Africa Commission on Drugs, Dr. Mary Chinery-Hesse (Ghana) and Mr. Adeolu Ogunrombi (Nigeria), visited Liberia from February 29th to March…
West Africa Commission on Drugs visits Libera
The West Africa Commission on Drugs was convened by the Kofi Annan Foundation in 2013 to help counter the threat posed by the illegal drugs trade. ——————————– Two Commissioners of the West Africa Commission on Drugs, Dr. Mary Chinery-Hesse (Ghana) and Mr. Adeolu Ogunrombi (Nigeria), visited Liberia from February 29th to March 4th. They paid a courtesy call on President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf during which they briefed her on key findings and recommendations of the Commission’s report entitled Not Just in Transit: Drugs, the State, and Society in West Africa. President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf said many Liberian youth are unemployed and uneducated…
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Commissioners Christine Kafando of Burkina Faso and Dr Idrissa Ba of Senegal will visit Conakry on 5 and 6 August 2015. The Commissioners will share the key finding of the Commission’s report Not Just in Transit: Drugs, the State and Society in West Africa with officials, members of the press and with civil…
WACD to visit Guinea for the first time
Commissioners Christine Kafando of Burkina Faso and Dr Idrissa Ba of Senegal will visit Conakry on 5 and 6 August 2015. The Commissioners will share the key finding of the Commission’s report Not Just in Transit: Drugs, the State and Society in West Africa with officials, members of the press and with civil society at large. “Drug trafficking, consumption and production in Guinea and beyond can undermine institutions, threaten public health and damage development efforts,” Dr Idrissa Ba will say. “The West Africa Commission on Drugs is ready to support Guinea to counter this trend.” “In line with the findings of…
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WORLD HEALTH ASSEMBLY “Strengthening a Public Health Approach when Addressing the World Drug Problem” Organized by the governments of Albania, Australia, Colombia, Guatemala, Mexico, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Senegal, Switzerland and Uruguay, and the Global Commission on Drug Policy – speech by Kofi Annan The preamble of the 1961 United Nations single…
Towards UNGASS 2016
WORLD HEALTH ASSEMBLY “Strengthening a Public Health Approach when Addressing the World Drug Problem” Organized by the governments of Albania, Australia, Colombia, Guatemala, Mexico, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Senegal, Switzerland and Uruguay, and the Global Commission on Drug Policy – speech by Kofi Annan The preamble of the 1961 United Nations single convention on narcotic drugs states that the “health and welfare of mankind” is the main objective of that convention. Unfortunately, current drug policies in many countries will not lead to the achievement of that objective. To the contrary, those policies have resulted in what the United Nations Office on…
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In recent years, a massive growth of drug trafficking has progressively undermined the stability of West African societies. West African countries are now used as transshipment points between producers in Latin America and Asia and consumers in Europe and the United States. They have also turned into drug producing and consuming societies themselves with dire…
WACD Outreach: Civil Society Workshop in Accra
In recent years, a massive growth of drug trafficking has progressively undermined the stability of West African societies. West African countries are now used as transshipment points between producers in Latin America and Asia and consumers in Europe and the United States. They have also turned into drug producing and consuming societies themselves with dire consequences for public health. After the groundbreaking publication of the West Africa Commission on Drugs (WACD) report “Not Just in Transit: Drugs, the State and Society in West Africa” in June 2014, which tackled the problem and encouraged evidence-based political solutions, the Commission has been engaged in the promotion of the…
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The trafficking and consumption of drugs destabilizes West African societies, derails development efforts, undermines peace and security, and threatens public health. Drug laws in West Africa are not having the desired effects: neither drug use nor drug trafficking have been effectively reduced. Starting in 2014, the West Africa Commission on Drugs has…
West Africa has a drug problem
The trafficking and consumption of drugs destabilizes West African societies, derails development efforts, undermines peace and security, and threatens public health. Drug laws in West Africa are not having the desired effects: neither drug use nor drug trafficking have been effectively reduced. Starting in 2014, the West Africa Commission on Drugs has called on governments in the region to change their laws. Some governments are willing to consider reform and the WACD wants to further support this ongoing work with the Model Drug Law, which provides concrete templates that countries can adapt to reform their drug laws: legal provisions and…
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At the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2014, Mr Annan participated in a plenary session “The Drugs Dilemma: Consequences for Society, Politics and Business” with Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos, Governor of Texas Rick Perry and Human Rights Watch Executive Director Ken Roth. The panel largely condemned drug prohibition as unsuccessful and…
The Drug Dilemma at Davos
At the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2014, Mr Annan participated in a plenary session “The Drugs Dilemma: Consequences for Society, Politics and Business” with Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos, Governor of Texas Rick Perry and Human Rights Watch Executive Director Ken Roth. The panel largely condemned drug prohibition as unsuccessful and insisted on a new approach.
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Accra, Ghana – Olusegun Obasanjo, chairman of the West Africa Commission on Drugs and Kofi Annan, chair of the Kofi Annan Foundation met with John Dramani Mahama, chair of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and President of Ghana today to discuss regional responses to the growing drugs threat in…
Obasanjo and Annan met with President Mahama on West Africa drug challenges
Accra, Ghana – Olusegun Obasanjo, chairman of the West Africa Commission on Drugs and Kofi Annan, chair of the Kofi Annan Foundation met with John Dramani Mahama, chair of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and President of Ghana today to discuss regional responses to the growing drugs threat in West Africa. In June, the West Africa Commission on Drugs concluded that drug trafficking, consumption and production in West Africa undermines institutions, threatens public health and damages development efforts. It called on West African governments to reform drug laws and policies and decriminalize low-level and non-violent drug offences.…
