Resident Coordinator's remarks at the launch of the regional report "Compulsory Drug Treatment and Rehabilitation in East and Southeast Asia"

Esteemed colleagues and friends, FCCT members and distinguished guests,

It is my pleasure join you here today for the launch of the Regional Report, and to share ideas how we can work together to end compulsory drug treatment and rehabilitation in East and Southeast Asia.

Thank you FCCT for hosting this discussion on an issue of such social importance. We can all learn from the experts sharing their insights related to the report and its findings.

From UN Country Team perspective, I want to cover how this important work is fundamental to the UN’s support for Member States’ progress towards the SDGs and the principle of Leaving No One Behind.

Maintaining compulsory facilities in the name of drug treatment is simply not consistent with SDG 3 to “Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages”, which underpins the entire 2030 Agenda and our collective work for sustainable development.

I want to commend UNODC and UNAIDS for their collaboration on this report and their longstanding work on these issues. This kind of joint UN advocacy is crucial to address not only the health but also social welfare and employment issues related to compulsory treatment and incarceration.

Let’s be honest in our assessment – there has been very little progress since the first UN joint statement calling for the closure of compulsory facilities 10 years ago. The narrative persists that people who use drugs and have drug disorders will be deterred by harsh punishment, despite abundant evidence to the contrary shown in overflowing prisons and treatment centers.

We need fresh thinking, based on the best-available data, to break this pattern. This is why the joint report is so important to inform us, policymakers and the public about where countries stand on their path to permanently end compulsory treatment and rehabilitation.

The goal is to support Member States transition to voluntary community-based approaches, including through expert case studies encompassing other elements such as harm reduction, mental health and social welfare services, and housing and employment.

We also recognize the positive strides made by Thailand recently and its potential to be a regional leader, with reforms that should lead to fewer people being imprisoned for personal drug use and possession, and the abolishment of compulsory treatment. Now is the time to consider how we can build on these reforms and maximize positive outcomes for people and society.

The report showcases examples of proven alternatives from across the region, often peer-based services run by civil society organizations, which Member States can replicate and scale up for wider impact.

These trailblazing CSOs should be commended, but services such as HIV prevention through harm reduction measures are still generally lacking, resulting in burdens on health systems, reduced wellbeing and quality of life, and increased mortality.

New approaches on voluntary treatment and care should accompany decriminalization of personal drug use, as set forth in the UN system’s 2018 Common Position on Drug Control committing to alternatives to conviction and punishment in appropriate cases, including decriminalization of drug possession for personal use, and to promote the principle of proportionality.

This work is grounded in the principles of human rights and Leaving No One Behind that are fundamental to the UN mandate. In this spirit, I want to highlight UNODC and UNAIDS’ related work during the pandemic response, providing support and personal protective equipment to the most vulnerable, including people in prisons and those subject to stigma and discrimination.

People who use drugs or who are in involuntary treatment or detention are members of our communities, deserving of the same rights afforded to the rest of us, and to be free of stigma and discrimination that harms their own wellbeing and that of society as a whole.

The UN system stands ready with partners supporting Governments to align with international standards, norms, and conventions, and end compulsory drug treatment. The evidence shows that legal, health and social welfare systems that provide support instead of harsh punishment result in improved outcomes for us all.

I look forward to further discussions and working together to move this issue forward in Thailand and the region.

Thank you.