Additional events

Satellite event – City of Amsterdam

Dealing With Drugs II
The international pursuit of sensible regulation
December 4th 2024, Warsaw

The mayor of the City of Amsterdam invites cities and international stakeholders to join her in the pursuit of a more just and humane drug policy.

This event will delve into how controlled regulation can provide solutions and how initial experiments can be wisely designed and sensibly executed. We will focus on the interaction between cities and the European and international community, highlighting cities as innovation hubs and European and international organizations, like the United Nations, as key players in changing international laws and treaties.

The event builds on the outcomes of the Dealing with Drugs Conference in January 2024.

Detailed Program

14.00 Opening and keynotes
The mayor of Amsterdam and the High Commissioner for the Human Rights (by video message) will set the scene for the event, stressing the importance of searching for alternative approaches to drug policy. Ambassador of Colombia Laura Gil will speak about her experiences in the complex world of international cooperation. Keynote speaker Neil Woods will dive into the mechanisms that explain why the war on drugs is not effective. 

Steve Rolles – host / Transform Drugs
Femke Halsema – Mayor of Amsterdam
Volker Türk – UN High Commissioner of the Human Rights (video message)
Neil Woods – Law Enforcement Action Partnership (LEAP)
Laura Gil – Permanent Representative of Colombia to the United Nations

15.30 Parallel sessions

  • ‘How to regulate substances: detailed blueprints for local level experiments’.
    By zooming in to the practical aspects of regulation, the debate can move from the why, to the how of regulation. As author of several ‘how to’ books, Steve Rolles has become one of the most knowledgeable advisors for governments and cities. Pieter Walinga will present a practical canvas that can be used to design experiments with regulation of different substances.
    Steve Rolles – Policy Expert at Transform Drugs Policy Foundation
    Pieter Walinga – Program manager Dealing With Drugs at City of Amsterdam
  • ‘From call to action – International and European collaboration’
    How to connect the local, the European and the international level? How to set the agenda for controlled legal regulation? Representatives of various organizations and networks explore how to cooperate on the topic of regulation and drug policy reform.
    Jamie Bridge (host, International Drug Policy Consortium)
    Lynn Ruane (Unite Parliamentarians Network) tbc
    Pavel Bem (Former Mayor of Prague, Global Commission on Drug Policy)
    Allan Casey (Councillor Glasgow)
    Zaved Mahmood (Advisor for the High Commissioner of the Human Rights)
    Sabine Gimbrère (Head of International Affairs, city of Amsterdam)
  • ‘Building the case for legal regulation’
    The quest for regulation is grounded in multiple, sometimes contradicting, arguments. Without a coherent framework, the debate often revolves around (moral) standing points and narrow-sighted argumentations. A comprehensive framework for regulation can unite stakeholders from different perspectives and bring the debate beyond the ‘if’ and towards the ‘how’. Viktor Mravcik and Jana Michailidu present their ‘case for legal regulation’ and discuss how the framework they constructed can be used as a ground for new steps.
    Viktor Mravčík  – Scientific advisor National Drug Coordinator Czech Republic
    Jana Michailidu – University of Chemistry and Technology in Prague (UCT Prague)

17.00 Closing panel
Looking back at the state of the quest for regulation, looking forward to opportunities for international cooperation.

More information & event details
The event is accessible without costs and open to all EHRC participants. Invited guests who will only visit the satellite event can subscribe for Wednesday the 4th of December, no conference fee will be charged.

  • Date and time: 4th of December 2024, 14.00-18.30h (or 11h, if you consider to visit the local panel at the Harm Reduction Conference)
  • The event will be moderated by Steve Rolles of Transform Drug Policy Foundation

5-5-5 – We Won’t Be Left Behind

A national and regional roundtable on World AIDS Day 2024
December 1st 2024, Warsaw

On this year’s World AIDS Day, the European AIDS Treatment Group (EATG), Correlation – European Harm Reduction Network (C-EHRN) and Fundacja Edukacji Spolecznej (FES) are organising a face-to-face roundtable in Warsaw (Poland). The roundtable will bring together policymakers, healthcare professionals, community leaders, civil society organisations, and international partners to discuss gaps, barriers, and potential solutions to achieving the 95% and 5% targets.

The objective of the meeting is to foster consensus across sectors on short and medium-term actions to be taken in Poland and at EU level to achieve the targets set in the Global AIDS Strategy and WHO Europe action plans. CORE project’s partners will then follow up on the action points agreed at the meeting with national and EU institutions in the coming year.

More information & event details

  • Date and time: 1st of December 2024, 13:00-17:00h
  • Please register here to attend the face-to-face roundtable. Registration is free.
  • Learn more about the CORE project here. Check out EATG’s website for the latest updates on the event at this link.

Tel. +31 20 570 7826 (direct)
c/o Foundation
De REGENBOOG GROEP
Droogbak 1d
1013 GE Amsterdam
The Netherlands

With financial support of
the European Union

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