Commissioners

The Global Commission on Drug Policy ⁄ Commissioners

Commissioners

THE GLOBAL COMMISSION’S MEMBERSHIP

The high-level political membership of the Global Commission spearheads the overall vision of moving from drug prohibition to legal regulation. Commissioners bring knowledge, experience and valuable influence, and are deeply committed to achieving the overall mission of positive and profound drug policy reform.

Commissioners are actively engaged in international and national efforts, conducting visits to various countries and cities. Commissioners hold high-level bilateral meetings with key stakeholders, they participate in strategic events and engage with community representatives and grassroots organizations on the ground, fostering the formation of coalitions and advocating for political commitment to reform. They systematically leverage media channels to raise awareness around key issues tied to policies that are not in line with human rights.

Current Commissioners

Louise Arbour

Louise Arbour

Former High Commissioner for Human Rights, Canada
Pavel Bém

Pavel Bém

Former Mayor of Prague, Czech Republic
Sir Richard Branson

Richard Branson

Entrepreneur, founder of the Virgin Group, United Kingdom
Fernando Henrique Cardoso

Fernando Henrique Cardoso

Former President of Brazil (Honorary Chair )
Maria Livanos Cattaui

Maria Livanos Cattaui

Former Secretary-General of the International Chamber of Commerce, Switzerland
Helen Clark

Helen Clark

Former Prime Minister of New Zealand ( Chair )
Nicholas Clegg

Nicholas Clegg

Former Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
Ruth Dreifuss

Ruth Dreifuss

Former President of Switzerland
Mohamed ElBaradei

Mohamed ElBaradei

Director General Emeritus of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Egypt
Geoff Gallop

Geoff Gallop

Former Premier of Western Australia
Diego García-Sayán

Diego García-Sayán

Former Minister of Justice and Former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Peru
César Gaviria

César Gaviria

Former President of Colombia
Anand Grover

Anand Grover

Former UN Special Rapporteur on the right to health, India
Adeeba Kamarulzaman

Adeeba Kamarulzaman

Chief Executive Officer, Monash University Malaysia, and Pro Vice-Chancellor and President (Malaysia), Monash University Australia
Michel Kazatchkine

Michel Kazatchkine

Former Executive Director of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, France
Aleksander Kwaśniewski

Aleksander Kwaśniewski

Former President of Poland
Ricardo Lagos

Ricardo Lagos

Former President of Chile
Kgalema Motlanthe

Kgalema Motlanthe

Former President of South Africa
Olusegun Obasanjo

Olusegun Obasanjo

Former President of Nigeria
George Papandreou

George Papandreou

Former Prime Minister of Greece
Michèle Pierre-Louis

Michèle Pierre-Louis

Former Prime Minister of Haiti
José Ramos-Horta

José Ramos-Horta

Reelected President of Timor-Leste
Aleksander Kwaśniewski

Juan Manuel Santos

Former President of Colombia
Michel Sidibé

Michel Sidibé

Former UNAIDS Executive Director and UN Under-Secretary General, Mali
Javier Solana

Javier Solana

Former European Union High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy, Spain
Cassam Uteem

Cassam Uteem

Former President of Mauritius
Ernesto Zedillo

Ernesto Zedillo

Former President of Mexico

Past Commissioners

Kofi Annan

Kofi Annan (1938-2018)

Former Secretary-General of the United Nations, Ghana, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate
Carlos Fuentes (1928-2012)

Carlos Fuentes (1928-2012)

Writer and Public Intellectual, Mexico
Asma Jahangir (1952-2018)

Asma Jahangir (1952-2018)

Former UN Special Rapporteur on Arbitrary, Extrajudicial and Summary Executions, Pakistan
Mario Vargas Llosa

Mario Vargas Llosa (1936-2025)

Writer and public intellectual, Peru
Jorge Sampaio (1939-2021)

Jorge Sampaio (1939-2021)

Former President of Portugal
George Shultz (1920-2021)

George Shultz (1920-2021)

Former Secretary of State (Honorary Chair), United States of America
Thorvald Stoltenberg (1931-2018)

Thorvald Stoltenberg (1931-2018)

Former Minister of Foreign Affairs and UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Norway
Paul Volcker (1927-2019)

Paul Volcker (1927-2019)

Former Chairman of the United States Federal Reserve and of the Economic Recovery Board
John C. Whitehead (1922-2015)

John C. Whitehead (1922-2015)

Banker and Civil Servant, Chair of the World Trade Center Memorial, United States of America

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