This report provides an evidence-based analysis of developments in prison systems and criminal justice worldwide. It examines voting rights for prisoners during the 2024 elections and addresses rising rates of suicide and violence, inadequate healthcare, and the environmental impact of prison infrastructure. Emerging topics include the growing use of technology in prisons, highlighting promising practices and ethical challenges. Marking the 15th anniversary of the United Nations Rules for the Treatment of Women Prisoners and Non-custodial Measures for Women Offenders (the Bangkok Rules), the report underscores limited progress in reducing women’s imprisonment and advocates for gender-responsive, community-based alternatives. It also emphasizes the increasing role of individuals with lived experience in driving meaningful reform. Supported by ILANUD, it serves as a key resource for policymakers, practitioners, and researchers working to advance human rights and sustainable reform in criminal justice systems.

This study examines the potential effectiveness of drug decriminalization as an alternative to Kazakhstan’s current punitive approach. It analyses national policy through a SWOT framework, identifying strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats associated with reform. The findings suggest that decriminalization could reduce prison overcrowding and improve access to treatment, but successful implementation would require significant investment in health and social support systems, as well as strengthened public trust in institutions. The study draws on international experiences to assess the feasibility of adopting evidence-based, health-oriented approaches to drug control within the national context.

This paper analyses the impacts of criminalizing drug possession and related offenses in Canada, finding that punitive laws have failed to reduce drug use or improve public safety. Instead, these measures have contributed to poor health outcomes, entrenched stigma, and systemic discrimination, particularly affecting Indigenous, Black, unhoused, and low-income populations. While recent policy discussions have focused on decriminalizing simple possession, penalties for drug trafficking have intensified. The study concludes that this uneven reform may deepen social and health inequities, underscoring the need for comprehensive approaches that align drug policy with public health and human rights objectives.

This report presents findings from consultations held across 15 European cities on local harm reduction responses and emerging drug trends. Cities reported growing challenges, including underfunding, staff shortages, limited availability of drug consumption rooms and checking services, and persistent stigma. Rapid changes in drug markets—marked by rising use of cocaine, new psychoactive substances, and synthetic opioids—have increased overdose risks and exposed gaps in preparedness. Despite these pressures, cities are advancing innovative, rights-based approaches through integrated services, peer-led initiatives, and cross-sectoral cooperation, demonstrating the importance of sustained investment and local leadership in effective harm reduction strategies.

The Human Rights Council’s 60^th session adopted a landmark resolution affirming its mandate to address drug policy within the human rights framework. The resolution calls for alternatives to incarceration, integration of public health and human rights approaches, and the participation of affected communities. Discussions also addressed the death penalty for drug-related offences, arbitrary detention, and the need for voluntary, rights-based drug treatment. The Council requested a report on the impact of drug policies on women and girls and reaffirmed cooperation among UN entities to advance evidence-based, health- and rights-centred approaches to drug control.

This paper examines the scientific, cultural, and legal dimensions of coca, a sacred South American plant currently classified under the same international control as cocaine. It highlights evidence confirming coca’s benign stimulant properties, nutritional value, and deep cultural significance among Indigenous and rural communities. The analysis notes that the current scheduling under the 1961 Convention has restricted research, criminalized traditional practices, and conflicted with international human rights and biodiversity frameworks. The forthcoming WHO Expert Committee review presents an opportunity to distinguish coca from cocaine and to align international policy with scientific evidence and Indigenous rights.

This report examines how global drug control systems perpetuate colonial and racial power imbalances through financial aid, technical assistance, and material support from high-income to low- and middle-income countries. It documents the influence of donor states in shaping punitive drug regimes, including law enforcement training, prison expansion, and abstinence-based education campaigns. The report highlights links between drug enforcement, mass incarceration, and land and resource dispossession, while contrasting these with evidence of the cost-effectiveness of harm reduction. It concludes with recommendations to redirect funding toward health- and rights-based approaches to dismantle discriminatory global drug control structures.

A public consultation is being held from 20 October to 7 November 2025 to assess progress and gather insights on the implementation of the International Guidelines on Human Rights and Drug Policy. The consultation seeks input from community-led and civil society organizations, governments, and experts working on drug policy, harm reduction, sustainable livelihoods, and human rights. Findings will inform UN system discussions on evidence-based, rights-centered, and development-oriented drug policies, highlighting good practices, challenges, and opportunities to strengthen cooperation and promote inclusive, health-focused approaches.

This new WHO guidance sets out recommendations to ensure the continuity of opioid agonist maintenance treatment (OAMT) during crises such as disease outbreaks, conflict, and other emergencies. Recognizing OAMT as an essential, life-saving health service, the report emphasizes that treatment must remain uninterrupted and fully integrated within national health systems. It outlines contingency measures to prevent disruptions, including early coordination with affected communities, expanded take-home treatment options, overdose prevention through naloxone distribution, and strengthened psychosocial support to maintain access and continuity of care for people who use drugs.