Joint Statement: Compulsory Drug Detention, Rehabilitation Centres & COVID-19 in Asia Pacific

Against the backdrop of COVID-19, recalling the 2012 Joint Statement on compulsory drug detention and rehabilitation centres1 and the 2020 Joint Statement on COVID-19 in prisons and other closed settings2, United Nations entities urgently appeal to Member States to permanently close compulsory drug detention and rehabilitation centres and implement voluntary, evidence-informed and rights-based health and social services in the community as an important measure to curb the spread of COVID-19 and to facilitate the recovery and reintegration of those in the centres back into their families and communities.