“Changing the current drug policy regime has become a life cause for me” – An Interview with Colombia’s Ambassador At-Large for Drug Policy Laura Gil
On the eve of her departure from her post as the Ambassador of Colombia to Austria and Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Vienna, we spoke to Ambassador Laura Gil about her time in Vienna, her achievements, the challenges she faced as well as her hopes for the future of international drug policy.
As the Ambassador At-Large for Drug Policy, she worked with other Member States to break the long-standing Vienna consensus on drugs which led to the first ever resolution that specifically mentioned ‘harm reduction’ being adopted by vote in 2024, while at the last CND in March 2025, Colombia led a resolution that creates an independent expert panel that will conduct a long-over review of the UN drug control ‘machinery’. Her leadership has been exceptional and sets a new high bar for inclusive and engaged diplomacy at the Commission on Narcotic Drugs. She leaves Vienna in mid-July 2025 to take up a new position in Washington DC as the Assistant Secretary-General of the Organisation of American States. We produced this video in cooperation with the International Drug Policy Consortium, and the reporter was Ann Fordham, Executive Director of the IDPC.
Also available in podcast format:
Reporter and text: Ann Fordham, IDPC Video: István Gábor Takács, Drugreporter
