is a global advocacy campaign to raise awareness of the harms being caused by the war on drugs. The campaign aims to promote drug policies that respect human rights and protect public health, to change laws and policies that impede access to harm reduction interventions and other evidence-based services, and to end the criminalisation of people who use drugs. Last year, that called on the US State Department to cease funding and aid for drug enforcement agencies in countries that implement the death penalty for drug offenses. SSDP members also participated in actions in New York City and Denver, CO. In addition, at a rally in Dublin organized by local SSDP chapters, the Irish Minister for Drug Strategies publically declared his support for the decriminalization of all drugs for the first time. On top of all of that, many students contributed to the campaign online through social media and the . This year has obviously been a big year for global drug policy reform. demonstrated that support for the international drug control regime is at an all time low.

Young people, in particular, were . The global day of action is another opportunity for us to call out the UN for their exclusion and demonstrate unity around ending the drug war. June 26th is the United Nations’ International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking – a day when many governments celebrate their contributions to the global ‘war on drugs’. Fall Out Boy Owl T-ShirtIn the past, some governments have even commemorated this day by holding public executions or beatings of drug offenders. Shower Head Quick ConnectBy taking part in the Global Day of Action, you can help “reclaim” this message on this important day.Rock Band T Shirt Indonesia If you live near a major city or large population area and want to see if there is already an event being planned near you, contact .

We will let you know when the action is planned for, what is going on, and who to contact about getting involved. Here is a list of confirmed actions that are being organized by SSDP members and allies: If you don’t see your city/country on this list, check out the official 2016 Day of Action page. You can also contact Jake Agliata at . Don’t have time to go to an event or organize one yourself? One of the key components to Support. is the interactive photo project that you can easily contribute to. Just download the , take your photo and then send it to to be uploaded on the website, and on . Send a copy to as well so we can show it off on our website too! Also, be sure to join the campaign’s official Thunderclap. Remember to use #SupportDontPunish with all social media posts, along with #StartMakingSense and #StoptheHarm where appropriate. If you do not live near a location where a Support. event is already being planned, then organize one yourself! . The aim for the Global Day of Action is to produce high-profile and visually symbolic local actions.

It is your choice to decide what these actions are. The only requirement is that these actions are connected to the global campaign by using the . This could be on t-shirts, banners, posters, reports or other materials. This allows us to tie together the local actions and to demonstrate that they are all part of a coordinated global effort. Also, be sure to use the SSDP logo on any materials you make! If you decide to organize an action, let us know about it by e-mailing . We capped our short visit to China with a weekend stop in Hong Kong, the home of many loyal Boilermakers. Hong Kong is a busy metropolis of more than 7 million people. It comprises numerous islands whose hilly peaks are lush with greenery and dotted with large homes and hotels, perched improbably on steep slopes. These are dwarfed, however, by clusters of densely packed skyscrapers that rim the jagged coastline. The population density of Hong Kong is arguably the highest on the planet. It is a land in which most visitors reside far above ground – like birds, from hotel perches tens of stories high.

The constant noise of building, the sunlight bouncing off millions of windows reaching up into the clouds, evokes a sense of entrepreneurism, contrasting with the region's historical gravity as a centuries-old global trading center. One on one visits with Purdue alumni and supporters Purdue Day at China Agricultural University The celebration of the decade-long partnership between Purdue University and China Agricultural University began with the Presidential Symposium on Global Food Security before 400 people in CAU's main auditorium. Event co-chairs Sun Qixin, CAU vice president of research, and Jay Akridge, Purdue Glenn W. Sample Dean of Agriculture, opened the symposium, welcoming a mix of government officials and CAU and Purdue students, faculty and administrators. Speakers included the presidents of CAU and Purdue, representatives of the ministries of education and agriculture, academic deans, and two World Food Prize laureates. CAU's Purdue Day lays groundwork for the future

One of the most important aspects of Purdue Day at China Agricultural University was exploring future collaborations between researchers at CAU and our College of Agriculture. CAU is a world-class agricultural research university, and, like Purdue, is looking to explore research collaborations with international peers. Purdue College of Agriculture department heads, faculty and graduate students spent the full day with CAU colleagues to explore possible areas of collaboration. Ten groups were structured to cover areas ranging from agricultural economics to plant stress biology, plant breeding and plant pathology, animal sciences, and agricultural and biological engineering, to youth development and agricultural education. Some 16 Purdue College of Agriculture representatives and more than 70 CAU faculty were involved in the discussions. Today featured a meeting with the leadership of China Agricultural University and a tour of the East and West campuses and laboratory facilities.

The destination in the morning is China's top comprehensive university, Tsinghua University, to discuss and sign a memorandum of understanding for academic and research collaborations. CAU has a long history with Purdue's College of Agriculture, starting with a Memorandum of Understanding in 1998 that began a decade-long collaboration in student and faculty exchanges. CAU is China's premier agricultural school. It was formed in 1995 with the merger of Beijing Agricultural University and Beijing Agricultural Engineering University. CAU consists of 13 colleges with academic offerings ranging from agriculture and life science to computer science to social sciences. Enrollment includes 15,891 undergraduate and more than 5,400 postgraduate students. The faculty roster numbers almost 1,400. Tsinghua visit lays groundwork for the future University-wide international partnerships are a key component to fulfilling the "Meeting Global Challenges," pillar of Purdue's strategic plan.

During this past academic year, an evaluation process that included vice presidents, deans, department heads and several key faculty led to the decision to target Tsinghua University as Purdue's first such partner. Our visit to Tsinghua this week further deepens the already excellent relationships between our two institutions. The signing of a memorandum of understanding between our two presidents is not only a symbolic act, but also a catalyst that will promote our mutual learning, discovery and engagement missions to solve global challenges related to such areas as health, water, energy, earthquake mitigation and climate. Among the top-ranked universities in the world, Tsinghua University and Purdue University share several similarities. Tsinghua is a comprehensive research and teaching academy, thanks to an emphasis by the Chinese government to increase the number of Chinese residents with college degrees and a strategic plan to become a world-class comprehensive university by 2011.

Known primarily for engineering and science, Tsinghua has established or restored areas of study in law, the arts, public management and journalism. There are 35,369 students, split evenly between undergraduate and graduate students. There are 2,923 faculty, with more than half working in an engineering discipline. Our first experience in Beijing Airport is an enthusiastic greeting by two China Agricultural University students. They bring a large bouquet of flowers for President Córdova and smiles for the Purdue delegation. The students, a young man and woman, wear the celebratory T-shirts designed for Purdue Day with CAU on top in Chinese and Purdue University in English below it. A quick trip through heavy evening traffic ends at the Crowne Plaza Hotel and the site of the Olympic Games near the Bird's Nest. The conversation between the students and Chris Foster, Purdue's first gentleman, turns to soccer and basketball, and the students agree that the next season for Purdue should be one of the best ever.

Purdue expands partnerships with two top Chinese universities WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue University President France A. Córdova will meet with the leaders of two Chinese universities to enhance collaborative research and academic programs. Córdova, a Purdue delegation, and the leaders of Tsinghua University and China Agricultural University are scheduled to meet May 18-21 in Beijing. Signing ceremonies for letters of intent and discussions will set the stage for future research collaborations and student and faculty exchanges, building on existing collaborations in research and study-abroad programs. I'd like to begin by modifying a popular saying: "All global challenges are local." Issues like food safety and security, water - too much or not enough, human health and disease, resource conservation, and natural disasters affect us all in ways that are globally complex, yet unique to our own location and situation. Solving those issues will require the best minds in the world working together.