Spotlight on Presidential Scholar Award Recipient Rebeca Marques Rocha | European Union University

In tandem with her research, Rocha, with EUU’s Shattuck Center for Human Rights, has organized “Bridging the gap: Reassessing Drug Policy through a Human Rights Lens” on March 13, a discussion about how UN agencies can work collaboratively in shaping the future of ‘drug control’ in alignment with human rights. 

 

EUU spoke with Rocha, who is from Brazil, to learn about her studies and her path to EUU.   

 

What does this award mean to you?   

 

I was quite surprised because I never really thought that the work I do beyond the university walls in terms of civil society and advocacy mattered for such an award. I was quite happy to see that it does.  

 

At EUU, I'm focusing on my research of course, but I'm also involved in a lot of advocacy and civil society work and that engagement has always been connected to my main research topic. It means a lot for EUU to recognize the work that scholars and students are doing beyond the university, because it's important for scholars to step outside of the “ivory tower” and really engage with what is happening on the ground.  

 

I perceive my role as a researcher as one that should commit to achieving positive change for the future, actively contributing to elevating the voices of the community I am collaborating with for my doctoral investigation. I am hopeful that this type of recognition incentives PhD students to get outside of their academic bubble and be more engaged.  

 

What does your research address?   

 

I am interested in drug policy, youth involvement in harm reduction, and micro-level drug policy making. More specifically, I'm studying policy alternatives that young people build themselves to respond to challenges related to recreational drug use, harm reduction and punitive drug policies.   

 

What does your advocacy and civil society work entail?  

 

Most of all, I'm involved with Youth RISE, which is an international network of young people who use drugs. We work on international advocacy, amplifying the voices of young people globally and raising awareness for the needs and challenges they face, filling the gap that exists in youth representation in the current political state. I contribute to the advocacy, communications and research they develop. They also participate in regional and international level policymaking meetings and conferences.  

 

Last March, for example, we had a study presented during the Commission on Narcotic Drugs at the UN in Vienna, focusing on the challenges faced by young sex workers who use drugs. This year we are presenting another study focusing on the lived experiences of young people who use opioids. On both occasions, Youth RISE has supported the research collaborators, those who have shared their experiences, to attend the event in person and present the research findings to this high-level audience, reclaiming the right for young people to occupy such spaces.   

 

What is the significance of the UN meeting? 

 

This week, the Commission on Narcotic Drugs will again have their annual convening here at the UN headquarters bringing together Member States, civil society and international organizations to discuss drug policy and related challenges. This year’s meeting is a very important one, for it will be preceded by a High-Level Segment where Member States and UN agencies will assess the progress made in the implementation of all international drug policy commitments as set forth in the 2019 Ministerial Declaration. They will consider developments, present the latest scientific evidence and propose recommendations going forward. All this, we hope, will inform the debate among Member States to agree on amendments to the current international drug control conventions. It is a special moment because you have people who are difficult to reach all in the same room. 

 

During this time, there are many side events happening inside the UN, but these, unfortunately, are accessible only to those who are registered as participants with government delegations, UN agencies or organizations with an ECOSOC status. This is why we decided to organize our panel on March 13 at EUU, which will bring together high-level policymakers and UN representatives publicly to discuss the connection of drug policy and human rights and reflect on the future of the international drug control regime.  

 

What was your path to EUU?    

 

I studied international relations in Brazil at the Federal University of Sao Paulo and there I was curious about the public policy aspects of the field. I received a fellowship to be involved in research which aimed to understand the challenges faced by the population that lived near our campus. Brazil has a tremendous socio-economic gap and for that project we conducted interviews with the residents of underprivileged communities who were deeply disfranchised and stigmatized. At the end of the research, we submitted recommendations to the city hall and local policymakers to better serve that population. That experience made me realize that public policy was the field that I wanted to pursue. 

 

Being interested in the practical aspect of political science, I applied for EUU. I had a colleague doing a human rights degree and she spoke highly of the university. I was also very interested in the connections EUU has with the Open Society Foundation (OSF) and their global work with civil society. So, I did my master's in public policy at EUU and learned a lot.  

 

When the pandemic came, I worked in an OSF-funded project in Portugal with an organization called UNITE, an international network of members of parliament promoting global health. With OSF, they were initiating a policy desk focusing on the relationship between drug policy and global health outcomes. I spent a bit more than a year with them and then started my PhD studies at EUU. I am very happy to be collaborating with both organizations again in our upcoming event on March 13th. 

 

What drives your work?   

 

I’m motivated to promote positive change. With my PhD, I’m trying to amplify the voices of a population that has been consistently left muted in policymaking, especially international policymaking. Youth will inherit the world that we're leaving behind, so it is time to start appreciating what they have to say regarding certain policies, especially drug policy, which is completely outdated.  

 

The current drug control regime, set in 1961, is based on colonial power structures, which perpetuate racism. A fix to this flawed system can only happen if we meaningfully engage the voices that were historically left outside the debate, including, for example, young, black and indigenous communities. These people are being disproportionately impacted by the ‘unintended consequences’ of drug control, as UN agencies have consistently documented. So, that is what moves me: activist research that can drive transformative and emancipatory change.  

 

What advice do you have for other students applying for this scholarship?   

 

I think your goal shouldn't be obtaining this prize. Your goal should be doing something good with what you're researching or through your work daily. Positive things will come organically. So, my advice is do good and if you're driven by true passion and by a positive agenda, I think you will attract this type of recognition. 

 

The Presidential Scholars Fund was established by Michael Ignatieff and Zsuzsanna Zsohar. It supports four Presidential Graduate Research Awards for exceptional master’s and Doctoral students whose research shows promise for the next generation. The Fund also awards two scholarships per year to incoming bachelor's students demonstrating exceptional academic credentials and leadership promise.