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2008 Conference Website Launched
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IHRA and the Conference Consortium are pleased to announce the launch of www.ihraconferences.net - the new website for “Harm Reduction 2008: IHRA’s 19th International Conference”, which is scheduled to take place in May 2008 in Barcelona, Spain. The website, which will be updated from now right up until the conference itself, is the first port of call for any information and enquiries about the event itself, the registration process, the programme, abstract submission, travel and accommodation – as well as providing overviews, resources and photos from the previous 18 conferences in this series.
IHRA’s harm reduction conferences (formerly known as the ‘International Conference on the Reduction of Drug Related Harm’), have been held around the world each year since 1990. They have become must attend events for the harm reduction field - the key forum for the dissemination of ideas, research, projects and practice. These events have helped to put harm reduction on the map and to coordinate advances, innovations, evidence and advocacy in this field.
The most recent event (the 18th International Conference on the Reduction of Drug Related Harm in Warsaw, Poland in May 2007) attracted over 1,200 delegates from nearly 90 countries and featured five days of knowledge sharing, networking and education in the field of harm reduction. The delegates included frontline workers, researchers, students, policy makers, members of governments, officials from law enforcement agencies and the judiciary, criminal justice workers, UN officials, members of national and international NGO’s and members of international and national drug user organisations.
“Harm Reduction 2008” will take place from Sunday 11th to Thursday 15th May 2008 at the Palacio de Congresos, Fira de Barcelona, Spain. The conference theme is “Towards a Global Approach” – which encapsulates the need to increase the geographical coverage of effective, evidence-based harm reduction interventions, but also the need for harm reduction to reach out and embrace other fields such as human rights, poverty alleviation and economic development. The conference will consist of plenary sessions, major sessions, symposia, workshops, training events, poster exhibitions, and satellite sessions. There will also be a film festival, an exhibition area for sponsors and supporters, the annual IHRA award presentations, and a variety of social and networking events.
Click here to view the new conference website – www.ihraconferences.net
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Harm Reduction in the Middle East and North Africa
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 IHRA and the World Health Organization (WHO) are pleased to announce the launch of a new harm reduction network for the Middle East and North Africa region. Through generous funding from the Drosos Foundation in Switzerland, this programme of work – called Menahra – aims at building harm reduction capacity and build on the existing advances and progress in the region.
The Menahra project was officially launched when all of the key regional partners met in Cairo, Egypt in June 2007. The Menahra network will be initially hosted by Soins Infirmiers et Developpement Communautaire (SIDC) in Lebanon. In this role, SIDC will be responsible for identifying potential members and partners in the region, creating a website for the project (for use as a regional communication tool and discussion forum), and releasing e-Newsletters to review the harm reduction activities in the region. They will also be conducting a constitution document for the region (based on the recommendations of a regional consultation on harm reduction in November 2006).
In addition to the Menahra network, there are also plans to deliver model harm reduction projects in the region based on best practice. A regional harm reduction knowledge hub is being developed, comprising the following three interlinked sub-regional knowledge hubs:
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- Tehran, Iran - hosted by the Iranian National Council on Addictions (INCAS)
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- Beirut, Lebanon - hosted by SIDC (Soins Infirmiers Developpement Communautaire) in collaboration with Lebanese AIDS Society, IMTI (International Management and Training Institute), and YMCA
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- Rabat, Morocco - a consortium of two University Psychiatric Centres (Ar Razi National Centre on Drug Abuse Treatment and Research, Rabat, and the Ibn Rochd Psychiatric University Centre, Casablanca), and two NGOs (OPALS and ALCS Morocco), with input from the Ministry of Health.
If you would like more information on the Menahra project, or would like to sign up for further bulletins or e-Newsletters, please contact Micheline Abou Chrouch, the network’s interim coordinator. SIDC would also be interested in hearing from you if you could provide details of people or organisations working on harm reduction in the region. The Menahra website will be launched soon.
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 Click here for the official network launch announcement in English [PDF: 39KB]
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Click here for the official network launch announcement in French [PDF: 43KB]
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Click here for the official network launch announcement in Arabic [PDF: 140KB]
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IHRA Granted Status within the United Nations
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The International Harm Reduction Association (IHRA) has been granted “special consultative status” by the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations (ECOSOC). This follows a recommendation in February 2007 from the UN Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations. This accreditation allows IHRA to attend and take an active role in the conferences and meetings convened by the UN and its preparatory bodies.
ECOSOC opened its doors to non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in 1946, when 41 were granted consultative status. Since then, the number of accredited organisations has been steadily increasing, and there are currently around 3,000 around the world. Similar status has also been granted to the Transform Drug Policy Foundation, whose Director, Danny Kushlick, is a member of the IHRA Executive Committee.
This status allows IHRA to have more of a voice within the United Nations systems, and strengthens our position as the leading international organisation promoting harm reduction approaches for all psychoactive drugs. IHRA can now designate official representatives to the UN headquarters in New York (USA) and the UN offices Geneva (Switzerland) and Vienna (Austria).
Click here for the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations (ECOSOC) website
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Click here for more information on NGO engagement within the UN
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“Beyond 2008”: Have Your Say on UN Drug Policies
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In June 1998, the United Nations General Assembly held a special session (UNGASS) to focus on the world drug problem and agree on actions and targets to reduce the problem by 2008. The Session culminated in the adoption of a Political Declaration committing some 150 states to the achievement of significant and measurable results in reduction of illicit supply and demand for drugs by the year 2008. A review of the UN’s achievements and progress is due to be undertaken in 2008 followed by a high level UN meeting in 2009 to identify future action at the international and national levels.
This review process presents an ideal opportunity for civil society to reflect on its own achievements and limitations, and exchange ideas with, reach agreements with, and make recommendations to the UN. As a result, the Vienna NGO Committee on Narcotic Drugs, in collaboration with its sister NGO Committee in New York, have created “Beyond 2008” – a global NGO forum targeted at this review. They have appointed three organisations from each of six regions (‘South East and East Asia and the Pacific’, ‘South Asia’, ‘Latin America and the Caribbean’, ‘Sub-Saharan Africa’, ‘North Africa and the Middle East’ and ‘East Europe and Central Asia’) to lead the regional consultation process - including key harm reduction organisations such as the Central and Eastern Europe Harm Reduction Network, the Asian Harm Reduction Network Intercambios (Argentina) and Persepolis (Iran).
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The “Beyond 2008” initiative is also attempting to collect the experiences of civil society through an NGO questionnaire - adapted from the questionnaire that is completed by national governments for the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). The questionnaire is now available online in the six official languages of the United Nations (English, French, Spanish, Russian, Chinese and Arabic). By completing the questionnaire (which can be saved to allow for completion over several sessions if necessary), you can ensure that your experiences are recognised in this process and that the “Beyond 2008” NGO forum is as representative as possible of civil society from around the world.
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Click here for more information on the “Beyond 2008” initiative
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Click here to view the questionnaire (in six languages)
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Research Internship Opportunities at IHRA (London)
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IHRA is currently seeking two interns to assist in research and data collection as part of the preparation of a new annual report entitled ‘The Global State of Harm Reduction’ (due for publication in May 2008). The internships would be based at the IHRA London Offices from August until October 2007. This is an excellent opportunity to gain first hand experience working for a major international NGO report. The research interns will work as part of HR2, IHRA’s harm reduction and human rights monitoring and policy analysis programme under the direction of Catherine Cook - IHRA’s Research Analyst.
Responsibilities:
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- To conduct secondary desktop research on HIV, Hepatitis C, injecting drug use and harm reduction from relevant sources including international reports and academic journals
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- To manage an excel database containing data on HIV, HCV, injecting drug use and harm reduction in each country
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- To maintain electronic files and database of international reports and academic research papers used as data sources
Skills and experience required:
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- Excellent academic research skills
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- Familiarity with issues and terminology related to HIV/AIDS, injecting drug use and harm reduction
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- Familiarity with large spreadsheet management in Microsoft Excel
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- Familiarity with managing large data sets
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- Attention to detail and ability to work to deadlines
These positions are unpaid, although IHRA will provide money for travel costs and lunches.
To apply, please send a copy of your CV with a short covering email stating your reasons for applying and your availability to Catherine Cook. The deadline for applications is Wednesday 15th August 2007.
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August 2007 Article of the Month
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Cohen J, Ezer T, McAdams P & Miloff M (Eds.) (2007) Health and Human Rights: A Resource Guide for the Open Society Institute and Soros Foundations Network. New York & Montreal: Open Society Institute & Equitas
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This six-chapter resource guide provides a practical tool for advocates working at the intersection of health and human rights. It includes fact sheets, programme descriptions, jurisprudence, case studies, bibliographies and glossary definitions on six areas of health and human rights – including harm reduction (Chapter 3). Prepared by staff from the Open Society Institute (OSI) and Equitas for a 2007 global OSI meeting on health and human rights, the guide has broader applications for anyone dedicated to the pursuit of harm reduction, public health and human rights.
One of the most useful elements of the guide (particularly for people without specific legal knowledge or training) is it’s synthesis of international human rights law and an explanation of how that law can be applied to health advocacy. The guide breaks down potentially complex case law into easy-to-use tables, highlighting fundamental legal principles and decisions and how these can be applied within the context of various health advocacy areas. Each chapter also contains case studies of effective advocacy campaigns in the various topic areas, as well as a listing of key resources, publications and websites.
The specific chapter on “Harm Reduction and Human Rights” explores advocacy campaigns in areas such as policing, peer-to-peer documentation and legal challenges. This is a welcome and much needed addition to the existing resources on health and human rights advocacy – which will be detailed in a “50 Best Collection” on ‘Harm Reduction Advocacy’ – which is due for release later in 2007.
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Click here to view the publication [PDF: 4.87MB]
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‘What Works?’ - New ‘Findings’ Online Resource Launched
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Drug and alcohol agencies around the world can now freely access research and evidence of 'what works' in terms of drug and alcohol interventions, approaches and policies. A new web-based service has replaced Drug and Alcohol Findings magazine - the world’s only periodical to specifically focus on research which could improve the effectiveness of services for drug users.
The new website - http://findings.org.uk – is being stocked with the entire contents of the past 15 issues of Drug and Alcohol Findings magazine as well as a searchable database and, eventually, an 'Effectiveness Bank' of research papers and abstracts. In addition, reports on new studies will be continuously added to keep visitors up to date with the latest findings – all for no charge and with no subscription.
This project is a joint venture in the UK between DrugScope, Alcohol Concern, the National Addiction Centre and the Drug and Alcohol Findings team. It is funded by the J. Paul Getty Jr. Charitable Trust.
For more information, please contact Mike Ashton or visit the new website - http://findings.org.uk
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New IJDP Issue Released
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The current issue of the International Journal of Drug Policy (IHRA’s official journal) was released recently. Volume 18, Issue 3 presents a range of original research papers on a wide range of topics – including cannabis policy and cannabis use around the world.
In this issue, Dennis Gorman and Charles Huber demonstrate how the introduction of medical cannabis laws in three US states was not associated with increased cannabis use in the general population – discrediting a key concern raised by opponents to these laws. This is followed by an analysis by Beatriz Acevedo on the reclassification of cannabis from a ‘class B’ to a ‘class C’ drug in the UK. The reclassification move was highly politicised in the UK and means that, although cannabis is still illegal, there are more lenient punishments attached to possession crimes and less police resources spent on enforcing the law for cannabis. The analysis describes the contention that surrounds cannabis reclassification (particularly relating to the mental health harms associated with cannabis), the re-definition of the ‘cannabis problem’ and the creation of a new type of ‘cannabis user’. This last point is picked up in another report by Dirk Korf and colleagues, who present a typology of cannabis use based on consumption and cannabis potency in the Netherlands. Finally, Chris Wilkins and Paul Sweetsur’s analysis of cannabis-related expenditure and earnings in New Zealand suggests that high spending on cannabis may be substantially offset by many people through earnings from selling surplus cannabis.
There are several other topics covered as well, including:
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- the state of harm reduction in Tanzania (where interventions urgently need to be scaled-up in the context of a growing population of HIV-positive injecting drug users)
- hepatitis C knowledge and prevention in the dance scene in Sydney, Australia
- the links between sterile drug injection equipment and HCV-negativity in Montreal, Canada
- improving health and social care relationships in harm reduction services
- incentives for, barriers to, and ethical issues of the participation of drug users in research participation
- young people's drug choices in Russia (in the context of youth culture, local drugs markets and broader socio-economic factors
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To view the current edition of the International Journal of Drug Policy (including free access to the contents pages and abstracts), please visit http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/09553959
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Click here to subscribe to the journal by becoming an IHRA Premium or Institutional member.
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