Click Here to View an Important Guide for Delegates
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Road Closure at Conference Venue
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Due to the popularirity of La Fira de Barcelona as a conference venue, the main road outside of the conference venue - Avienda Reina Maria Cristina - will be closed on Sunday 11th May all day to accommodate another conference and exhibition.
For those delegates arriving into the Plaza Espana metro station, a short detour will have to be taken to reach the Palacio de Congressos and Harm Reduction 2008. The map below shows the alternative route that you will have to use from Plaza Espana (bottom right hand corner) to the Palacio de Congressos (marked in red as number 5). It is a short detour and should take no more than 10 minutes by foot.
For those delegates arriving via taxi, please ask your driver to go via ‘Carrer Lleida’.
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Please note that this diversion will only be necessary on Sunday 11th May, not throughout the conference.
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There will be volunteers wearing conference t-shirts in or around Plaza Espana to assist delegates. We apologise for the minor inconvenience but hope that this advance warning will assist you to plan for the extra time to get to the venue on Sunday.
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Important Payment Information for Barcelona
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If you have registered for Harm Reduction 2009 and paid your delegate fee, we look forward to welcoming you to Barcelona next week. We would like to ask all delegates to ensure that they bring some proof of their payment with them to the conference (such as a receipt or confirmation email) to assist with the check-in process. Many bank transfers are still anonymous, and naturally we need to match the right payment to the right delegate!
Ahead of the conference, we would also encourage all delegates to consult the electronic registration system to check that their payment has been cleared.
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Click here to visit the electronic registration system
For those delegates who wish to pay on arrival for either their full delegate fee and/or any outstanding amounts (such as bank charges owed on their account), there will be facilities for this at the ‘check-in’ desks in the conference venue. Payments can be made in cash (in Euros or in UK Pounds and US Dollars at a set daily rate) or by credit card. Any change given will be in Euros. Please contact the conference team if you have any questions or concerns.
We would like to thank all delegates in advance for their co-operation.
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International Sex Worker Community Release Collective Statement
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In recent months, sex worker organisations and advocates from around the world have united in order to participate in Harm Reduction 2008: IHRA’s 19th International Conference in Barcelona, Spain (11th – 15th May 2008). This has culminated in the formation of an International Sex Worker Harm Reduction Caucus and the development of a collective statement explaining their position and perspectives.
The Caucus aims to increase the participation of sex workers and their organisations and allies in discussions about harm reduction at the international level. It includes representatives from all over the world – including the Network of Sex Work Projects (NSWP), the SWAN network (Europe), the Sex-workers and Allies Network (Sweden), the Scarlet Alliance (Australia), and the Sex Worker Outreach Project (SWOP), the Best Practices Policy Project (BPPP), Saint James Infirmary, the Desiree Alliance, Bayswan, and Different Avenues (all in the USA).
The Caucus has developed a statement that aims to represent the thoughts of sex workers around the world in terms of harm reduction and human rights. The statement is based, in part, on materials developed by ‘Stella’ – a Canadian sex worker rights organisation – and there has been input from sex worker groups in many countries and regions. The statement affirms that sex work is legitimate work rather than a ‘harm’ of drug use which needs to be reduced. In the spirit of “Nothing about us, without us”, the statement also calls for sex worker engagement, leadership and empowerment as essential elements for all programmes wishing to promote the health and safety of sex worker communities.
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 Click here to view the statement in English [PDF:206KB]
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Click here to view the statement in Spanish [PDF:197KB]
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Click here to view the statement in Russian [PDF:236KB]
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At Harm Reduction 2008, the Caucus has helped to organise two sessions on Wednesday 14th May on the topic of sex work harm reduction – a Living Room Session on ‘Reducing Harms in Sex Work: Practical presentations from peer-led programmes’, followed by a Concurrent Session on ‘Sex Work: The impact and harms of criminalisation and how to reduce them’. These sessions have been supported by scholarships from the Open Society Institute's Sexual Health and Rights Project (SHARP) and Mama Cash (Netherlands), and include presentations from all over the world.
The International Sex Worker Harm Reduction Caucus would like to encourage the wide distribution of this document. For further information, or to sign up to the statement (before 14th May 2008), please contact Penelope Saunders or visit the group at their exhibition booth at the conference (Level 1; Booth 1).
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Important Announcement for Delegates with Children
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There have been a number of enquiries concerning childcare at the conference. For reasons of space and cost there are no crèche facilities provided within the venue. However IHRA and the Conference consortium recognise that some delegates who have children will wish to attend the conference and may have difficulty in making arrangements for children to be looked after during their participation and in the light of this some children will be admitted to the venue at the discretion of the organisers.
Registered delegates for the conference may bring a child into the venue but access is restricted to the communal areas and children will not be allowed into the plenary, major, concurrent, living room, or six o’clock sessions of the conference.
The conference is a place of work and not designed with children in mind. A delegate bringing a child into the venue is solely responsible for the care and control of the child and must comply with any requests and instructions from conference staff. Failure to do so or may result in the organisers exercising their right to ask the responsible person to take the child out of the venue.
Regrettably due to Spanish law nobody under the age of 18 can be admitted to the conference party venue. The organisers have been unable to negotiate any relaxation of this and no exceptions can be made.
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Medical Facilities in Barcelona: Important Deadline Approaching
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Since 1990, IHRA’s annual international harm reduction conferences have been attended by thousands of delegates from a wide range of backgrounds. As such, the Conference Organisers are keen to ensure that they provide extensive Medical and Healthcare Facilities for delegates who may have special requirements – including a needle exchange for people who use drugs and referrals to the local supervised drug consumption rooms. In order to do this in Barcelona, a Health Committee has been established - consisting of local and international healthcare professionals and people who use drugs.
Delegates who can not bring their own medication to Barcelona may require the provision of opioid substitution treatments or other medical treatments when they are at the conference – such as treatments for HIV/AIDS, hepatitis C, tuberculosis or sexually transmitted diseases. In order to secure this provision, however, delegates must send their information before Friday 25th April 2008 in order for us to ensure you receive your medical treatment.
Please also note that only methadone in solution can be provided in Barcelona – and not buprenorphine, injectable methadone and diamorphine. Therefore, conference delegates may need to transfer their treatment prescriptions before they travel.
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Click here for more information and contact details
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Conference delegates are also reminded that they should arrange their own health and travel insurance in advance of their journey to Barcelona, and should ensure that they have the appropriate documentation with them at the conference. In particular, all conference delegates who are undertaking any kind of medical treatment are asked to bring a medical record from their doctor in case of unexpected circumstances. These records must be written in English, Spanish or Catalan, and must specify the delegate’s conditions and the treatment that they are following.
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Click here to contact Jimi Grieve – Chair of the Health Committee
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WHO and UNODC Organise ‘Double Concurrent’ Session
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The World Health Organisation (WHO), WHO Europe Regional Office (WHO-EURO) and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) have organised a high-profile ‘Double Concurrent’ at Harm Reduction 2008 on the issue of Universal Access to HIV Prevention and Treatment for Drug Users. The session will take place in two parts on Monday 12th May 2008 (14:15 to 15:45 and 16:15 to 17:45 - either side of the afternoon coffee break), and will feature eight presentations from key experts from the international community. The sessions will be held in Room 7 - the main auditorium at the conference venue, with translation available in English, Spanish, French and Russian.
It is estimated that up to 10% of all new HIV infections around the world are attributable to injecting drug use and approximately 3 million past and current injecting drug users are living with HIV/AIDS. UNAIDS, WHO and UNODC have all committed to working towards the goal of universal access to HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment for all - including injecting drug users. However, overall access to HIV prevention and treatment services is poor in most countries and coverage is still very low in comparison with the size of the injecting drug user population.
In this ‘Double Concurrent’ session, under the chairmanship of Christian Kroll (UNODC) and Martin Donoghoe (WHO-EURO), eight experts will discuss challenges related to access to and coverage of HIV prevention and treatment for injecting drug users:
• Martin Donoghoe (WHO-EURO) will introduce the technical guide that has been developed by WHO, UNODC and UNAIDS for countries to set targets for universal access and will also discuss the need for consensus on critical interventions, the quality of services and critical coverage levels.
• Monica Beg (UNODC) will discuss the existing - and sometimes conflicting - instruments for data collection (both in terms of mechanisms and indicators) within the UN system.
• Abu Abdul-Quader (Centre for Disease Control) will discuss traditional and innovative methods for recruiting hard-to-reach populations to access services.
• Tiken Rajkumar (Social Awareness Service Organisation) will present a country example and some challenges from Manipur, India.
• William E Butler (Dickinson School of Law, Pennsylvania State University) will discuss access to Opioid Substitution Therapy in Russia in relation to international law and treaties.
• Tim Rhodes (London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine) will present findings from a qualitative case study of access to HAART in Serbia and Montenegro.
• Donna Higgins (WHO) will discuss the delicate balance between improving access to HIV testing and counselling for vulnerable populations while preventing situations of compulsory and mandatory testing.
• Annette Verster (WHO) will present the new WHO database on producers, formulations and prices of methadone and buprenorphine as a means to improving access to controlled medicines.
This session will provoke debate on what is “universal access”, how we can measure access and whether it is universally achievable. It promises to be a highlight in the conference programme .
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Click here to register now for Harm Reduction 2008
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Russian Translation Now Available
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The conference organisers are delighted to announce that Russian translation will now be available at Harm Reduction 2008: IHRA’s 19th International Conference. Russian will now be the fourth language available at the event – the others being English, Spanish and French – and will make the conference even more accessible and globally relevant. Russian has been chosen as the fourth language in recognition of the large number of delegates from Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia who attended the previous IHRA conference in Warsaw (May 2007). IHRA and the Conference Consortium are keen to maintain this and open up this year’s event to a significant part of the harm reduction community.
Simultaneous Russian translation will be provided for the opening and closing sessions and all of the Plenary Sessions, plus four Major Sessions and six Concurrent Sessions throughout the rest of the conference programme. In addition, Russian translation will be available during the Satellite Meeting on HIV and Hepatitis C in Prisons on Sunday 11th May.
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Special Journal Offer for Conference Delegates
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Elsevier is pleased to announce a special offer on journal subscriptions. For registered conference delegates, the International Journal of Drug Policy is available at a special price of only US$50 - that is more than a 75% discount on the regular personal subscription rate.
The International Journal of Drug Policy (IJDP) is IHRA’s official journal. It provides a forum for the dissemination of current research, reviews, debate, and critical analysis on drug use and drug policy in a global context. Special focus issues and supplements planned for 2008 include ‘Women and Harm Reduction’, ‘Coverage of Harm Reduction Interventions’, ‘Values and Ethics’, and ‘Nursing and Harm Reduction’.
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Click here for more details on the Special Conference Offer
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Executive Programme Committee Meet in Barcelona
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In December 2007, the Executive Programme Committee for Harm Reduction 2008: IHRA’s 19th International Conference met in Barcelona in order to finalise the programme from the 1,200 abstracts received. The ‘Marathon Meeting’ lasted for three days and has resulted in a packed programme including over 60 sessions covering a huge range of topics. The meeting was hosted by the Generalitat de Catalunya.
The Executive Programme Committee (EPC) is a group of 10-15 harm reduction experts from around the world whose role is to create and guide the conference programme. The group is chaired by Professor Gerry Stimson (IHRA’s Executive Director), and this year it includes members with a wide range of specialities from the UK, France, Spain, Brazil, Belgium, Australia and India. The whole process of creating the programme is also supported by an International Programme Advisory Group (100-or-so individuals from around the world who help to review the abstracts) and various key international organisations.
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The full programme will be available to view early in 2008 (once abstract authors have been contacted and have confirmed their participation). The preliminary programme (which is subject to changes) includes:
• Numerous Satellite Sessions on Sunday 11th May.
• An Opening Session on Sunday 11th May - including the 2008 Rolleston Oration from Professor Paul Hunt (the UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Health) – followed by an opening reception.
• A focus on Global Issues on Monday 12th May – with a ‘Plenary Session’ on the global state of harm reduction followed by a ‘Double Concurrent’ from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, World Health Organization, and the Centre for Disease Control.
• A secondary focus on Hepatitis C on Monday 12th May, in order to build up to World Hepatitis Awareness Day a week later.
• A focus on Gender Issues on Tuesday 13th May, with a ‘Plenary Session’, ‘Major Session’ and ‘Concurrent Session’.
• A focus on Criminal Justice and Human Rights on Wednesday 14th May, , with a ‘Plenary Session’, ‘Major Session’ and ‘Concurrent Session’.
• A conference party on the evening of Wednesday 14th May.
• Three ‘Major Sessions’ on Thursday 15th May, followed by the Closing Session – including the 2008 IHRA Awards.
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In addition to the these, there will be ‘Six O’clock Shows’ discussing topics such as new technologies in harm reduction, Ibogaine, drug user activism and drug consumption rooms. There will also be a full Film Festival programme, and over 50 ‘Major Sessions’, ‘Concurrent Sessions’ and ‘Living Room Sessions’ covering a massive range of topics, including:
• Alcohol Harm Reduction
• Tobacco Harm Reduction
• Sex Workers
• Young People
• Hidden Harms
• Evidence and Research
• Drug Treatment
• HIV and Anti-Retroviral Therapies
• Harm Reduction Training and Education
As this conference is taking place in Barcelona, there will also be a focus on harm reduction services, approaches and debates in Spain and Latin America. All of the conference’s ‘Plenary Sessions’ and ‘Major Sessions’ will be translated into Spanish, as well as six ‘Concurrent Sessions’ each afternoon and the opening and closing sessions. French translation will also be available for some of the sessions, and further languages may be added depending on funding.
In addition to these oral presentations, there will also be over 400 ‘Poster’ presentations in Barcelona, allowing people from around the world to promote, present and discuss their work, research and approaches. These ‘Poster’ presentations are an essential part of the conference, allowing as many people as possible to share their experiences, findings and/or best practice.
Overall, the conference will provide a packed programme with sessions to interest a huge range of delegates from around the world. More information will be available early in 2008. However, the ‘Early Bird’ deadline for discounted delegate fees (January 21st 2008) is fast approaching, so we recommend that you Register Now!
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Satellite Meetings at ‘Harm Reduction 2008’
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IHRA and the Conference Consortium are delighted to announce that a number of organisations and interest groups have requested space for satellite meetings at Harm Reduction 2008: IHRA’s 19th International Conference in Barcelona. These meetings will cover a wide range of topics and issues, and most of them will take place on Sunday 11th May 2008 - prior to the official opening of the conference. There will also be a number of lunchtime meetings organised throughout the conference.
There are currently plans for the following satellite meetings in Barcelona:
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• The 3rd International Drug User Congress - organised by the International Network of People who Use Drugs (INPUD)
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• The 4th International Conference on Alcohol and Harm Reduction – organised by Quest 4 Quality Amsterdam and the International Harm Reduction Association (IHRA)
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• HIV Prevention Interventions for Injecting Drug Users: Lessons Learnt from Asia – organised by the UN Regional Task Force on Injecting Drug Use
• HIV and Harm Reduction in Prisons – organised by the International Harm Reduction Development (IHRD) programme the Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network and the International Center for Advancement of Addiction Treatment (ICAAT)
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• The Development of Gender Sensitive Harm Reduction Services and Policies – organised by the International Harm Reduction Development (IHRD) programme and GTZ
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• Buprenorphine-Naloxone (Suboxone): What's New? – supported by Schering-Plough
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• Nursing and Harm Reduction – organised by the Nursing Harm Reduction Network (NHRN)
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• The Harm Reduction Editors Lunchtime Meeting – organised by Black Poppy and Auto-Support Des Usagers de Drogues (ASUD) for editors of specialist harm reduction publications, newsletters or websites (including those produced by people who use drugs)
More information on these meetings – including details of the locations, dates, agendas and any registration fees or requirements - will be available on the conference website in the 2008. The website will also provide details of any other meetings that are announced between now and the conference.
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Nominations Invited for 2008 IHRA Awards
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Nominations are now being invited for the 2008 International Rolleston Award, the 2008 National Rolleston Award and the 2008 Travis Jenkins Award – to be presented during the closing ceremony of Harm Reduction 2008: IHRA’s 19th International Conference. Each year, IHRA presents these awards to leading individuals or organisations in the field of harm reduction.
The International Rolleston Award is presented each year to an individual who has made an outstanding contribution to reducing harm from psychoactive substances at an international level. At the 18th IHRA conference in Warsaw (May 2007), the award was given to Dr. Vladimir Mendelevich for his continued advocacy and support for harm reduction and medication assisted treatment in Russia in the face of widespread vilification and the threat of imprisonment for his stance. For 2008, nominations are invited from all around the world.
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Click here for the International Rolleston Award Nomination Form [WORD:49KB]
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The National RollestonAward is presented each year to an individual or organisation who has made outstanding contributions at the national level. At the 18th IHRA conference in Warsaw (May 2007), the award was given to Marek Zygadlo in recognition of his pioneering efforts in Poland, where he has been at the forefront of harm reduction for over 20 years. For 2008, nominations are open to individuals or organisations in Spain.
These two awards are named after Sir Humphrey Rolleston, the President of the Royal College of Physicians who chaired the UK Departmental Committee on Morphine and Heroin Addiction. In 1926, this committee determined that it was legitimate medical practice to prescribe heroin or morphine to people dependent on those drugs. This decision epitomises a benign, pragmatic and humane approach to drug problems, and was a landmark event in the history of harm reduction.
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Click here for the National Rolleston Award Nomination Form [WORK:47KB]
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The Travis Jenkins Award is presented each year to a current or former drug user or injecting drug user who has made an outstanding contribution to reducing drug related harm. The awards are named after the extraordinary jazz musician and composer who died of cancer in 2004. Travis Jenkins overcame a heroin addiction in order to marry and raise two sons, travel around the world with his anthropologist wife and create his music. At the 18th IHRA conference in Warsaw (May 2007), the award was given to Alexandra (Sasha) Volgina, a Russian drug user activist who works in a hostile environment to ensure that drug users are seen not as problems, but as partners and experts. The winner of this award receives a cheque for $500US – kindly donated by the family and friends of Travis Jenkins.
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Click here for the Travis Jenkins Award Nomination Form [WORD:40KB]
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Nominations must be made using the official forms, and must be received by the IHRA Secretariat before 28th February 2008.
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Click here for more information about the IHRA Awards
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‘Harm Reduction 2008’ Delegate Fees Announced
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The International Harm Reduction Association and the Conference Consortium are delighted to be able to announce the delegate fees for ‘Harm Reduction 2008: IHRA’s 19th International Conference’. Once again, there are reduced rates available for paying IHRA members, delegates from low income countries, full-time (unwaged) students, and members of drug user organisations. There are also further “early bird” discounts for payments that are processed before 21 January 2008, and a special rate available for delegates from Spain (the host country).
The conference registration system is now open and, with almost 700 people already registered (significantly more than this time last year), demand is likely to be high for this year’s event.
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Click here to register for the conference
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| 'Early Bird'
Before
21/01/08
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| 'Standard'
Before
08/05/08
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| 'Late Rate'
After
08/05/08
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| | | €459
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€63.31 tax)
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| €459
| (€395.69 +
€63.31 tax)
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| €949
| (€818.10 +
€130.90 tax)
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| Spanish Nationals who are currently residents in Spain.
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| | €659
| (€568.10 +
€90.90 tax)
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| €759
| (€654.31 +
€104.69 tax)
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| €949
| (€818.10 +
€130.90 tax)
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| Low Income Countries including (but not exclusively) countries in Africa, Central and Eastern Europe, the Balkans, Latin America and Central Asia.
| Full-time Students who are unwaged (proof of eligibility may be required).
| Drug User Organisation Members- as determined by INPUD.
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| | €755
| (€650.86 +
€104.14 tax)
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| €855
| (€737.70 +
€117.30 tax)
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| €949
| (€818.10 +
€130.90 tax)
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| Paying IHRA Members only. For more information, please visit http://www.ihra.net/Membership.
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| | €799
| (688.79 +
€110.21 tax)
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| €899
| (€775.00 +
€124.00 tax)
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| €949
| (€818.10 +
€130.90 tax)
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| High Income Countries including (but not exclusively) Australia, Canada, New Zealand, USA and countries in Western Europe.
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The delegate fees themselves (before tax) are reduced compared to those at the last IHRA conference in Warsaw (May 2007). This has been done to help off-set the 16% IVA tax, which has to be paid on conference fees in Spain (unlike in Poland). As a result of this tax, the total delegate fees have risen slightly compared to 2007. However, delegates may be able to claim back this tax. Please check with the fiscal authorities in your own country for how to do this.
The delegate fees listed above cover:
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- attendance at all of the sessions of the conference
- a pack containing the relevant conference documents and materials
- lunch on Monday 12th May, Tuesday 13th May and Wednesday 14th May 2008
- refreshments from Monday 12th May to Thursday 15th May 2008
- admission to the conference welcome reception (Sunday 11th May 2008)
- admission to the conference party (Wednesday 14th May 2008)
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Click here to register for the conference
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Click here for more information about Registrations & Scholarships
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5th International Drugs and Harm Reduction Film Festival
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The International Drugs and Harm Reduction Film Festival has accompanied the annual IHRA conferences since 2004 and has become an integral, popular and invaluable component of the overall event. In May 2008, the festival will be integrated into the Harm Reduction 2008 conference programme as a parallel track and will showcase a huge range of films - from animations to documentaries, art house to education.
Film has the capacity to educate, inform and entertain, and can impact upon the way that we perceive complex social phenomenon such as substance misuse. The medium of film provides an opportunity to unravel the complexities associated with drug use, and also provides an enhanced experience for receiving and understanding information.
In preparation for May 2008, the Film Festival Team have issued a Call for Submissions [WORD:77KB] in order to encourage film makers from around the worlds to participate. IHRA and the Conference Consortium have also released a ‘Sponsorship Opportunities’ brochure [PDF:695KB] for this year’s film festival in order to support the on-going development of this unique event.
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Click here for more information about the 5th International Drugs and Harm Reduction Film Festival
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Click here to contact the Drugs and Harm Reduction Film Festival Committee
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2008 Harm Reduction Training Academy
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The IHRA conferences have always been training events – an annual, international forum for knowledge exchange and the sharing of information, research and best practice. For Harm Reduction 2008, however, IHRA the Conference Consortium, and HIT plan to incorporate a more formal training element into the conference and pilot a Harm Reduction Training Academy (HRTA).
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The HRTA will complement and sit alongside the main conference programme and will offer a limited number of delegates the opportunity to use the event in a more structured way in order to further their knowledge and understanding of what harm reduction is and how it is practiced. The HRTA is part of IHRA’s on-going commitment to promote a more conducive international environment for harm reduction by increasing the capacity of civil society and international organisations to advocate using an evidence-based approach.
The HRTA is scheduled to commence on Saturday 10th May 2008 with a welcome reception and dinner for the participants. It will then run throughout the five days of the conference, ending with a graduation ceremony on Thursday 15th May 2008.
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Click here to see the provisional programme [PDF:32KB]
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The aim is to have 25 delegates registered on the HRTA in Barcelona (five groups of five ‘students’ - each with a designated tutor). As the aim of the HRTA is to promote the understanding of harm reduction and to contribute to capacity building, it is anticipated that the participants will be mainly drawn from those with managerial and strategic roles. However, it is not the intention of HRTA to provide management training per se (as this type of training is already available elsewhere).
Participation in HRTA will cost €2000 (subject to confirmation) per delegate, and this fee will include:
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- The standard conference delegate fee
- Accommodation for six nights (Saturday 10th May – Thursday 15th May)
- Welcome reception and dinner on Saturday 10th May
- Lunches, refreshments and social events throughout the conference
- HRTA Materials and Certificates (in addition to standard conference materials)
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The success of the HRTA is dependent upon our having sufficient interest and registrations. If you would like to register your interest in the HRTA, or if you have any further questions, please contact Jamie Bridge. A final decision on the HRTA will be taken in early January 2008, so we ask that any expressions of interest are made before 14th December 2007.
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