The United Nations and Harm Reduction: Joining Up The UN Drug Control and HIV Prevention Strategies
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Lunchtime Satellite at Harm Reduction 2008: IHRA’s 19th International Conference
Barcelona, Spain
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Monday May 12th 2008
13:00 – 14:00
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Organised by the International Drug Policy Consortium (IDPC) and supported by IHRA
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In the year that the international community gathers to review progress in tackling the global AIDS pandemic (at a UN High-Level meeting in New York in June 2008), and also makes final preparations for the 10-year review of the objectives of the global drug control system, the International Drug Policy Consortium (IDPC) are hosting this workshop for delegates to the Barcelona conference. The hour-long session will provide participants with the latest updates on the structures and processes for the two UN reviews, facilitate discussion on the key issues relevant to harm reduction and injection drug use, and describe the mechanisms by which NGOs can get involved to promote a positive outcome from either review.
There will be 3 presentations at the workshop, followed by facilitated discussion:
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- The UN HIV/AIDS High Level Meeting: Putting drug users higher on the agenda – Speaker to be confirmed
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- The UN Drug Control Review: Embedding Harm Reduction – Mike Trace (IDPC)
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- Introduction to Key Issues – Stijn Goossens (INPUD) and Pascal Tanguay (AHRN)
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After years of frustrating resistance, all UN agencies seem now to be clearly acknowledging the importance of HIV prevention work with drug users, and that comprehensive prevention programmes that incorporate harm reduction principles and practice should be scaled up in affected areas. The challenge is now to enshrine these principles into the high-level declarations, policy statements, and work programmes of the UN General Assembly, the UNAIDS Programme Co-ordinating Board, and the Commission on Narcotic Drugs. An important aspect of this work is the promotion of greater ‘joining up’ between the work of UNAIDS and the UN drug control agencies, so they can work together behind a clear public health-led policy to help affected governments to scale up HIV prevention and care services on the ground.
Civil society has a major role to play in this process – in keeping government and UN officials focussed on this issue, and in resisting the influence of the small number of governments who still oppose harm reduction in UN meetings – the speakers at this session will suggest ways in which this influence can be maximised.
This lunchtime session ties in with an IDPC satellite event on Saturday May 10th 2008.
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