The 'Network of Networks'
Coordinating Civil Society Engagement for Harm Reduction
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Harm reduction networks and knowledge hubs exist around the world, representing a diversity of regions, countries and populations. These networks vary enormously in size, scope and capacity, but follow the same broad approach and work closely together as equal partners in a ‘Network of Networks’ to promote harm reduction on a global basis.
The ‘networks approach’ is a relatively inexpensive and accessible way to empower civil society and advocates for harm reduction, and one that has been employed in this sector for over a decade. Networks allow individuals, organisations and populations to come together and gain collective strength in terms of political influence, capacity, funding, and knowledge exchange. On their own, advocates for people who use drugs and harm reduction are often unable to engage in national, regional or international decision making. As part of a network, however, they can increase their capacity to do so through the sharing of experiences and joint action. Networking can therefore encourage and foster the development of civil society advocacy.
The Network of Networks is an informal coalition, originally formed at the IHRA conference in Brazil in 1998. It provides a forum enabling individual networks to share information, concerns and experiences, and to work together where required to campaign and advocate for harm reduction. The focus on the 'Network of Networks' includes not only HIV, but also drug-related health concerns such as viral hepatitis, tuberculosis and overdose as well as the negative social consequences of drug policy. The ‘Network of Networks’ recognises the autonomy of existing networks, but links them together in order to further enhance their capacity and their potential to create a global political environment that unreservedly supports harm reduction interventions.
The 'member' networks operate in a range of cultural, political and religious contexts – from North America and the Caribbean to Asia, Africa and the Middle East to Europe and Central Asia. There are also global networks (including the International Harm Reduction Association) and national networks (particularly from countries that are not represented within regional networks).
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 Click here to view 'Coherence Not Denial' - the the Network of Networks brochure released at the 2009 Commission on Narcotic Drugs in Vienna [PDF:260KB]
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Click here to view 'Resourcing Harm Reduction on a Global Basis' - the Network of Networks brochure released at a 2009 Donor Conference in Amsterdam [PDF:338KB]
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The following organisations currently form the 'Network of Networks':
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International Networks
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Coalition Of Police Supporting Harm Reduction (COPS-HR)
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The COPS-HR network aims to promote and develop the role of police in reducing the harms associated with illicit drug use - with specific reference to needle and syringe programmes, methadone, supervised injecting facilities, peer education and outreach work. COPS-HR assists law enforcement personnel (and those working with police) to address drug issues. Members include police, primary healthcare providers, government and non-government organisations, project workers and community groups, and the network aims to develop positive working relationships between these groups.
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www.burnet.edu.au/home/cih/copshr
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International Harm Reduction Association (IHRA)
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 Established in 1996, IHRA is one of the leading international NGOs promoting policies and practices that reduce the harms from all psychoactive substances. Based in England and Australia, IHRA is funded through project grants, annual international conferences and donations and income from approximately 2,000 individual and organisational members around the world. IHRA activities include producing high quality research and analysis on harm reduction and human rights issues, support for the development of new harm reduction networks, international advocacy campaigns and holding major harm reduction conferences. A key principle of IHRA’s approach is to support the engagement of people and communities affected by drugs in policy-making processes, including the voices and perspectives of people who use drugs.
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www.ihra.net
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International Network of People who Use Drugs (INPUD)
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 Established in 2007, INPUD is first global advocacy group organised and governed by people who use drugs. INPUD’s mission is to promote ‘Rights, Justice and Empowerment’, and it aims to ensure the representation of people who use drugs in international policy dialogue, to enable a growth in self-determining drug user organisations and to build alliances within civil society and beyond. Through regional structures (currently under development), INPUD engages in policy work, networking, skills-building, training, capacity building, and the provision of a forum for sharing ideas, technical information and strategies.
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International Nursing Harm Reduction Network (INHRN)
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 INHRN is an international coalition of nurses, midwives and health visitors working in a variety of community, prison and acute care hospital settings. Globally, there are over 12 million nurses, midwives and health visitors, and these individuals are uniquely placed to promote, adopt and implement harm reduction strategies around the world. Their day-to-day work brings them into contact with substance users, making them key players in the promotion of harm reduction.
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http://inhrn.net
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Women’s Harm Reduction International Network (WHRIN)
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WHRIN is a global platform to reduce the harms associated with drug use by women and to develop an enabling environment for the implementation and expansion of harm reduction resources for women. Many women who use drugs – especially those who are pregnant or have children – feel 'left out' of existing harm reduction activities. WHRIN aims to provide a forum to discuss the needs of – and challenges faced by – women who use drugs, advocate for harm reduction policies and programmes for women and girls, and provide access to high quality resources which assist women who use drugs.
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www.talkingdrugs.org/womens-harm-reduction-group
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Youth RISE (Resource, Information, Support, Education)
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 Established in 2006, Youth RISE is an international youth-driven network working with young people to reduce the risks and harms associated with substance use. It focuses on youth peer leadership and recognises the specific barriers that young people face when it comes to accessing harm reduction services, advocating for harm reduction interventions or engaging in the policies and decisions at national, regional and international levels that affect their lives. Youth RISE works in partnerships with IHRA, UNICEF and Global Youth Coalition on HIV/AIDS (GYCA) – amongst others.
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www.youthrise.com
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Regional Networks
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Asian Harm Reduction Association (AHRN)
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 AHRN was established in 1996 to link and support those operating harm reduction programmes or providing assistance to people who use drugs across Asia. Hundreds of individuals and organisations contribute to the network's development, and AHRN is recognised by UNAIDS as a best practice model, and by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a key partner in the response to HIV/AIDS in Asia. Its work includes networking, information sharing, advocacy, programme and policy development, and training and capacity building.
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www.ahrn.net
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Caribbean Harm Reduction Coalition (CHRC)
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 CHRC is a coalition of Caribbean drug treatment service providers that believe that abstinence-only treatment does not serve the wider drug using population, and therefore believe in and support harm reduction interventions. CHRC is pioneering work on HIV care and treatment ‘on the street’, using peer outreach workers as adherence counsellors to make meaningful contacts with homeless HIV-positive crack smokers. CHRC members are committed to assisting individuals and communities by initiating and promoting education, interventions, and community organising programmes that focus on reducing drug related harm.
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www.caribbeanharmreductioncoalition.htmlplanet.com
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Eurasian Harm Reduction Network (EHRN)
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 EHRN (formerly the Central and Eastern European Harm Reduction Network) is a highly successful regional network working in Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia. Established in the late 1990s, its mission is to support, develop and advocate for harm reduction approaches in the field of drugs, HIV/AIDS, public health and social exclusion by following the principles of humanism, tolerance, partnership and respect for human rights and freedoms. EHRN works on policy change and advocacy – including regional analysis and support for national efforts, capacity building and technical assistance on harm reduction, sex work and prison health, and networking and information exchange among service providers and advocates.
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www.harm-reduction.org
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Intercambios Asociación Civil
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 Established in 1995, Intercambios is an Argentine NGO whose mission is to ensure the health and human rights of drug users through harm reduction. Although not a network per se, Intercambios is the key harm reduction knowledge hub in Latin America – providing networking, advocacy, research, information sharing, skills building and capacity development to the region. The organisation’s three main areas of work are ‘Intervention, Investigation and Advocacy’, and Intercambios works together with regional partners towards influencing government and multilateral policies across Latin America.
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www.intercambios.org.ar
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Middle East and North African Harm Reduction Network (MENAHRA)
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 MENAHRA was established in 2006 with support from the World Health Organization and IHRA, and funding from the Drosos Foundation in Switzerland. It aims to develop harm reduction across the Middle East and North Africa, and comprises three sub-regional knowledge hubs (housed in Lebanon, Morocco and Iran). MENAHRA engages in capacity building, training, advocacy, research and documentation, and networking. It has also provided funding directly to service providers to implement harm reduction programmes.
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www.menahra.org
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Sub-Saharan Africa Harm Reduction Network (SAHRN)
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 SAHRN was established in 2007 with support from IHRA. Its mission statement is to promote harm reduction approaches to all psychoactive substances in sub-Saharan Africa by ensuring the spread of the harm reduction principles and building networks to share knowledge and experiences. Its activities include policy work, networking, advocacy and skills building, and its aims for the region are to enable knowledge exchange, provide a supportive environment for harm reduction, and to get harm reduction on the political agenda.
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National Networks
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Canadian Harm Reduction Network (CHRN)
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Established in 1999, CHRN goals are to allow for information exchange and support, to educate the public, politicians, legislators and the media about harm reduction, to ensure that drug policies in Canada exemplify harm reduction, and to work collaboratively to end the war on drugs and on the people who use them. With approximately 600 members and a contact list of over 20,000, CHRN serves as the virtual meeting place for individuals and organisations in Canada dedicated to reducing the social, health and economic harms associated with drugs and drug policies.
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www.canadianharmreduction.com
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Colectivo por Una Política Integral Hacia las Drogas (CUPIHD)
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CUPIHD is a Mexican civil society organisation dedicated to education, investigation, dissemination and action in order to transform the drug policy in Mexico to one with a harm reduction and human rights perspective and an integral, scientific and multidisciplinary focus. Its principles are ‘Information, Responsibility, Freedom’ and its objectives include the provision of comprehensible, honest and scientific information on drugs, the promotion of a ‘culture of responsibility’ towards drug use, and building strategic alliances with national and international partners in the field.
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Harm Reduction Coalition (HRC)
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 HRC is a national advocacy and capacity-building organisation for the United States that promotes the health and dignity of individuals and communities impacted by drug use. It was established in 1993 in order to advance policies and programs that help people address the adverse effects of drug use. It currently runs a number of programmes – including the African-American Capacity Building Initiative, the Hepatitis C Harm Reduction Project, the Harm Reduction Training Institute, the Syringe Access Expansion Project, and the Opiate Overdose Prevention Projects, as well as policy work, national conferences, coalition building, resources and publications.
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www.harmreduction.org
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If your organisation is interested in joining the 'Network of Networks' group, please contact Jamie Bridge from IHRA.
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