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8th February 2010
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Harm Reduction in Prison is Best Practice
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The Chief Executive of the English National Treatment Agency for Substance Misuse wrote an excellent commentary defending prison methadone programmes in The Guardian.
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Responding to a series of attacks on methadone programmes in UK prisons, Hayes said that such services were initiated following a costly class-action suit by almost 200 former prisoners who argued that their human rights were violated because they could not access the same medical treatment in prison that they had received outside.
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Hayes wrote, "[O]ver half the prison population are heroin and crack users who will remain in custody for three months or less - either serving short sentences, or on remand. They are not in the system long enough to undergo these residential programmes. Good clinical practice will either continue the treatment the prisoner had before arrest, or prepare them for the treatment they will receive on the outside. Otherwise individuals would be vulnerable to suicide while they were in custody, and to overdose on release."
The editorial coincided with the release of a report from the Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network, which documented the importance of needle and syringe programmes (NSP) as a means of reducing new infections among injecting drug users.
In 2006, the Public Health Agency of Canada recognised the benefits of prison NSPs and that these harm reduction programmes did not result in syringes being used as weapons, an increase in drug use or increased initiation of people injecting drugs while in prison. Despite this evidence, currently no Canadian prisons permit the distribution of clean needles.
The report includes testimony from former prisoners about injecting practices in prison. One former prisoner recalled, "The first time I injected drugs I shared a syringe. One syringe would probably be used for three or four months everyday for at least 20 times a day. We would sharpen it on a matchbook cover to keep it sharpened."
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4th February 2010
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Call for Nominations for Directors of IHRA
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Nominations are currently being invited for IHRA members to serve as Directors and Trustees of the International Harm Reduction Association (IHRA), and to sit on the Board of Directors (also known as the Executive Committee). Directors and Trustees are responsible for the governance of the organisation and the broad strategy. They have ultimate responsibility for directing the affairs of IHRA, ensuring that it is well-run and delivering the charitable outcomes for the benefit of the public for which it was set up.
IHRA is a UK company registered under Company Law in England and Wales, and also a Charity registered in England and Wales. Therefore, those elected as Directors are both Directors of the Company and Trustees of the Charity.
Meetings of the Directors – and all documentation and communication – are in English. Directors need to be available for at least one face-to-face meeting each year, together with a number of teleconferences, and to read and comment on documents for meetings. Good telephone and internet access is essential. Directors are expected to become members of at least one IHRA sub-committee and be available to provide advice and comments between meetings.
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Nominations must be made on the relevant form by March 19th 2010 and sent to IHRA Administrator or fax to +61 3 9328 3008. Nominations must include the following information:
a) The name of the person being nominated and their agreement to the nomination (please note that they must be an IHRA member at the time the nomination is received).
b) The name of the person making the nomination (who must be a paying member of IHRA at the time of making the nomination)
c) The name of a second person supporting the nomination (who must also be a paying member of IHRA)
d) A short profile of the nominee (absolutely no more than 250 words), which will be posted on the IHRA website (please note that IHRA reserves the right to edit this profile for any reason). In order to support a nomination, it is strongly recommended that this profile includes comments referring to the skills and experience that the nominee will bring to IHRA.
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Elections will be held during the IHRA Annual General Meeting – which is scheduled to take place on April 26th 2010 at 12.30pm, Room 4 at the BT Convention Centre (conference venue) – during Harm Reduction 2010: IHRA’s 21st International Conference in Liverpool, England.
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2nd February 2010
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MENAHRA’s First Regional Conference on Harm Reduction was a Highlight of 2009
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UNAIDS recognised the Middle East and North Africa Harm Reduction Association’s (MENAHRA) stellar conference last November as one of the year’s “positive initiatives” in the region.
In its “Spotlight on the Middle East and North Africa Region,” UNAIDS emphasised that HIV prevalence is rising steadily and issues such as stigma and discrimination are impeding effective responses. Yet despite these challenges, progress in the region has been made, such as the expansion of opioid substitution therapy programmes in Morocco and Lebanon.
The piece adds, “Another positive initiative was the first regional conference on Harm Reduction held in Lebanon last year. This conference was a break-through for the region and brought several experts and partners together and mobilized political support form parliamentarians, national governments and UN agencies.”
The conference took place last November in Lebanon and attracted close to 200 participants from 25 countries. The conference featured speeches from the Lebanese Government, the Drosos Foundation, Elie Aaraj from MENAHRA , Professor Gerry Stimson from IHRA, , and Dr. Hussein Gezairi from the World Health Organization.
MENAHRA is supported by IHRA and the World Health Organization with funding from the Drosos Foundation.
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29th January 2010
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Academic Programmes at the International Harm Reduction Academy
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IHRA is pleased to announce the launch of the International Harm Reduction Academy at Harm Reduction 2010.
This academic programme is being introduced as a partnership between IHRA, the Conference Consortium and Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU). The Academy links the conference with additional teaching and mentoring. Students successfully completing the course are awarded a Liverpool John Moores University Certificate in Professional Development.
The Continuing Professional Development programme is designed to enable individuals to develop their professional abilities while obtaining new skills.
This programme will also be offered at future harm reduction conferences to provide a range internationally recognised and accredited Certificates in Professional Development at different levels. This will give students a formal and academically recognised route into either further training or higher academic qualifications.
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 Click here for more information about the academy including timetables, admission criteria and coursework [PDF:226KB]
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27 January 2010
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Call for Expressions of Interest to Host Future IHRA International Conferences
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IHRA invites expressions of interest for future IHRA international conferences. The conferences are produced in partnership with the Conference Consortium and ordinarily take place in April/May each year. We are seeking partners to host the conference and assist with the development and production of the events. We have venues for 2010, in Liverpool, UK, and 2011, in Beirut, Lebanon, but would like to fix venues and dates for 2012, 2013 and beyond.
Benefits to the host organisations include the opportunity to promote harm reduction nationally and regionally.
Local partners are usually organisations engaged in harm reduction work in the city, country, or region where the conference is taking place, who assist with promoting the conference, securing political and financial support, providing harm reduction and other medical services to delegates, taking part in the design and construction of the programme and acting as the focal point for the conference locally.
If you wish to express an interest in hosting the 2012 conference the deadline for submission of a bid is Wednesday 31st March 2010. If you wish to be considered for years beyond this it would be helpful to have at least basic information – bid team, potential venue(s) hotels, possible local/national/regional support, etc) – without the more detailed costs by that date, as this will at least give us an idea of levels of interest.
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Click here to view information for prospective hosts [PDF:900KB]
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If you have any questions about the information or the process, please contact Paddy Costall, Managing Director of the Conference Consortium.
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22nd January 2010
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Gender Project in Eastern Europe and Central Asia
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The Eurasian Harm Reduction Network and Harm Reduction Knowledge Hub have launched a project aimed to promote gender equality in HIV-related and harm reduction services.
Eastern Europe and Central Asia are experiencing a growing prevalence of new HIV infections among women. However, the Eurasian Harm Reduction Network notes that women drug users face a number of obstacles to access harm reduction and drug treatment services [PDF:808KB] in the region that are not being sufficiently dealt with at the local or national levels.
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The project is still in development but the early goals are to build capacity of the Harm Reduction Knowledge Hub, with regional stakeholders and NGOs, to offer technical assistance in the region.
A toolkit will be formulated to help gauge availability and performance on issues like HIV treatment, reproductive health, social services, community-based services and drug treatment, including opioid substitution therapy - as well as their sensitivity to gender.
The current plan envisions the Harm Reduction Knowledge Hub leading trainings on how to use the toolkit. Two countries will be selected for the project roll out.
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20th January 2010
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Canadian Safe Injection Site to Remain Open
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British Columbia’s Court of Appeal rejected the Canadian government’s attempt to shut down the first safe injecting site in North America.
The facility, called Insite, has operated since 2003 under a constitutional exemption to the federal Controlled Drugs and Substances Act. As the exemption was due to expire, Insite successfully obtained a permanent exemption, which the Conservative government challenged.
Justice Carol Huddart wrote in her decision, “What is at issue is the provincially-authorized supervision of the injection of illegally-obtained heroin to prevent health problems associated with its self-injection. Like palliative care, it is a form of harm reduction with benefits for both the patient and the community.”
Justice Madam Justice Anne Rowles added, “I doubt that the accuracy of the assertion that the operation of Insite is controversial in a policy sense. In this province, there is no longer any serious debate about the need for Insite as a health care facility.”
Two of the three judges supported Insite’s continued exemption.
Challenges to national approaches to harm reduction are due to receive ample attention at Harm Reduction 2010: IHRA’s 21st International Conference. The programme currently includes the session, “'Hanging On' to Insite - The Socio-Political Context of a community fighting to keep an Injection Site”.
One of the arguments submitted by the Canadian government was that to maintain the exemption would “seriously impair Canada’s ability to meet its international treaty obligations”.
Justice Huddart interpreted the argument “to be founded on a view that Insite’s provision of services somehow approves of or promotes drug use”. She noted it was “particularly difficult to understand, given the establishment of 45 sites where a supervised injection service is provided in other countries and that some of them provided the model for Insite.”
Justice Huddart was right to reject the argument that the international drug control treaties forbid certain harm reduction programmes. As IHRA wrote in “Recalibrating the Regime: The Need for a Human Rights-Based Approach to International Drug Policy”, UNDCP’s legal experts concluded that the provision of syringe exchange, substitution treatment and safe injection facilities did not violate state obligations under the drug control treaties.
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15th January 2010
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Nominations Invited for Paolo Pertica Fellowship 2010
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Nominations are now being invited for the 2010 Paolo Pertica Fellowship along with other IHRA Awards -all of which will be presented at Harm Reduction 2010: IHRA’s 21st International Conference.
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The Paolo Pertica Fellowship was established in 2004 by the European Network of Drugs and Infections Prevention in Prisons (ENDIPP). The creation of ENDIPP stemmed from Paolo Pertica’s work with prisoners from a wide range of different nationalities incarcerated in London prisons.
The aim of the Fellowship is to encourage innovative harm reduction work or research in prison and other custodial settings by enabling the recipients to develop small projects. These projects must clearly demonstrate how they contribute to improving the conditions of those individuals in custody who either have drug use or HIV related needs. The Fellowship is for one year with up to €10,000 available. The completed project report is then presented at the next IHRA international conference.
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Criteria
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To develop and report on an innovative HR action research or demonstration project based in prison or other custodial settings. The project could involve:
• Introducing/running HR services
• Research on HR needs
• Education/training on HR.
• Advocating for introduction of HR.
• Advocating for prisoners rights – esp. re drug use.
• Developing a funding proposal for a larger HR project.
Applicants should ensure that their proposal is manageable within the timeframe (one year) and resources available.
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Who can apply
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Individuals or organisations any where in the world. (Applicants do not have to be an IHRA member)
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