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20th November 2008
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An Open Letter from Professor Stimson, Conference Director
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 Dear Friends,
Over the past few months, there has been a lot of hard work behind the scenes in planning for Harm Reduction 2009: IHRA’s 19th International Conference. With this letter, I would like to update you on some of the significant developments with what promises to be a landmark conference for harm reduction in Thailand, across South-East Asia and internationally.
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Conference Venue
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The conference will now be held at the Imperial Queen’s Park Hotel (which was already the official conference accommodation) – and not the ‘Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre’ as had been previously planned. This venue move offers us a greater flexibility in terms of the programme. There is a wide range of facilities and opportunities available at the hotel for sessions, workshops, satellite meetings and side events. There is also the added advantage that participants will not have to travel from the conference hotel to a separate venue.
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Conference Dates
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The conference will now take place over four full days (Monday 20th April –Thursday 23rd April) as opposed to three full days and two half days – as has been the case in previous years. The Opening Session – which will include high-profile speakers, local dignitaries and community representatives – will now take place on the morning of Monday April 20th. The Closing Session will take place on the afternoon of Thursday April 23rd. This structural change provides us with more space in the conference for sessions and workshops – and also leaves the whole of the Sunday April 19th available for Satellite Meetings and other events (which can be accommodated in the hotel).
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Conference Programme
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The Executive Programme Committee has been working hard to develop an excellent programme for Harm Reduction 2009. The abstract deadline passed on November 10th 2008, and we have received nearly 900 abstracts from around the world. This means that there is space in the programme for approximately one in five of these abstracts to be presented – with further possibilities for others to present in workshops or to exhibit as ‘poster presentations’. The abstracts are currently being reviewed by our ‘International Programme Advisory Group’.
Three Plenary sessions are being planned:
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- Injecting Drug Use and HIV: A Comprehensive Review of the Situation and Response in Asia
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- Harm Reduction and Human Rights (the conference theme)
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There are also currently plans for up to fifteen Major Sessions (an increase on previous conferences) and around thirty Concurrent Sessions. Major Sessions have been developed to cover a wide range of topical harm reduction issues that should be of interest to researchers, policy makers, advocates and frontline workers alike. These topics include Alcohol, Tuberculosis and HIV Services, Nursing, Drug Wars, Gender Roles and Women, Evidence for Harm Reduction, Young People, Law Enforcement, Prisons, Drug Treatment, Legal Interventions, Sex Work, Poverty, Risk Environments, and Employing Drug Users.
The final decisions about the programme will be made at the Executive Programme Committee’s ‘Marathon Meeting’ from the 9th – 11th December in Bangkok. Feedback will be provided as soon as possible to abstract authors and delegates via email and the conference website.
For 2009, we have also been working hard to accommodate more interactive sessions, skills-building workshops and community events and we anticipate that there will be a great deal of space for these valuable activities in addition to the abstract-driven programme. It is hoped that this will further help to promote harm reduction in Thailand and across South-East Asia as well as providing opportunities to key local and international civil society groups. More details will be made available soon.
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Translation
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All of the Plenary Sessions and Major Sessions will have simultaneous translation in English and Thai – as will half of the Concurrent Sessions. A Thai version of the conference website will also be operational soon.
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Scholarships
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As in previous years, there has been a huge demand for scholarships and waived registrations for Harm Reduction 2009. This is a positive thing, as it indicates widespread interest in the event – particularly from civil society, people who use drugs and NGOs in Thailand and South East Asia. Scholarship support is entirely dependent on contributions from international donors such as IHRD and UNAIDS. Unfortunately, donor support for this conference has not been as good as in previous years, but we still hope that there will be a good number of scholarships available to speakers and delegates from the host country and region. We cannot make any formal announcement about scholarships at this stage until we have agreements in place from donors.
IHRA will never be able to meet the demand for scholarships for our conferences, so we strongly recommend that those seeking support to attend the conference approach their regional and national UN organisations, international NGOs, governments and other potential funders. Of course, IHRA is happy to provide any letters of support necessary as part of this process.
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Conference Price
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The delegate fees for Harm Reduction 2009 are either frozen or reduced compared to the two previous conferences – dependent on the fee category. There are discounts available for group bookings, delegates from lower or middle income countries, students, people who use drugs, IHRA members, Thai nationals, and those who pay before January 22nd 2009 (the ‘early bird’ deadline).
In addition, however, the global currency fluctuations also mean that – for many delegates – there has been a substantial reduction in the cost of attending the conference due to the fall in the value of the British Pound (£). We strongly urge delegates to take advantage of this situation by registering and paying as soon as possible.
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Conference Support and Advocacy
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We now have over thirty organisations who are Conference Partners
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or Supporting Organisations. Many of these groups – and others – are already using the conference to advocate for harm reduction and human rights. Many also already have plans to bring substantial numbers of participants in order to gain from this unique opportunity to learn about advances in harm reduction policy and practice.
Over the last few months, there have been a number of consultations between NGOs, people who use drugs and civil society groups in Thailand, the region and elsewhere. These have all indicated support for the event and recognised the opportunities for promoting harm reduction.
With respect to Thailand specifically, the conference coincides with a prospective and significant national grant from the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. Meetings have also been proposed at Harm Reduction 2009 to discuss Thai drug policy, a new national harm reduction policy, the Global Fund grant, and the future of harm reduction in Thailand. These will involve government, NGOs and civil society.
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Medical and Harm Reduction Services
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The health, safety and security of all conference participants is always our prime concern. As such, we are committed to facilitating the engagement of people who use drugs. There will be a dedicated drug user space in the venue. Plans are also underway – in collaboration with the Thai Government and other key stakeholders – to allow for the personal import of essential medicines such as methadone and buprenorphine, and for methadone prescribing in Thailand. Arrangements are also being discussed for the provision of safer drug use equipment, naloxone (for overdose prevention), first aid and other medical support services. A ‘Medical Sub-Committee’ of the ‘Local Organising Committee’ has been established to lead on this area of the conference, and more details will be available on the website as soon as possible to assist delegates.
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Entry to Thailand
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All delegates are urged to check the visa entry requirements well in advance of their trip to Thailand. Please visit http://thailand-visa.net for more information. There will also be a Welcome Booth at Bangkok Airport and we will do everything we can to ensure that the conference is a safe and welcoming environment for all of our participants.
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Overall, this is shaping up to be an excellent harm reduction conference and one which will be significant in taking forward harm reduction in Thailand and South-East Asia. I, and the staff of the International Harm Reduction Association, the Conference Consortium and our partners, look forward to welcoming you next April in Bangkok.
Professor Gerry Stimson
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5th November 2008
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Youth RISE Launch ‘Take Two to Thailand’ Campaign
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Youth RISE – the international harm reduction network for young people – has launched a campaign for organisations to sponsor young leaders to attend Harm Reduction 2009: IHRA’s 20th International Conference in Bangkok, Thailand (for which Youth RISE is a supporting organisation).
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The ‘Take Two to Thailand’ campaign seeks to encourage organisations to sponsor a young person to attend the event in addition to (or instead of) their staff or representatives. A similar principle was used for the 2006 International AIDS Conference in Toronto, Canada and successfully enabled over 100 young people to attend courtesy of 31 organisations.
Young people are disproportionately affected by both substance use and drug policies worldwide. However, they are often excluded and marginalised in the global discussions and decision making processes around harm reduction - despite various international commitments which explicitly state young people’s right to participate. The active and meaningful involvement of young people affected by substance use is essential to both the IHRA conferences and the development of a stronger global response. By providing young people with the opportunity to participate in events such as Harm Reduction 2009, you can help Youth RISE and future harm reduction pioneers gain invaluable experience, networking opportunities and knowledge.
Youth RISE does not currently have any funds to bring young people to the conference in Thailand, so are relying on harm reduction networks, organisations and donors to commit to the ‘Take Two’ campaign and ensure that a young leader has the opportunity to participate alongside the organizations representative. For more information, please contact Youth RISE.
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23rd October 2008
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Abstract Deadline Approaching for Harm Reduction 2009
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The deadline for abstract submission for Harm Reduction 2009: IHRA’s 20th International Conference is on Monday November 10th 2008, and harm reduction practitioners, researchers, advocates and policy makers from around the world are invited to make submissions using the online system and share their experiences at this unique, international event. The conference itself is scheduled to take place in Bangkok, Thailand from the 19th to the 23rd April 2009 and is expected to attract around 1,200 delegates from 90 different countries.
Each year, the conference programme relies on high quality submissions from the harm reduction field. The conference organisers are particularly interested in receiving abstracts from Thailand and South-East Asia as we look to strengthen and promote harm reduction in the region. In order to submit an abstract, you must first register for the conference by visiting www.ihraconferences.net. Once you have created a new user account, simply click on “your submissions” and follow the instructions. Abstracts must be submitted in English and be no longer than 300 words.
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• Click here for more information
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• Click here to download a short ‘Guide for Developing and Submitting an Abstract’ [PDF:102KB]
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23rd October 2008
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Applications Invited for the 2009 Paolo Pertica Fellowship
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The Paolo Pertica Fellowship was established in 2004 to encourage innovative harm reduction work and research in prison and other custodial settings. For the first time, this annual Fellowship will be linked to the annual IHRA international conferences and awarded at Harm Reduction 2009: IHRA’s 20th International Conference. The Fellowship is for one year and is up to the value of up to €10,000 for an individual to undertake an innovative harm reduction project.
The Paolo Pertica Fellowship was established in 2004 by the European Network of Drugs and Infections Prevention in Prisons (ENDIPP) to mark the ten-year anniversary of the Network. The Network itself stemmed from Paolo Pertica’s work with prisoners from a wide range of different nationalities incarcerated in London prisons. The Fellowship was created to acknowledge his contribution to the development of work with drug using prisoners in the UK and within European criminal justice systems.
The Fellowship will enable the recipient to develop and report on a small but innovative harm reduction action-research or demonstration project based in prison or other custodial settings. For example, this project could involve:
• Introducing and/or running harm reduction services
• Undertaking research on harm reduction needs
• Education and training on harm reduction
• Advocating and campaigning for the introduction of harm reduction
• Advocating for prisoner’s rights to health – especially connected with drug use
• Developing a funding proposal for a larger harm reduction project
The project has to clearly demonstrate how it will contribute to improving the conditions of those individuals in custody who either have drug use or HIV related need. The recipient will be asked to submit a 3,000 word report (in English) on their work, and this may then be made available on the IHRA website and elsewhere. The project should be completed between the provision of the award at Harm Reduction 2009, and presentation of the report at Harm Reduction 2010.
The value of the Fellowship is €7,500 to cover any incurred project costs (excluding course, education, conference or training fees). Payment will be made in two equal parts (one on project commencement and one on receipt of a satisfactory final report). Up to €1,500 of this money may be taken by the recipient as a personal honorarium. In addition to this, a further €2,500 will be provided to cover actual costs incurred by the recipient in attending the IHRA conferences.
Applications are accepted from individuals or organisations in any country, and must be submitted to the IHRA Secretariat before January 28th 2009. Applicants must demonstrate an understanding of and commitment to harm reduction principles and practices.
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• Click here to download an application form [WORD:53KB]
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• Click here for more information about the various IHRA Awards
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• Click here for more information about Harm Reduction 2009
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23rd October 2008
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Nominations Invited for 2009 IHRA Awards
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Nominations are now being invited for the 2009 International Rolleston Award and the 2009 Carol and Travis Jenkins Award – both of which will be presented during the closing ceremony of Harm Reduction 2009: IHRA’s 20th International Conference. Each year, IHRA presents these awards to leading individuals or organisations in the field of harm reduction.
The IHRA awards are presented each year to individuals or organisations that have made outstanding contributions to reducing harm from psychoactive substances. These contributions may include work on:
• harm reduction programming
• harm reduction practice
• harm reduction policy
• harm reduction teaching and training
• science, research or critical thinking relevant to harm reduction
• advocacy for harm reduction
• providing funding or resources for harm reduction
The International Rolleston Award is given to an individual who has made an outstanding contribution to harm reduction at the international level. The award was inaugurated at the 1992 conference in Melbourne and is named after Sir Humphrey Rolleston – President of the Royal College of Physicians who chaired the UK Departmental Committee on Morphine and Heroin Addiction that, in 1926, determined that it was legitimate medial 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.
For 2009, nominations are welcome from all around the world. The winner will be chosen by the members of the IHRA Board of Directors.
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• Click here for the International Rolleston Award nomination form [WORD:50KB]
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The Carol and Travis Jenkins Award is presented each year to a current or former drug user who has made an outstanding contribution to reducing drug-related harm. The award was initially named after Travis Jenkins, the extraordinary jazz musician and composer who died of cancer in 2004. For 2009, however, the award has been renamed in memory of Carol Jenkins, the medical anthropologist who worked for many years with the Papua New Guinea Institute of Medical Research as was one of the leading instigators to setting up the National Aids Council.
For 2009, nominations are welcome from around the world. The winner will be chosen by a committee chaired by the IHRA Honorary President, Pat O’Hare, and will receive a cheque for $500 courtesy of a donation from the family and friends of Carol and Travis Jenkins.
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• Click here for the Carol and Travis Jenkins Award nomination form [WORD:49KB]
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The deadline for all nominations is 28th January 2009. Nominations must be made using the official forms and must be sent to the IHRA secretariat. Neither the nominators nor the nominees need to be IHRA members.
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• Click here for more information about the IHRA Awards
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• Click here for a call for applications for the Paolo Pertica Fellowship
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• Click here for more information about Harm Reduction 2009
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13th October 2008
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Opportunities for Satellite Meetings on Sunday 19th April 2008
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At every IHRA conference, we like to offer the opportunity for organisations and interest groups to hold meetings outside of the formal programme. These meetings have become a major component of the annual conferences, and they offer a great opportunity for groups to take advantage of the number of delegates who attend the conference and discuss specific issues in detail. The meetings that took place at Harm Reduction 2008 were all well attended and well received, and we expect the demand for 2009 to be high.
In Bangkok, there will be five rooms available for satellite meetings in the conference venue on Sunday 19th April (08:30 to 15:30). Each room has a capacity of 200 people, with facilities for translation available if required. The charge for each of these rooms is £3,000, which includes audio-visual set-up and support, meeting adverts in the conference materials, and lunch and refreshments for up to 100 attendees. Additional services (such as catering for larger groups and simultaneous translation) are also available on request and at an additional cost.
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The rooms will be allocated on a ‘first-come, first-served’ basis (upon receipt of the full payment), and any bookings and payments must be processed before Friday 28th November 2008. To express an interest in holding an event, please contact Joanna Szostakowska.
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2nd October 2008
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2009 Film Festival Launches Call for Submissions and Sponsors
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The International Drugs and Harm Reduction Film Festival has accompanied the annual IHRA conferences since 2004 and has become a popular component of the overall event. In the previous five years, the Film Festival Team has accumulated 250 documentaries from around the world and is now looking to receive new submissions for the 6th International Drugs and Harm Reduction Film Festival, which will take place in Bangkok, Thailand in April 2009.
The 2009 Film Festival will be integrated as a parallel track in the conference programme for Harm Reduction 2009. As in previous years, the Film Festival Team is aiming to collect a large range of films that relate to drugs and harm reduction – from animations to documentaries, art house to education – and has issued an initial ‘Call for Film Submissions’. The deadline for submissions is January 15th 2009.
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IHRA, the Conference Consortium and the Film Festival Team are also currently seeking sponsorship and support to help maintain the high standards achieved by the International Drugs and Harm Reduction Film Festival in the past five years, and to extend it’s scope and take it to a new level of exposure and quality.
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1st September 2008
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Conference Registration System Opens
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The online registration system for Harm Reduction 2009: IHRA’s 20th International Conference is now open, and the delegate fees have been announced. Registration for the conference is an easy, online process and the registration system has been designed to ensure a secure and efficient way of handling all delegate needs and enquiries. If you would like to submit an abstract to the conference, or request a letter of invitation, you must first register online.
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Click Here to Register Now!
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The conference organisers are pleased to announce that, due to continued re-investment from the previous successful events, the delegate fees for Harm Reduction 2009 have been kept at the same level as – or reduced from – the 2008 conference despite an increase in the core event costs. For delegates whose payments clear before January 22nd 2009 (the ‘Early Bird’ deadline), registration for this major five-day event costs:
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- GB£ 359 for the subsidised ‘Local Rate’ (for Thai nationals who are currently residing in Thailand) – offered each year to encourage participation from the host country. This is a reduction on the corresponding fee for Harm Reduction 2008.
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- GB£ 529 for the discounted ‘Reduced Rate’ (for full-time students, members of drug user organisations, and delegates from certain countries – please see the Country Classification
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- GB£ 589 for paying IHRA members – another reduction on the corresponding fee for Harm Reduction 2008.
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- GB£ 619 for the ‘Full Rate’ (for delegates who do not qualify for any of the above discounts – or delegates from UN agencies and other international bodies who are not IHRA members). Again, this is a reduction on the corresponding fee for Harm Reduction 2008.
In addition, the ‘Early Bird’ deadline has been kept the same for Harm Reduction 2009 as it was for 2008 (despite the conference taking place more than three weeks earlier this time around), and the number of countries that are now eligible for the ‘Reduced’ rate has also been increased using the World Bank ‘Country Classification’ lists to include all ‘Low’, ‘Lower-Middle’ and ‘Upper-Middle’ economies. This means that more countries now qualify for the Harm Reduction 2009 discounts than many other events – including the International AIDS Conferences.
As in previous years, the delegate fee includes attendance at all sessions of the conference (including satellite meetings unless otherwise stated), a conference bag containing the relevant documents and materials upon arrival at the event, lunches on Monday 20th, Tuesday 21st and Wednesday 22nd April, refreshments during the tea and coffee breaks from Monday 20th to Thursday 23rd April, admission to the conference welcome reception on Sunday 19th May, and admission to the re-formatted conference awards ceremony and party on Wednesday 22nd April. The delegate fee does not include any travel or accommodation costs, which must be arranged and paid directly by the delegate.
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Click Here to Register Now!
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1st September 2008
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Abstract Submission Opens
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The abstract submission system for Harm Reduction 2009: IHRA’s 20th International Conference is now open, and all delegates are encouraged to submit abstracts about their practice, research, experiences or advocacy work. In order to submit an abstract delegates must first register for the conference and create a new user account. Once you have done this, simply click on the 'Your Submissions' link and follow the instructions to submit an abstract. Abstracts must be submitted in English, be no longer than 300 words and be submitted before November 10th 2008.
In particular, the conference organisers are interested in receiving abstracts from delegates (especially those from Thailand and South-East Asia) who are involved in delivering innovative harm reduction services, have some new and ground-breaking research to report on, have an example of an effective or successful advocacy campaign, or wish to discuss or debate a particular area of harm reduction policy. For 2009, the conference organisers would also like to encourage abstracts on the following issues (although this list is far from exhaustive):
• Alcohol Harm Reduction
• Compulsory Drug Treatment
• Cost-Effectiveness
• Drugs in Sport
• Dual Diagnosis (between mental health and either HIV or drug use)
• Families and Relatives
• Funding, Fundraising and Harm Reduction Donors
• Gender Issues
• Good Practice Models
• Harm Reduction and Human Rights (the conference theme)
• HIV and Tuberculosis
• Holistic Approaches
• How to Engage Law Enforcement Agencies
• Immigration and/or Mobile Populations
• Innovative Research
• Men who have Sex with Men (MSM)
• Nursing and Harm Reduction
• Overdose Research, Awareness and/or Prevention
• Peer Involvement and Advocacy
• Psychosocial Interventions
• Researching and/or Measuring Service Quality
• Sex Work and Harm Reduction
• Stimulants and/or Methamphetamine Use
• Strengthening Healthcare Systems
• Training and Workshops
In order to assist delegates, the conference organisers have created a short ‘Guide for Developing and Submitting an Abstract’. It includes information about the conference itself, how abstracts are selected for presentation, ‘What Can I Present?’, abstract topics, writing the abstract, abstract formats, choosing a title, and ‘What Happens Next?’.
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7th July 2008
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Harm Reduction 2009 Website Launched
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IHRA and the Conference Consortium are pleased to launch the new website for Harm Reduction 2009: IHRA’s 20th International Conference. This event – the latest in a long-running series – will take place in Thailand. The website – www.ihraconferences.net – will contain all the information that delegates need to register for and attend the conference.
The registration system will open in the summer of 2008 – alongside the abstract submission system and information about delegate fees and accommodation. For the time being, the conference website contains lots of information about the event itself and an archive of previous IHRA conferences. Visitors can also sign-up for the Harm Reduction 2009 e-newsletter to ensure that they keep up to date with the latest conference news and announcements.
Year on year, the numbers of delegates submitting abstracts and attending the IHRA conferences continues to grow, as does the event itself in terms of scope and impact. Please circulate the conference website address – www.ihraconferences.net – to your colleagues and contacts to ensure that Harm Reduction 2009 is bigger and better than ever!
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Click here to sign-up for the Harm Reduction 2009 e-newsletter
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7th July 2008
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Previous Conferences: Call for Information
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The International Harm Reduction Association (IHRA) is developing an online archive resource for the previous 19 international harm reduction conferences – but we need your help!
Since the ‘1st International Conference on the Reduction of Drug-Related Harm’ in Liverpool (in 1990), the annual harm reduction conferences have promoted harm reduction research, approaches and best practice around the world. To document these events and the history of harm reduction, each of the previous 19 events will have a dedicated page in the Previous Conferences Archive containing – where possible – overviews, reports, resources and photos. There are currently archive pages for the last seven events (going back to Ljubljana in 2002), and further pages will be developed for the remaining events throughout the coming year.
In order to create a valuable archive, we would like all IHRA members and friends to send us any information that you may have from past conferences, such as photographs and presentations. We can then upload these to create a permanent record of this ground-breaking conference series. If you have any information that you would like to send to IHRA, please contact Jamie Bridge.
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7th July 2008
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Over 1,200 Attend ‘Harm Reduction 2008’ in Barcelona
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‘Harm Reduction 2008: IHRA’s 19th International Conference’ took place in May in Barcelona. The conference was, once again, very successful - attracting 1,280 people from 77 different countries around the world. Amongst the delegates were senior UN officials, national and international policy makers, leading drug user activists, front-line workers and researchers. In total, there were around 70 sessions over five days, covering a range of different topics – in keeping with the conference theme, ‘Towards a Global Approach’. Overall, there were 250 presentations and 300 poster exhibits.
After numerous ‘satellite events’ on Sunday 11th May, the conference was opened with a keynote address by Professor Paul Hunt, the UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to the Highest Attainable Standard of Health. Professor Hunt delivered the strongest statement to date on harm reduction and human rights from a UN human rights monitor, describing the lack of regard for human rights in the international drug control system as ‘bizarre’ and ‘inexcusable’. He concluded his speech by urging harm reduction, drug policy advocates and drug user activists to incorporate UN human rights mechanisms and monitors into their work.
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Monday 12th May began with the first Plenary Session presenting the ‘Global State of Harm Reduction’. This session included speakers from Africa, Australia, Europe, Latin America and the International Network of People who Use Drugs (INPUD), and introduced some of the general themes in the conference programme. The session also launched a major new report from IHRA entitled Global State of Harm Reduction 2008: Mapping the response to drug-related HIV and hepatitis C epidemics. This session was followed by three Major Sessions covering harm reduction best practice in the host country, hepatitis C, and ‘Evidence in Harm Reduction’ (including an excellent presentation from Thomas Kerr on the politics surrounding the drug consumption facility in Vancouver, Canada).
The afternoon programme included sessions on cannabis, prisons, substitution treatment, advocacy, and research on HIV risks, and a ‘Double Concurrent’ in the afternoon on ‘Universal Access to HIV Prevention and Treatment for Drug Users’ (supported by the World Health Organization and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime) which included eight high-profile speakers. There was also a lively early evening session debating the evidence behind ‘Ibogaine’ as a drug treatment.
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Tuesday 13th May opened with a multi-media Plenary Session on gender issues in harm reduction, which incorporated video footage with questions to a panel of speakers from around the world. This was followed by Major Sessions on gender barriers, alcohol harm reduction, and ‘Discrimination Versus Rights’ (a ‘Users Choice’ session organised by INPUD). The afternoon programme included the launch of ‘DRUM’ (the International Network of Drug Related Media), a lunchtime session on tuberculosis and HIV (supported by the World Health Organization, UNAIDS and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime), Concurrent Sessions on young people, overdose prevention, alcohol, tobacco and research on drug use prevalence, and an early evening session on drug consumption rooms around the world.
On Wednesday 14th May, there was a Plenary Session and a Major Session on human rights and harm reduction, which will be the main conference theme for Harm Reduction 2009 in Thailand. The rest of the day’s programme included sessions on hidden harms, stimulant drugs, engaging the police, prisons, ARV for injecting drug users, ethno-epidemiology and tobacco. There were also two afternoon sessions on harm reduction and commercial sex work – highlighting peer-led best practice in this field and the harms of the prohibition of sex work.
The final day – Thursday 15th May – opened with a keynote address from Antonio Maria Costa, the Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. Mr. Costa stated that health was the ‘first principle’ of the international drug conventions, but conceded that his organisation needed to go back to ‘square one’ to realise this. He called for a focus on ‘Three HRs’: Harm Reduction, Health Responses and Human Rights.
This was followed by the final Major Sessions on nursing and harm reduction, crack cocaine, and harm reduction research, and the Closing Session – in which the Conference Rapporteur team reviewed the preceding five days, and the 2008 IHRA Awards were presented.
The 2008 International Rolleston Award was won by Dr. Andrew Ball, Senior Strategy and Operations Advisor in the Department for HIV/AIDS of the for the World Health Organization (WHO) and a long-time supporter of harm reduction – both within WHO (since 1991) and in the wider community (where he has supported the development and expansion of harm reduction programmes in a wide range of low and middle income countries).
The 2008 National Rolleston Award was won by Àmbit Prevenció, a Spanish NGO whose aim is to deliver support and HIV prevention to people who use drugs through needle exchanges, workshops and outreach.
Finally, the 2008 Travis Jenkins Award was presented to Theo van Dam of the Netherlands, in recognition of his efforts to teach people who use drugs to defend their rights, and his pioneering work within the European drug-user activism movement – including helped to establish the ‘International Drug Users Day’.
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In addition, a new award was also presented in Barcelona – the Bonnie Devlin Memorial Scholarship. This award was developed as a tribute to Bonnie Devlin, a women who was not only instrumental in the organisation of the 1996 International AIDS Conference and the 2006 IHRA Conference (both in Canada), but also in the development of community programmes, services and research for people affected by drug use. In Barcelona, this award was presented to Ananda Pun – the chair of the International Network of People who Use Drugs (INPUD) and also of Recovering Nepal (a national network of people who use users) – for his tireless efforts, in the face of such adversity, in the development of peer-based community HIV and harm reduction programmes in Nepal and Asia.
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Overall, Harm Reduction 2008 was a very successful and engaging event. In addition to the mainstream programme, there were also around 30 films screened as part of the 5th International Drugs and Harm Reduction Film Festival, including ‘Harm Reduction Video: Cambodia – Injecting Drug Use’, the recipient of the 2008 Film Award. There were also a large number of important side-meetings for IHRA, the regional harm reduction networks, the UN officials and INPUD.
A full archive from Harm Reduction 2008 in Barcelona will be available on the conference website soon – www.IHRAconferences.net – including presentations, photos and reports. In the meantime, preparations have already begun for Harm Reduction 2009: IHRA’s 20th International Conference – scheduled for April 19th to 23rd 2009 in Bangkok, Thailand, and we hope to see you all there.
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