A message from the Conference Director, Professor Gerry Stimson.
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 “We welcome your participation in the International Harm Reduction Association’s 20th international conference which will be held in Bangkok, Thailand in April 2009.
“The IHRA conferences are major opportunities to promote harm reduction in the host country, the region, and beyond. IHRA takes the conference around the world. Since the first conference in 1990, we have held conferences in 15 different countries.
“IHRA decided to hold the 2009 conference in Asia, aware of the potential to develop harm reduction in the region. Many countries in the region have made – and continue to make – significant advances in harm reduction. Others have not yet made available the services and programmes to which drug users are entitled. Many countries still rely over heavily on law enforcement and repression.
“The harm reduction conference is a key advocacy opportunity for Thailand and the region. It will bring harm reduction and human rights advocates, UN representatives, researchers, heath and legal professionals, drug user advocates and the media together to promote harm reduction and human rights. The conference is an opportunity to advocate for harm reduction and public health approaches as effective ways to reduce drug related harms. This is why the conference theme – Harm Reduction and Human Rights – was chosen.
“We hope that by having the conference in Thailand we will be able to provide a pragmatic and constructive vision of how we reduce drug related harms, and to provide further support and inspiration for the many dedicated people working in this field”.
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