Network of Networks
The Network of Networks is an informal coalition, originally formed at the IHRA conference in Brazil in 1998. It provides a forum for harm reduction 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 Network of Networks has released several joint advocacy statements on key issues for harm reduction.
The European Harm Reduction Network (EuroHRN)
Has been recently formed by ten organisations with a shared interest in advocating for and sharing knowledge on harm reduction within Europe. It is made up of three sub-regional networks covering North, South and Eastern Europe and managed by a coordinator based at the International Harm Reduction Association in the UK. The Network is funded by the EC.
EuroHRN was formed in 2010 by ten organisations with a shared interest in advocating for and sharing knowledge on harm reduction within Europe. It is made up of three sub-regional networks covering North, South and Eastern Europe.
- The North Europe Sub-Regional Network is led by Foundation De Regenboog Groep (the Netherlands) and Akzept (Germany).
- The South Europe Sub-Regional Network is led by APDES (Portugal).
- The Eastern Europe Sub-Regional Network is led by the Eurasian Harm Reduction Network (Lithuania).
A specialist project on drug user networking is coordinated by ASUD (French national drug user organisation), working in partnership with the International Network of People who Use Drugs (INPUD).
EuroHRN is coordinated by the International Harm Reduction Association and is advised by a Steering Group of ten organisations who manage the development of the project. EuroHRN is supported by a grant from the European Commission.
Youth RISE (Resource, Information, Support, Education)
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. www.youthrise.org
International Network of People who Use Drugs (INPUD)
Established in 2007, INPUD is the 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.http://www.drugspeaceinitiative.org
Sub-Saharan Africa Harm Reduction Network (SAHRN)
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. www.sahrn.net/
Caribbean Harm Reduction Coalition (CHRC)
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. www.caribbeanharmreductioncoalition.htmlplanet.com
Middle East and North African Harm Reduction Network (MENAHRA)
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.
www.menahra.org
Networks we work with:
Law Enforcement and Harm Reduction Network (LEAHRN)
The Law Enforcement and Harm Reduction Network (LEAHRN) aims to connect people who want to know more about how police and harm reduction services can work together more effectively.
LEAHRN seeks to promote harmony and a better understanding between police and health service providers so that more harm reduction programmes, such as needle and syringe exchange, opioid substitution therapy prescription, condom distribution and supervised injecting facilities, can be successfully delivered.
International Nursing Harm Reduction Network (INHRN)
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.
http://inhrn.net
Women’s Harm Reduction International Network (WHRIN)
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.
www.talkingdrugs.org/womens-harm-reduction-group
Asian Harm Reduction Association (AHRN)
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.
www.ahrn.net
Eurasian Harm Reduction Network (EHRN)
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.
www.harm-reduction.org
Canadian Harm Reduction Network (CHRN)
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.
www.canadianharmreduction.com
Colectivo por Una Política Integral Hacia las Drogas (CUPIHD)
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.
Harm Reduction Coalition (HRC)
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.
www.harm-reduction.org