International Harm Reduction Development Program: Lessons learned

Background: In Eastern Europe and Central Asia, 80 percent of HIV cases are among injecting drug users. Harsh drug policies fuel these epidemics. In Russia, opiate substitution treatment is illegal, needle exchange programs are small and scarce, and law enforcement practices deter drug users from services. Ukraine has responded to its HIV epidemic with substitution treatment and syringe exchange, but efforts must be scaled up and strengthened. There is a pressing need for evidence-based interventions and drug policy reform to combat the HIV epidemics in the region. Yet due in large part to US efforts to remove language about harm reduction from treaties and policies, there is a dearth of international support for harm reduction.

Methods and Results: The International Harm Reduction Development program has worked in Eastern Europe and Central Asia for over ten years, establishing and supporting harm reduction services and advocacy. Its needle exchange and methadone programs were among the first successful harm reduction efforts in the region.

Recommendations: UN treaties and policies fail to provide adequate leadership for countries experiencing injection-driven HIV epidemics, and national “drug wars” spur the spread of HIV. This presentation will share lessons learned in ten years of harm reduction development in hope of increasing support for evidence-based interventions.