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korey chisholm [ Profil ] |
| Sujet: |
Letter from UNODC and UNAIDS Secretariat on recent decisions on harm reduction
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| Envoyé: |
Aug 21st, 2009 - 08:01:19 |
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Dear colleagues,
With this email, we would like to make you aware of some recent developments
in the field of harm reduction, and request you to disseminate this
information to your partners in your country, particularly to the members of
the Country Coordinating Mechanisms (CCM), the National AIDS Commissions and
civil society.
The sharing and use of contaminated injection equipment among injecting drug
users remains one of the most devastating modes of HIV transmissionoutside
sub-Saharan Africa it accounts for approximately one third of all HIV
infections.
Hence it has been identified as a priority area by the UNAIDS Executive
Director in the UNAIDS Outcome Framework 2009-2011. In his PCB June 2009
speech, he stressed
we have evidence that effective programmes for harm
reduction and substitution therapy can save billions of dollars. During this
crisis, UNAIDS will champion these and other evidence informed prevention
programmes as smart investments for saving money, saving lives and restoring
health and dignity to people.
Although the Global Fund is the leading multilateral donor of harm-reduction
initiatives worldwide, the total allocation for harm reduction interventions
is disproportionately low compared to the needs on the ground. Therefore, in
countries where injecting drug use is one of the major routes of HIV
transmission, it is absolutely critical that the CCMs are properly briefed
and assisted in knowing their epidemic and in the development and
submission of Global Fund proposals the next Round 10 - having strong
focus on harm reduction.
Often, it is the UNAIDS Country Coordinators who represent the UNAIDS family
in the CCMs, therefore, we felt it is important that you are aware of the
recent decisions taken by various intergovernmental bodies (Commission on
Narcotic Drugs (CND), UNAIDS Programme Coordinating Board and Economic and
Social Council of the United Nations) concerning injecting drug use and HIV.
Please note that the CND political declaration, the PCB report and the
ECOSOC resolution contain critical language on this issue. The decisions
(please see annex) of these three UN entities indicate that there is a
common understanding in the UN on what is a comprehensive package of HIV
services for injecting drug users, namely harm reduction. For the first
time in history, the UN system has clearly defined what harm reduction in
relation to HIV is - the nine interventions as enumerated in the WHO, UNODC,
UNAIDS Target setting guide.
That is a huge leap forward, and now it is time for us to help translate
that common understanding into cohesive practical programmatic and policy
actions at the country level.
**
*Annex:*
* *
*CND:*
On 12 March 2009, the Commission on Narcotic Drugs, at its high-level
segment adopted the Political Declaration and Plan of Action on
International Cooperation towards an Integrated and Balanced Strategy to
Counter the World Drug Problem, where it stated, in paragraph 19, that
also note with great concern the alarming rise in the incidence of HIV/AIDS
and other blood borne diseases among injecting drug users, reaffirm our
commitment to work towards the goal of universal access to comprehensive
prevention programmes and treatment, care and related support services, in
full compliance with the international drug control conventions and in
accordance with national legislation, taking into account all relevant
General Assembly resolutions and, when applicable, the *WHO, UNODC, UNAIDS
Technical Guide*, and request the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime
to carry out its mandate in this area in close cooperation with relevant
organizations and programmes in the United Nations system, such as the World
Health Organization, the United Nations Development Programme and the Joint
United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS; (Commission on Narcotic Drugs Report
on the fifty-second session (14 March 2008 and 11-20 March 2009) Economic
and Social Council Official Records, 2009, Supplement No. 8)
*PCB:*
On 24 June 2009, a little more than three months later, the UNAIDS Programme
Coordinating Board discussed issues related to HIV among injecting drug
users, and decided, in paragraph 8.5, among others, to request the UNAIDS
Secretariat and the Cosponsors, in particular UNODC, to support national
authorities to align policies, clarify roles and responsibilities of various
national entities - including drug control, the penitentiary system, public
health and civil society - and support increased capacity and resources for
provision of a comprehensive package of services for injecting drug users
including harm reduction programmes in relation to HIV as enumerated in the
UNAIDS/UNODC/WHO *Technical Guide for countries to set targets for
Universal Access to HIV prevention, treatment and care for injecting drug
users** (*24th Meeting of the UNAIDS Programme Coordinating Board Geneva,
Switzerland, 22-24 June 2009, Decisions, Recommendations and Conclusions).
*ECOSOC:*
On 24 July 2009, exactly one month after the UNAIDS Programme Coordinating
Board decisions on injecting drug use, the Council adopted a resolution on
UNAIDS, where it stated in paragraph 19 *Recognizes *the need for UNAIDS
to significantly expand and strengthen its work with national governments
and to work with all groups of civil society to address the gap in access to
services for injecting drug users in all settings, including prisons; to
develop comprehensive models of appropriate service delivery for injecting
drug users; to tackle the issues of stigmatization and discrimination; and
to support increased capacity and resources for the provision of a
comprehensive package of services for injecting drug users including harm
reduction programmes in relation to HIV as elaborated in the
WHO/UNODC/UNAIDS: *Technical Guide for countries to set targets for
Universal Access to HIV prevention, treatment and care for injecting drug
users*, in accordance with relevant national circumstances; (Economic and
Social Council resolution E/2009/L.23 adopted by the Council on 24 July
2009: Joint United Nations Programme on Human Immunodeficiency
Virus/Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (UNAIDS).
http://data.unaids.org/pub/BaseDocument/2009/20090724_e2009l23_en.pdf)
*WHO, UNODC, UNAIDS Technical Guide*
* *
The WHO, UNODC, UNAIDS Technical Guide on target setting spells out, what
the UNAIDS family understands by comprehensive prevention programmes for
injecting drug users, namely nine essential interventions:
· Needle and syringe programmes
· Opioid substitution therapy and other drug dependence treatment
· HIV testing and counselling
· Antiretroviral therapy
· Prevention and treatment of sexually transmitted infections
· Condom programmes for injecting drug users and their sexual partners
· Targeted information, education and communication for injecting drug
users and their sexual partners
· Vaccination, diagnosis and treatment of viral hepatitis
· Prevention, diagnosis and treatment of tuberculosis.
* *
**Best regards,
Korey Anthony Chisholm |Caribbean Regional Focal Point | Global Youth
Coalition on HIV and AIDS (GYCA) | 749 Sixth Field Cummings Lodge |Greater
Georgetown, Demerara |Guyana, South America T:+1 (592) 623 8022 or (592) 662
1441| O:+1 592 225 1580| korey (at) youthaidscoalition.org |
korey.chisholm (at) gmail.com www.iAIDS.org | www.youthaidscoalition.org
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Korey Anthony Chisholm | Partnerships and Communications Director |Board Of
Directors | The Newtwork of Guyanese Living with and Affected by HIV and
AIDS (G+) Incorporated | gpluspublic (at) gmail.com | gplusnetwork (at) gmail.com
Sent from Georgetown, Guyana
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