Category: News

“A good start gives hope for further success!”

Posted on by Igor Gordon

2017 became a turning point for the Eurasian Harm Reduction Association. The history of our organization has been started exactly in 2017, when EHRA was registered by the initiative of harm reduction activists and organizations from Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia (CEECA).

In 2017, a clear-sighted vision of its mission and role in the region, helped EHRA to build from scratch a solid management system, to gain significant support from global and regional communities and partners as well as to launch nine advocacy, coordination and community capacity projects.

This Annual Report reflects all key points in the progress of association in 2017, programming outlines in the CEECA region and the further Strategic Framework 2018-2019.

Thank you for your help in the development of EHRA, the belief in our work and the readiness to go with us together to the goals’ implementation.

Full version of the Annual Report can be found by link.

Joint Statement of Civil Society Organizations in advance of the Thirty-Ninth Meeting of the Global Fund Board

Posted on by Igor Gordon

On May 9–10 2018, the Global Fund’s Board will consider revisions to the Fund’s Eligibility Policy based upon recommendations from its Strategy Committee. While some of these recommendations are positive, others raise serious concerns.

In this regard organizations representing civil society and including communities of people living with and affected by the three diseases and other key populations from different countries and regions – developed a Joint Statement to share with Global Fund Board members their position on several critical issues that should be considered by the Board during its deliberations on the Eligibility Policy.

The Statement signed by 41 international, regional and national level organizations was sent to the focal points of all Delegations to the GF Board as well as to GF Board Leadership and GF ED. 7 more organizations signed the statement after it was sent.

We hope that our position will be taken into account by the Global Fund Board members when making decisions on the eligibility issues during the Board meeting.

The final version of the document – Joint Statement of Civil Society Organizations in advance of the Thirty-Ninth Meeting of the Global Fund Board.

Regional Сommunity Networks Consortium submitted multi-country proposal for GF funding to insure sustainability of HIV services for key populations in EECA

Posted on by Igor Gordon

The Regional Community Networks Consortium (RCNC) of five regional networks in EECA has successfully developed and submitted a proposal for the Global Fund.

Continue reading “Regional Сommunity Networks Consortium submitted multi-country proposal for GF funding to insure sustainability of HIV services for key populations in EECA” →

EHRA is looking for for the expert to develop and facilitate Workshop in Azerbaijan

Posted on by Igor Gordon

The Eurasian Harm Reduction Association (EHRA) in the scope of the EECA Regional Platform project supported by the Global Fund is aimed to organize a workshop targeted on civil society and community representatives in Azerbaijan. The workshop is going to take place in Baku (Azerbaijan) on 7 – 8 of June 2018. 

Objectives of the workshop are to:

  1. To build knowledge on the processes with regard to the transition of national HIV/AIDS and TB responses from Global Fund support to national funding; 
  2. To understand the possible consequences for HIV\TB programs if the planned transition is not well-managed, including looking at examples of some other countries in the region;
  3. To understand the importance of the involvement of civil society and communities’ representatives in all stages of the transition processes and the existing opportunities and entry points for such involvement;
  4. To understand what HIV and TB services and program components are the most vulnerable within the transition process in Azerbaijan and to plan the possible actions in 2018 to insure their sustainability;
  5. To discuss and identify the possible content of the request for TA for civil society and communities in Azerbaijan within the GF CRG TA Program

The working languages of the workshop will be Russian and Azerbaijanian.

How to apply

The candidates are invited to submit their CV, Letter of interest and state the daily rate in USD (including the taxes) by e-mail referenced under title “Consultant to develop and facilitate S&T Workshop in Azerbaijan” to ivan@harmreductioneurasia.org by COB 03 of May 2018 24:00 EET.

Please see more information in the document below

Terms of Reference

Announcement of EHRA members online General Meeting

Posted on by Igor Gordon

The Eurasian Harm Reduction Association (EHRA) announces the convocation of the members online General meeting, in period from 21st May 2018 to 4th June 2018.

General meeting suggested agenda:

1. Approval of EHRA financial report for 2017 year (Statement from EHRA Treasurer will be sent until 16th May, 2018);

2. Approval of Regulations of the General and Regional meetings of the members of EHRA (Please find attached Regulations);

3. Approval of Regulations of the Steering Committee of EHRA (Please, find attached Regulations);

4. Approval to prolong terms for 2 more months for the 5 members of the Steering Committee and shorten term of 2 months for 1 member (Please find attached document with suggested terms);

5. Approval of the timeline of the Regional meetings to elect Steering Committee members (Please find attached document with suggested dates);

6. Approval of EHRA Advisory Board (List of candidates for EHRA Advisory Board will be sent until 16th May, 2018);

Timeline of the General meeting:

23 April, 2018 – announcement of the General meeting of EHRA members

23 April – 16 May, 2018 – documents for the General meeting are sent to members

21 May – 4 June, 2018 – online voting

For any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact Secretary of the General meeting Eliza Kurcevic by the e-mail: members@harmreductioneurasia.org 

Announcement of EHRA members online Regional meetings to elect Steering Committee members

Posted on by Igor Gordon

Eurasian Harm Reduction Association announces the convocation of the members regional meetings to elect Steering Committee members from the following regions: South-Eastern Europe and Russia.
A list of Steering Committee members subject to rotation, is as follows:

  • Tijana Žegura (South-Eastern Europe) resigned in January;
  • Maksim Malyshev (Russia).

Schedule of elections:

  • From 23 April to 14 May, 2018– nomination process (3 weeks). Candidates are submitting their applications to participate in the Steering Committee elections
  • From 21 Мay to 4 June, 2018 – online voting to elect Steering Committee members in the South-Eastern Europe and Russia regions
  • 5 June, 2018 – announcement of the results.

We are inviting all EHRA members from the above-mentioned regions to submit applications to become a member of the Steering Committee until 14th May, 2018.

The requirements for the candidates are:

  • be a member of EHRA;
  • demonstrate readiness and ability to work responsibly and actively as a Steering Committee member;
    follow the principles listed in the Association Steering Committee Regulations (please, find the document attached);
  • to reside within a region participating in the current elections;
  • to avoid a potential conflict of interests, candidates cannot be representatives of Association’s donor organizations.

ATTENTION! According EHRA Regulations, a country represented in a particular region may have only one representative in the Steering Committee who is elected in the Regional Meeting. Therefore, EHRA Members from BULGARIA CANNOT submit their candidacies, as one of the EHRA Steering Committee members is from Bulgaria.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate Secretary of the Regional meetings Eliza Kurcevic, by e-mail: members@harmreductioneurasia.org

Two Reports On Behalf Of People Who Use Drugs To Be Presented At The UN Committee On Economic, Social And Cultural Rights

Posted on by Igor Gordon

The Eurasian Harm Reduction Association (EHRA) and the Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network, together with communities of people who use drugs from Estonia and Kazakhstan are presenting two parallel reports to the 62nd Pre-Sessional Working Group of the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR), which is meeting in Geneva this week.  Today, representatives from EHRA and Estonian organisation of people who use psychoactive substances LUNEST will give their statements regarding the enjoyment of social rights among women who use drugs and/or living with HIV in Estonia. On 4 April, during the discussion of the report from the Government of Kazakhstan, the issue of access to opioid maintenance therapy (OMT) and the protection of human rights of drug-dependent individuals and people living with HIV in the country will be raised.

Both parallel reports were written based on the disturbing information on the situation with people who use drugs that demonstrates that human rights of these groups of society in Estonia and Kazakhstan are gravely violated.

In case of Estonia, its Government is requested to address the issues of health, parental, child protection, and labor rights violations incurred by women who use drugs. These violations were detected during a research study conducted by a team of non-governmental organisations in 2017. Despite the fact that Estonia, compared to other post-Soviet states, has made good progress providing access to HIV prevention and treatment, violations of human rights against people who use drugs, their discrimination and stigmatisation is still an everyday occurrence, especially on behalf of state institutions, such as the police, child protection, and public health services.

The Government of Kazakhstan will be urged to provide information regarding the future of  OMT programs, since the outcomes of the state’s assessment in 2017 may lead to the complete halt of these programs in the country. This is not the first time that CESCR is dealing with the issue of OMT in Kazakhstan: in 2010, the Committee called on the Government of Kazakhstan to ensure that methadone as substitute drug dependence therapy was made accessible to all drug dependents. However, by the end of 2017, OMT was available to only 2.69% of all injecting drug users on the outpatient register, contrary to World Health Organisation’s recommendations of at least 20% coverage.

According to Dasha Matyushina-Ocheret, Policy Reform Advisor at EHRA, parallel reports and testimonials at the 62nd Pre-Sessional Working Group of the CESCR should help raise the issues of human rights violations in Estonia and Kazakhstan on the international level so that lives of people who use drugs are improved. “It is especially important that members of the Working Group, as well as Government representatives from Estonia and Kazakhstan, will hear first-hand accounts from community representatives on how their rights are violated,” says Ms. Matyushina-Ocheret.

Established in 1985, CESCR is a UN human rights body consisting of 18 independent experts that monitor implementation of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights by its States parties, which are obliged to submit regular reports to the Committee on how the rights are being implemented in their countries. The Committee’s rules allow for international, regional, and national organisations and human rights institutions to submit parallel reports with questions for governments in advance of the dialogue with the states.

The EU recommendations on alternatives to punishment for crimes – it won’t lead to a paradigm shift, but it will help advocacy effort

Posted on by Igor Gordon

Author: Dasha Matyushina, Drug Policy and Human Rights Advisor, EHRA

On March 8, 2018, the Council of Ministers of the European Union adopted final recommendations on alternatives to punishment for crimes committed by people who use drugs.

The adoption of such a document is an important event, especially given the fact it’s courtesy of one of the main bodies of the European Union. Official documents adopted at the highest level frequently mention alternatives to punishment for drug use and possession – for example, the resolution of the UN General Assembly Special Session on Drugs 2016, the EU Drug Strategy 2013-2020 and the latest EU Action Plan on drugs, adopted just over a year ago.

In fact, the idea is nothing new. Article 36 of the Single United Nations Convention on Narcotic Drugs of 1961, dubbed “Penal Provisions”, defines possible alternatives to punishment:

b) …when abusers of drugs have committed such offences, the Parties may provide, either as an alternative to conviction or punishment or in addition to conviction or punishment, that such abusers shall undergo measures of treatment, education, after-care, rehabilitation and social reintegration in conformity with paragraph 1 of article 38.

The 1988 UN Convention is similar in spirit and style – again we see the terms such as “alternatives to conviction or punishment” and “additional measures”. Law-makers in the USSR and later in the post-Soviet space opted for additional measures such as special prisons for drug addicts and various forms of compulsory treatment…

Is there a significant difference between the international provisions from 60 years ago and the recommendations discussed at the European level today? Why do we think that the international documents adopted over the past few years will somehow help reform drug policies?

First, it’s the official use of the word “alternatives”, which is important. It shows that there’s a consensus that it’s time to try out alternatives to traditional drug policy approaches. Also, the EU documents are gradually moving away from the idea of just “replacing or adding” (which, in fact, allows ample scope for drug prisons), giving clear priority to “replacing” sanctions with non-custodial measures.

Secondly, the EU speaks of alternatives to coercive measures. A fine is a coercive measure which means that a fine for drugs, even a small administrative penalty is not good, it’s a practice that should be replaced with an alternative.

The document adopted by the Council of the European Union in March of this year defines alternatives as follows:

(2) …as education, (suspension of sentence with) treatment, suspension of investigation or prosecution, rehabilitation and recovery, aftercare and social reintegration…

Please note that it’s not only the suspension of a sentence but also the suspension of an investigation and prosecution. That means that a decision to send a suspect for treatment or rehabilitation can occur at the time of arrest and before trial.

Another important point is that it’s not just and not so much about sanctions for drug use and possession for personal use, which, according to the document, is not considered “a criminal offense in many countries” (which, as we know, is not entirely true – in the Baltic countries for example possessing microscopic quantities can lead to a fine equal to several monthly salaries). The EU document talks about the whole spectrum of crimes committed by people who use drugs. Most often it’s about thefts committed in order to find money to buy drugs.

The most important thing about the latest EU document is that it recognizes (rather than simply raises the issue for further research) that alternative measures are more effective in reducing repeat offences and social spending, as well as help improve social reintegration.

So, in general, the EU adopted a useful document. It won’t lead to a paradigm shift or a revolution in drug policy; however it will help advocacy effort at the EU and international levels. Our task is to pick quotes from it and target our governments, especially those who still believe that fines and drug prisons are the alternatives to punishment.

Promote your work through Harm Reduction Journal with high impact-factor

Posted on by Igor Gordon

Dear colleagues,

Don’t miss this unique opportunity to promote your work through Harm Reduction Journal (HRJ) with high impact-factor.

We would like to encourage you to submit your paper(s) to the thematic series in Harm Reduction Journal: The state of harm reduction in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, to be launched at the 2018 International AIDS Conference in Amsterdam, 23-27 July 2018.

Papers may be submitted on any aspect of substance use, blood-borne infections and harm reduction in the Eastern European and Central Asian regions – research, review, policy, commentary, history.

All articles in this series will undergo the journal’s full standard peer review process.

Deadline for submission: 31 May 2018

For further information, please contact the Editors or visit HRJ webpage: https://harmreductionjournal.biomedcentral.com/call-for-papers

For open access publishing Harm Reduction Journal charge of €1995 for each article accepted for publication (see more: https://harmreductionjournal.biomedcentral.com/submission-guidelines/fees-and-funding). Discounts and limited number of full waivers will be available for authors from low income and lower-middle income countries.

IMPORTANT! Eurasian Harm Reduction Association is ready to support you by providing English language editing/proofreading services. Moreover, we will cover open access costs for authors from communities, whose articles will be accepted for publishing. All request for support from EHRA should be submitted to igor@harmreductioneurasia.org

Time to act confidently. INPUD and ENPUD community leaders have a meeting in Kyrgyzstan

Posted on by Igor Gordon

The three countries’ obligations to support and finance communities of people who use drugs are:

  1. Countries have committed to making key changes by 2030 including for people who use drugs – UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
  2. Countries committed to expand access to services including community-led services in the 2016 High Level Political Declaration on Ending AIDS. “Commit to build people-centred systems for health by strengthening health and social systems, including for populations that epidemiological evidence shows are at higher risk of infection and by expanding community-led service delivery to cover at least 30% of all service delivery by 2030”.
  3. The Outcome Document of the UNGASS on the World Drug Problem: Builds on International conventions that: Protect the rights of all people. Do not mandate the decriminalization of drug use. Expresses commitment to improve health of people who use drugs.

Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Lithuania, Estonia, Tajikistan, Russia, Romania,  Great Britain, Uzbekistan, Belarus. INPUD and ENPUD community leaders of people who use drugs have met to learn from each other and think together. The task is to get information about the obligations of our countries at the international level, and using IDUIT’s guidance on organizing programs for and, together with people who use drugs, to think about ways to make budgetary money available to support drop-in centers and monitor the satisfaction of services. How to influence on changes in drug policy and redistribute the costs of repression to programs of social and medical care.

International Network of People who use drugs and Eurasian Network of people who use drugs have organized the meeting. Eurasian Harm Reduction Association joined the training with resources to write an application and receive technical assistance for community-based research and assessment of the real community involvement in the development, implementation and evaluation of harm reduction programs. The skeleton of low-threshold quality services are community-based services. It is possible to assess the transition plan in terms of sustainability of programs for people who use drugs. This is one of the options of the Global Fund’s technical assistance program under the Community, Rights and Gender program. The Association took commitment to inform communities and civil society about this resource and help formulate the request. This is what exactly happening on 26 February to 2 March, 2018 in Kyrgyzstan.