Category: News

Announcement of EHRA members online General meeting to elect Steering Committee member from the community of people who use drugs

Posted on by EHRA

Eurasian Harm Reduction Association (EHRA) (Eurazijos žalos mažinimo asociacija), registered at Gedimino pr. 45-4, Vilnius 01109, Lithuania (actual address Verkių g. 34B-701, Vilnius) announces the re-convocation of the members general meeting to elect 1 representative from the community of people who use drugs.

List of all current Steering Committee members is attached.

A list of Steering Committee members subject to rotation in the General meeting:

  1. Alexander Levin (community of PWUD)

Schedule of elections:

  • From 29th October to 12th November 2021 – nomination process (2 weeks). Candidates are submitting their applications to participate in the Steering Committee elections.
  • From 15th to 28th November 2021 – online voting to elect Steering Committee member from the community of PWUD.
  • 29th November 2021 – announcement of the results.

We are inviting all EHRA members from the community of people who use drugs from all the regions to submit applications to become a member of the Steering Committee until 12th November 2021. Candidates’ applications are filled in online: https://forms.gle/SeLm552uiZoqa48t9

The requirements for the candidates are: 

    1. be a member of EHRA;
    2. demonstrate readiness and ability to work responsibly and actively as a Steering Committee member;
    3. follow the principles listed in the Association Steering Committee Regulations;
    4. in case of representative elections from the community of people who use drugs – to live within Association geographical region and to be an individual who is a former or current person who use drugs and can represent interests of the community of people who use drugs;
    5. to avoid a potential conflict of interests, candidates cannot be representatives of Association’s donor organizations.

ATTENTION!

Representatives of the community of people who use drugs represent the Association’s whole geographical area and should be from different countries. Thus, as there is a representative from community of people who use drugs from Moldova, candidates from Moldova cannot apply.

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

EXTENDED: EHRA is looking for a video production crew or individual consultant to create video materials

Posted on by EHRA
RFP Number EHRA-09-02
RFP Title Video crew
RFP Closing Date and time: 24:00 EET on October 27, 2021
Proposal Submission Address: info@harmreductioneurasia.org

 Background

Eurasian Harm Reduction Association (EHRA) is a non-for-profit public membership-based organization since 2017, operating in 29 countries of Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia (CEECA). EHRA mission is to actively unite and support communities and civil societies to ensure the rights and freedoms, health, and well-being of people who use psychoactive substances in the CEECA region. EHRA’s Secretariat is based in Vilnius, Lithuania.

Scope of Services

EHRA from time to time needs to create different video material – informational or advocacy video, video-reports, educational videos etc. Purpose of the video materials is to educate, represent, inform different kind of audiences about EHRA activities, achievements, projects. For video production EHRA is looking for the pool of crew (individual consultant or organization) to create video materials. A pool of winners will be selected.

 General Conditions

  • Language of video materials is English or Russian with subtitles English or Russian.
  • Duration may vary from 3-4 minutes to 30-40 minutes depending on the request.
  • Filming onsite and remoted ensuring the Full HD/4K quality
  • Video editing according to contest, stylistic and visual guidelines provided by EHRA staff including infographics and visual effects
  • Video teaser/intro production
  • Ensuring audio files of edited final video versions are available to EHRA
  • Preparation and implementation of subtitles for the video (Russian and English)
  • The visual solutions for the video must be technologically and creatively professional
  • The video must be designed and produced in a visually appealing and interesting way, using video, audio, modern technological or directorial solutions
  • Upon completion of the services, the Supplier shall hand over to EHRA all footage used and unused for the production of the information video clip
  • All copyrights of video are transferred to EHRA

Technical parameters of video

  • 4k resolution;
  • 120 fps,;
  • Storage of documents in raw format.
  • Additional equipment must be used to produce dynamic and high quality video
  • For video editing, the script shall be designed to allow dynamic change of shots
  • Sound quality requirements: the clips must have a high sound quality (at least 96 kHz)
  • sampling rate and 24-bit audio resolution). Synchronisation between video and audio must be ensured, and additional audio tracks
  • Image quality requirements for video production: shading and tonality must be present.
  • All content produced must be transmitted to EHRA in digital formats, ideally in the best possible quality.
  • The video must be recorded in mkv, avi, mp4 and mpeg formats so that EHRA does not encounter problems in making the video clips public on its own resources. The main dissemination of the video will be by means of online communication and must therefore be ensured a high recording quality suitable for broadcasting the clips in large format.
  • The video should be transmitted to EHRA in digital format allowing the editing of individual video and audio segments. Video must be submitted without security codes (unlocked).

Evaluation criteria

A two-stage procedure will be utilized in evaluating the proposals:

  • evaluation of the previous experience (portfolio) via technical criteria – 80% in total evaluation
  • comparison of the costs (best value for money) – 20% in total evaluation.

Cost evaluation is only undertaken for technical submissions that score a minimum 70 points out of a maximum of 100 as a requirement to pass the technical evaluation. A proposal which fails to achieve the minimum technical threshold will not be considered further.

To assess submitted applications, the following technical criteria will be used (80%):

Criteria
Vast experience of location and remoted shooting reflected in portfolio 30 points
Experience in organization of filming process 30 points
Experience in video editing, previous work with captions and graphic elements reflected in portfolio 30 points
A sense of taste and style 10 points
Total 100 points

Cost proposal (20%):

EHRA will allocate same importance to the provided portfolio and recorded experience as to the cost of the services. The cost proposal will be evaluated in terms of best value-for money to EHRA in EUR, price and other factors considered.

For the proper cost evaluation please provide budget needed to prepare a 4 minutes video according to the requirements listed below:

Requirements/expectations

  • Language of video materials is English or Russian with English or Russian subtitles.
  • Duration – 4 minutes.
  • Filming onsite and remoted ensuring the Full HD/4K quality. Video should consist of 11 short, remoted and interviews with 4-5 drawn infografics, music and recorded sound of narrator.
  • Video editing according to contest, stylistic and visual guidelines provided by EHRA staff including infographics and visual effects. Some parts of the video must be voiced by narrator. All the video needs subtitles as it sould be understandable for English and Russian speaking audience.
  • Time limits for preparation – 2 weeks.

This announcement shall not be construed as a contract or a commitment of any kind. This request for proposals in no way obligates EHRA to award a contract, nor does it commit EHRA to pay any cost incurred in the preparation and submission of the proposals.

How to apply

To be eligible as a EHRA’s service provider or consultant, any organization or individual must comply with the Eurasian Harm Reduction Association Code of Ethics which you can find at the following link: https://old.harmreductioneurasia.org/ehra-code-of-ethics/

Terms of payment and other conditions same as a final timeline will be indicated in the agreement which EHRA will sign with the winners. For each assignment separate Technical Requirements as well as cost will be agreed on. On the basis of the results of the tender, EHRA reserves the right to award the contract to a number of consultants with the highest scores and fulfilling the required criteria.

Applicants must submit the following documents:

  • for individual consultant: CV, prices in EUR (shooting and video editing per video gross) and submit your portfolio by e-mail referenced under title “Video crew”;
  • for organization: letter of interest with prices in EUR (shooting and video editing per video gross) and submit your portfolio by e-mail referenced under title “Video crew”;

Please submit your proposal to the info@harmreductioneurasia.org .

In the subject line of your e-mail please indicate the RFP number and your name. Otherwise, the application will not be considered.

Say “Know” to Your stuff!

Posted on by EHRA

People by their nature are inclined to experiment, to try new things, approaches, feelings, new states of being and mind. No wonder that one of the “tools” used for this purpose is different substances. More new psychoactive substances appear annually.

„As EHRA researches conducted in EECA countries show, the increasing use of NPS has led to new threats for health of people who use drugs – including overdoses, psychotic reactions, high HIV risks due to multiple injections and increased number of sexual contacts. However, in many countries service providers such as harm reduction, drug treatment programs and ambulance services are not ready or are not well equipped with information (and tools) on how to provide people who use NPS  with quality support and counselling”, – stresses EHRA Senior Program Officer Eliza Kurcevič.

 

The third time EHRA team has joined music festival Yaga in Lithuania with harm reduction activities that took place on 5-9 of August. Previous experience at the festival has shown that participants are very much interested in getting the science based, understandable information on how to protect themselves and others in different situations related to consumption. There are some key, golden rules:

– know what substance you use.

– know the health risks and consequences related to the use of that substance

–know how to respond to the overdoses or how to make human life safer in the event of an overdose

This year EHRA team concentrated on the first listed issue and prepared information campaign “Know Your Stuff”.

It included several activities. Firstly, workshop called “Know Your Stuff- Drug Checking Works”, which was led by Eliza Kurcevič. Discussion attracted festival participants and they get involved into interactive discussion about risks and harm reduction approaches to different psychoactive substances. Participants discussed what is drug checking, what are the benefits of it. 

Drug checking (also known as pill testing) is an evidence-informed harm reduction tool, that allows people who use drugs to help identify the substance they intend to take, and to make more informed and safer decisions about their consumption. It does not promote illicit drug use or claim that illicit drug use is safe. 

BENEFITS OF DRUG CHECKING 

  1. Gives service providers the opportunity to share harm reduction information with people who use drugs and occasional drug users. 
  2. Public health practitioners can detect and report dangerous contaminants to a wide audience, i.e. through alerts, warning campaigns, online information and so on. 
  3. RAISING AWARENESS AND KNOWLEDGE.Drug checking services not only inform about potential risks and harms of use, but also enable people who choose to use drugs to make informed choices. If drugs are shown to contain unwanted or unknown chemical compounds, people might decide not to use them at all. 
  4. Honest conversation about risks related to drug use can create positive relationships with staff and boost client referrals to other services and support programs (if needed) 
  5. SUPPLY CHANGE.Research shows that drug checking influences the unregulated market, with supply chains matching client expectations more closely over time. 

In addition to that EHRA team has distributed reagent tests for those who wanted to check psychoactive substances, talked to all interested about different approaches of harm reduction and pointing out safety tips for festival goers. 

SAFETY TIPS FOR FESTIVAL GOERS 

Use of drugs is associated with risks – but there are ways to make it safer. 

Before using: 

  • Eat and stay hydrated.
  • Be cautious if you are offered drugs or other substances.
  • Know your dealer. Keep in mind that even your dealer may not know where the drug came from or its ingredients.
  • Do some research on substances before trying them.
  • Plan ahead. Plan your drug use rather than using on impulse.

If you are using: 

  • Go slow. Take a small amount and wait to see what effect it has on you.
  • Don’t use alone. Be sure you are with people you trust, and who know what to do in an emergency.
  • How you use the drug changes the strength or potency. Smoking, injecting, snorting, and inhaling act quickly while swallowing, eating, or drinking act slowly and can lead to an accidental overdose.
  • Watch how other people behave but remember that not everyone responds in the same way.
  • Use in moderation. Use a reasonable amount. Don’t binge use.
  • Don’t share needles, pipes or any other equipment with anyone.
  • Don’t drive while under the influence.
  • Don’t mix. Avoid using different substances (including alcohol) at the same time.
  • If you take antidepressants and MDMA at the same time, it can cause serotonin syndrome. The signs of serotonin syndrome include very high fever, sickness, dangerously high blood pressure, heart problems and can result in death.
  • Take a break once in a while from your drug use. If you decide to take a longer break, be mindful that your tolerance level to the drug you used may change, and that you may not need to take as much to get the same effect.
  • Talk to someone you trust. It can be helpful to talk about what you’re feeling with a friend, family member, peer to peer consultant. 

*Consumption of drugs is always risky. According to the laws of the Republic of Lithuania, consumption entails administrative liability, and possession of any quantity entails criminal liability

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EXTENDED: Contest of mass media materials on life and problems of people who use psychoactive substances

Posted on by EHRA

TO THE ATTENTION OF MASS MEDIA IN THE REGION OF CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE AND CENTRAL ASIA (CEECA) 

in the framework of “Chase the virus, not people!” campaign** 

Background 

More than 3 million people who use psychoactive substances live in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia (CEECA). The CEECA region has the fastest-growing HIV epidemic in the world and high rates of hepatitis C and overdose mortality. Although harm reduction programs to some extent are available in 28 out of 29 countries in the CEECA region, the scope, quality, accessibility, and sustainable financing of these programs are so low in many CEECA countries that their impacts on the public have been insignificant.  

Many countries within CEECA have a political environment that maintains repressive drug policies, leading to stigma, discrimination, criminalization and imprisonment of people who use psychoactive substances, which are the major causes of hatred and inhumanity rooted in the society in relation to people who use drugs. Drug use or drug addiction diagnosis should not be the grounds for deprivation or restriction of political, economic, social and cultural rights. Years of anti-drug policies implementation and criminalization have led to systematic violations of the rights of millions of people who use drugs, including their right to life.  

In anticipation of the World Drug Day, June 26, and the International Overdose Awareness Day, August 31, Eurasian Harm Reduction Association (EHRA) encourages all responsible mass media representatives, bloggers, social media activists to take part in the Contest of media materials dedicated to the life and problems of people who use psychoactive substances.  

The aim of the contest:  

to encourage materials in traditional media channels (printing, radio, TV) as well as in social media (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube etc.) on influence of stigma, discrimination and criminalization on the lives of people who use psychoactive substances in CEECA countries to increase public awareness and stimulate actions to overcome those challenges.  

Assignment for mass media: 

to create an article / post / video / programme / podcast / investigation / interview, etc. to address stigma, discrimination or criminalization of people who use psychoactive substances in your city or country.  

Contest timeline:  

  • Materials developed for the contest should be posted/published/aired in the period of June 20 – October 15, 2021.
  • Materials (relevant links and audience coverage) should be sent to jurgita@harmreductioneurasia.org no later than October 29, 2021.
  • Contest results announcement – December 1, 2021.

Contest is conducted in 4 media categories:  

  1. Printed media (newspapers/magazines/websites)
  2. TV (including online TV and vlogs)
  3. Radio 
  4. Social Media

The materials may be dated (but not necessarily) to June 26 (World Drug Day) and August 31 (International Overdose Awareness Day).   

Contest awards*:  

3 winners in each media category will be awarded the prize:  

1st place – 1000USD  

2nd place – 750 USD 

3rd place – 500 USD  

The contest committee will evaluate the contestants’ materials considering the following criteria:  

  • creativity(the author’s creative work) (25 points) 
  • originality(uniqueness of the topic, story or the way the topic is presented) (25 points) 
  • the language of the text or the visual expression (clarity, tolerance, expressive features) (10 points) 
  • the relevance of the material (15 points) 
  • the reach of the material (unique readers, watchers, listeners, likes, shares, achieved audience overall) (25 points) 

Language: all materials are welcome in a national language.  

Only materials expressing neutral and tolerant attitude and using appropriate not stigmatizing language will be allowed to participate in the contest. Please review the glossary of recommended language use in English and Russian and EHRA Drug Policy Position for reference.  

For all interested in the Contest and wishing to learn more or to ask questions an online Q&A session will be organized on 29th of September at 12:00. Please, register for the Webinar here: https://cutt.ly/QElSPtA 

Jury: led by Eurasian Harm Reduction Association the jury will include national partners from countries, participating in the contest.  

Prizes to be awarded in each media category*: 

4 First places – 4000 USD (1000 USD per material) 

4 Second places – 3000 USD (750 USD per material) 

4 Third places – 2000 USD (500 USD per material) 

 * The amount includes all taxes. The winner is solely responsible for the calculation and payment of all taxes and fees which he / she / they is required to pay according to the state law of which he / she / they is a citizen or resident.

**About the campaign “Chase the virus, not people!” 

Eastern Europe and Central Asia (EECA) remains the only region in the world where new HIV cases continue to rise, and AIDS-related deaths are still high. To attract worldwide attention to the barriers that key communities and people living with HIV in the region face to access HIV prevention, treatment and care, the regional communities’ networks have joined forces in the campaign “Chase the virus, not people!” to represent interests of key populations affected by HIV: people living with HIV, women living with HIV, youth and teenagers, affected by HIV, people who use drugs, sex workers, men who have sex with men, trans* people.  

Launched at the International AIDS 2018 Conference in Amsterdam in 2018 the campaign continues through national initiatives, bringing together new partners and supporters to raise awareness of key populations’ problems and reduce stigma and discrimination in society.

Campaign coordinator – Eurasian Harm Reduction Association (EHRA) 

 

Announcement of EHRA members online General meeting to elect Steering Committee member from the community of people who use drugs

Posted on by EHRA

Eurasian Harm Reduction Association (EHRA) (Eurazijos žalos mažinimo asociacija), registered at Gedimino pr. 45-4, Vilnius 01109, Lithuania (actual address Verkių g. 34B-701, Vilnius) announces the re-convocation of the members general meeting to elect 1 representative from the community of people who use drugs.

List of all current Steering Committee members is attached.

A list of Steering Committee members subject to rotation in the General meeting:

  1. Alexander Levin (community of PWUD)

Schedule of elections:

  • From 20th September to 3rd October 2021 – nomination process (2 weeks). Candidates are submitting their applications to participate in the Steering Committee elections.
  • From 4th to 17th October 2021 – online voting to elect Steering Committee member from the community of PWUD.
  • 18th October 2021 – announcement of the results.

We are inviting all EHRA members from the community of people who use drugs from all the regions to submit applications to become a member of the Steering Committee until 3rd October 2021. Candidates’ applications are filled in online: https://forms.gle/Pe2nDbw6UsCDK2x47

The requirements for the candidates are: 

    1. be a member of EHRA;
    2. demonstrate readiness and ability to work responsibly and actively as a Steering Committee member;
    3. follow the principles listed in the Association Steering Committee Regulations;
    4. in case of representative elections from the community of people who use drugs – to live within Association geographical region and to be an individual who is a former or current person who use drugs and can represent interests of the community of people who use drugs;
    5. to avoid a potential conflict of interests, candidates cannot be representatives of Association’s donor organizations.

ATTENTION!

Representatives of the community of people who use drugs represent the Association’s whole geographical area and should be from different countries. Thus, as there is a representative from community of people who use drugs from Moldova, candidates from Moldova cannot apply.

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

NPS use in Eastern Europe and Central Asia

Posted on by EHRA

Throughout the Eastern Europe and Central Asia (EECA) region, the use and variety of NPS are relevant issues, although the nature and extent differ among the EECA countries and subregions, with better awareness of their presence among health professionals and people who use drugs. Synthetic cannabinoids and synthetic cathinones are predominant groups of NPS and widely available, whereas synthetic opioids seem to be more present in Estonia and Lithuania. Among people who use NPS, there are two key populations: those who have more experience with use of drugs, who have shifted to the use of NPS for a variety of reasons, and young people with no previous history of drug use. Drivers for use of NPS include the unavailability of drugs of choice, context-driven motives, as many NPS are not detected in blood and urine, and the aggressive marketing of NPS throughout the EECA region. NPS are marketed on social media channels, but also on public walls in many cities. A main risk of NPS is the absence of (chemical) analysis: that is, you do not know what you are actually consuming. Other health-related risks include mental health issues and increased risk of transmission of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) caused by unsafe use (mainly by injections), often combined with unsafe sex. So far, in the EECA region, no specific treatments are available for people with NPS dependency issues, as the focus has remained on traditional drugs, in particular opioid use. Similarly, harm reduction services are mostly not equipped to address the need of people who use NPS. In the EECA region, data-driven and science-based publications on NPS are almost non-existent.

Regional report on NPS use in EECA countries draws on a study conducted by the School of Law, Swansea University, in collaboration with the Eurasian Harm Reduction Association (EHRA). Within the framework of this project, 8 country reports were drafted, targeting the use of new psychoactive substances (NPS) in Belarus, Estonia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Lithuania, Moldova, and Serbia.

Read the report

EXTENDED: EHRA is looking for writers of reports and other publications

Posted on by Agne

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS (RFP)

RFP Number EHRA-08-01
RFP Title External consultancy. Writers of reports and other publications
RFP Closing Date and time : 24:00 EET on August 18, 2021
Proposal Submission Address: info@harmreductioneurasia.org

 Background

Eurasian Harm Reduction Association (EHRA) is a non-for-profit public membership-based organization uniting harm reduction activists and organisations from Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia (CEECA) with its mission to actively unite and support communities and civil societies to ensure the rights and freedoms, health, and well-being of people who use psychoactive substances in the CEECA region.

EHRA produce up to 20 different publications per year, based on collected information or conducted meetings.

Purpose of the consultancy

EHRA is looking for a dynamic and highly skilled individual consultant to write different reports, including analytical ones, situation overviews and other communication materials.

Scope of Services

Under the general supervision of the EHRA staff the consultant will undertake the following activities:

  • Create, edit and revise various forms of publications and communication products, including but not limited to meeting reports, situational analysis or information notes, summary regional overviews based on collected data;
  • Write additional text for drafted documents, such as the Executive Summary, additional sections or significantly re-write or re-structure drafted sections into polished English/Russian. Write shorter and/or companion communication pieces for heavier, technical reports.

Cost of services and payment order

 It is planned to sign 2 years framework contract with 3-5 selected consultants. Detailed scope of work, price and deadlines will be agreed separately for each assignment.

Qualifications and experience

  • University degree in Communications, Journalism, Creative Writing, Public Relations, Social Sciences or related disciplines;
  • Good understanding of harm reduction and broader public health for people using drugs, HIV response and drug policy. Knowledge of specifics of harm reduction in CEECA region is an asset;
  • At least 3 years of proven professional experience in writing and content development for regional or international organizations (application must include examples of various publications listed in the proposed scope of work)
  • Excellent organizational skills. An ability to produce high quality outputs, while juggling multiple inputs and meeting a deadline.
  • Strong interpersonal skills, able to communicate and work with diverse people
  • Strong research and excellent writing skills in English or Russian.

Evaluation criteria / requirements for candidates:

Submitted applications will be evaluated by the evaluation panel of the Eurasian Harm Reduction Association.

An evaluation panel will assess the extent to which proposals submitted in response to this announcement meet the evaluation criteria below.

The minimum technical score is 80. Only candidates with a minimum score of 80 points out of a maximum of 100 are considered eligible for the assignment.

The candidates with the highest technical score that meets the requirement will be invited for negotiation of the agreement

 

Сriteria: Points
Experience in writing and quality of the portfolio (must include publications related to public health, harm reduction or drug policy) 60
Diversity of portfolio 20
Specialized education 20
 

Maximum possible number of points

  

100

 This announcement shall not be construed as a contract or a commitment of any kind. This request for proposals in no way obligates EHRA to award a contract, nor does it commit EHRA to pay any cost incurred in the preparation and submission of the proposals.

Terms of payment and other conditions same as a final timeline will be indicated in the agreement which EHRA will sign with the winner.

How to apply

To be eligible as a EHRA consultant, any organization or individual must comply with the Eurasian Harm Reduction Association Code of Ethics which you can find at the following link: https://old.harmreductioneurasia.org/ehra-code-of-ethics/

Applicants must submit the following documents:

  1. Letter of interest with references to a portfolio of works or/and links to publicly accessible samples of work with indication of the price of the work on each.
  2. CV
  3. If you haven’t worked with EHRA before – contact details of at least two recent professional referees

Please submit your proposal to the info@harmreductioneurasia.org .

In the subject line of your e-mail please indicate  the RFP number and your name.  Otherwise, the application will not be considered.

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

Posted on by EHRA

Eurasian Harm Reduction Association (EHRA) (Eurazijos žalos mažinimo asociacija), registered at Gedimino pr. 45-4, Vilnius 01109, Lithuania (actual address Verkių g. 34B-701, Vilnius) announces the convocation of the members general meeting to elect 2 representatives from the community of people who use drugs and regional meetings from the particular regions: Central Europe, Ukraine-Moldova-Belarus, Caucasus, Central Asia.

List of all current Steering Committee members.

A list of Steering Committee members subject to rotation in the Regional meetings:

  1. Dominika Jasekova (Central Europe)
  2. Ala Iatco (Ukraine-Moldova-Belarus)
  3. Marina Chokheli (Caucasus)
  4. Aibar Sultangaziev (Central Asia)

A list of Steering Committee members subject to rotation in the General meeting:

  1. Alexander Levin (community of PWUD)
  2. Vitalii Rabinciuc (community of PWUD)

Schedule of elections:

  • From 2nd to 29th August 2021 – nomination process (4 weeks). Candidates are submitting their applications to participate in the Steering Committee elections.
  • From 6th to 19th September 2021 – online voting to elect Steering Committee members in four above-mentioned regions and from the community of PWUD.
  • 20th September 2021 – 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 19th August 2021. Candidates’ applications are filled in online: https://forms.gle/jtZJrm4vkZANjCzU9

The requirements for the candidates are: 

    1. be a member of EHRA;
    2. demonstrate readiness and ability to work responsibly and actively as a Steering Committee member;
    3. follow the principles listed in the Association Steering Committee Regulations ;
    4. in case of the regional representative elections – to reside within a region participating in the current elections;
    5. in case of representative elections from the community of people who use drugs – to live within Association geographical region and to be an individual who is a former or current person who use drugs and can represent interests of the community of people who use drugs;
    6. 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 Czechia, Ukraine and Kazakhstan cannot submit their candidacies, as these countries are already represented at EHRA Steering Committee.

Representatives of the community of people who use drugs represent the Association’s whole geographical area and should be from different countries. So we are inviting all EHRA members, who represent community of PWUD to apply to SC elections, to represent community of PWUD.

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

Participate in the regional training on “Criminalization costs” and drug laws

Posted on by Agne

The criminalization of people who use psychoactive substances in the Central and Eastern Europe, and Central Asia (CEECA) region, instead of maintenance of public health and safety, increases the financial and social burden on the states. For people who inject drugs, approximately 58% will experience incarceration in their life.

Incarceration costs 2 to 6 times more than treatment from health and social service groups. However, in almost all the countries in the CEECA region, due to de facto criminalization of people who use psychoactive substances, harm reduction and other health services are severely underfunded and depend on international donors. Guidelines from the World Health Organization recommend that at least 40% of people who use opioids receive opioid substitution therapy (OST); however, most countries in the CEECA region barely reach 20%.

Eurasian Harm Reduction Association (EHRA) is inviting activists from the community of people who use psychoactive substances, as well representatives from organizations, working in the drug policy and harm reduction field in CEECA region, to apply for the participation in the regional training on “Criminalization costs” and drug laws.

Aim of the training is to learn how to use EHRA developed materials “Criminalization costs” and drug laws in the advocacy work. More information about “Criminalization costs” is here: https://old.harmreductioneurasia.org/ru/criminalization-costs-2/, and more information about drug laws, you can find here: https://old.harmreductioneurasia.org/ru/drug-laws/.

During the training we will:

  • present “Criminalization costs” and drug laws materials;
  • together with participants discuss how it can be used practically in their work;
  • provide a creative space for creating new statements followed by supporting arguments, which can be used in advocacy work, based on the pocket guide on “Criminalization costs”;
  • discuss how drug laws differ in CEECA region countries and prepare general recommendations on what works / does not work.

 

Training is planned to be held on 29-30 September in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.

 

While selecting participants for the workshop, the following will be taken into account:

  • personal motivation of the participant;
  • experience working towards changing drug laws and advocating for the harm reduction services funding;
  • country (to ensure equal opportunities for participation from different countries in the region).

 

Deadline to submit application:  8 August, 2021

 

Submit your application here: https://forms.gle/9PbejPpojkuTtU2z8