Face-to-face dialogue between Tajik PWUD community and authorities resulted in tangible achievements

On November 10 – 11, 2014, a national consultative meeting called “Improving Access to Services for HIV Prevention, Treatment, Care and Support of People who Inject Drugs” was held in Dushanbe, Tajikistan. The meeting was organized by UNAIDS with the participation of the Eurasian Harm Reduction Network (EHRN).

"For Tajikistan, this meeting became a platform for the community of people who use drugs to get extensively involved in a dialogue with the authorities. It’s a rare occasion that the community representatives sit at negotiations with the Deputy Minister of Health, Secretary of the National Coordination Committee on AIDS, leaders of AIDS centers and drug rehabilitation clinics, as well as UN agencies,” said Dasha Ocheret, Deputy Director for Advocacy and Communication, EHRN.

Seeking to take full advantage of this unique opportunity to have a face-to-face dialogue with the authorities on improving the quality of harm reduction programs, EHRN and SPIN Plus, the main EHRN partner organization in Tajikistan, held a two-day preparatory workshop with community representatives. During this workshop, a common position was developed, presentations were coordinated and recommendations for the resolution of the national consultative meeting were prepared.

Well-coordinated cooperation with UNAIDS, as well as careful preparation for and active work at the workshop resulted in tangible achievements that the community of Tajikistan drug users can be proud of.

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