People who inject drugs must not be left behind

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People who inject drugs must not be left behind

16 December 2014

Calls for renewed efforts to reduce the transmission of HIV and hepatitis C among people who inject drugs were heard at the thematic segment of the 35th meeting of the UNAIDS Programme Coordinating Board (PCB), which took place in Geneva, Switzerland, on 11 December.

Speakers at the thematic segment included former President of Switzerland Ruth Dreifuss, a member of the Global Commission on Drug Policy, Efi Kokkini, the chair of the Greek Drug and Substitute Users Union, and representatives of United Nations Member States and organizations such as the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, the World Health Organization and the World Bank.

Key issues associated with HIV and injecting drug use were raised, including opportunities for and barriers to implementing harm reduction strategies. Examples from several countries focused on partnerships between governments and civil society that have proved successful in reducing the transmission of HIV among people who inject drugs.

“We need to examine what has failed and what can be done differently,” said UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé. “Reaching the 90–90–90 targets will not be possible without reducing new HIV infections among people who inject drugs.”

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Related Profiles

  • Global Commission on Drug Policy
  • Joint United Nations Programme on HIV and AIDS (UNAIDS)
  • Ruth Dreifuss

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