Investments in harm reduction programmes: the need to turn a global crisis into a global solution

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Investments in harm reduction programmes: the need to turn a global crisis into a global solution

18 October 2016
UNAIDS

The world has come a long way in providing harm reduction services to people who use drugs. Harm Reduction International (HRI) data from the past decade show that there is now some level of harm reduction programming in over half of the 158 countries with documented injecting drug use. Where in operation, harm reduction has dramatically improved and protected the health, well-being and human rights of people who use drugs.

In 2016, at the United Nations General Assembly Special Session on the World Drug Problem in April and at the United Nations General Assembly High-Level Meeting on Ending AIDS in June, Member States secured strong commitments for harm reduction. These commitments now need to be translated into the necessary policy and programmatic changes, as well as investments in harm reduction programmes.

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Thumbnail: Flickr CC Governor Tom Wolf