Organised by the European Network of People who Use Drugs (EuroNPUD) 

The European Network of People who Use Drugs is pleased to invite you to the webinar launch of the "Community-led approaches to HCV testing, treatment, and care" resource, created within the framework of the BOOST project. This webinar is part of our series of resources on Peer Led Harm Reduction and is related to World Hepatitis Day marked on July 28 globally.

During the webinar, John Melhus, leader of the PLHR team, will provide an overview of the resource and discuss best practices for HCV testing, treatment, and care among people who use drugs in different European countries. Additionally, members from Norway and Portugal will share specific examples of their work in this field. The introduction will be presented by our partners from the Correlation – European Harm Reduction Network.

Looking forward to seeing you on July 31. If you are unable to attend the webinar, the recording will be made available at a later date.

Community-led approaches to HCV testing, treatment and care

The Centre for Research and Information on Substance Abuse (CRISA) hereby announces its 15th Biennial International Conference on Drugs, Alcohol and Society in Africa. The conference will hold in Abuja on 7 and 8 August 2024. In the context of a growing demand for evidence based substance use disorder treatment systems, the major theme of the 2024 conference is “Improving access to treatment for substance use disorders: Emerging strategies and persistent challenges”.

We invite you to submit abstracts of relevant research papers on this theme for
presentation at the conference. We will also consider requests to organize panel discussions, debates and workshops on the topic of drug and alcohol policy in one country, region or across the continent. We welcome original contributions from a range of disciplines, including health and social sciences, law, the humanities, and media studies (especially social media).

Papers not directly related to the major theme but address any current issue on
psychoactive substance use in Africa will be accepted for presentation at the conference.

You will find below a list of suggested sub-themes and topics for your consideration. The major theme of the 2024 International Conference is: Improving access to treatment for substance use disorders: Emerging strategies and persistent challenges

Sub-themes addressing treatment issues, supply and demand, and responses to problems include the following:

Availability of services for people who use drugs; access to treatment; illicit supply and drug markets in Africa; decriminalization of drug use; community epidemiology of drug/alcohol use and substance use disorders; regulation of drugs; medicinal cannabis; harm reduction; availability of medications for the management of pain; control of prescription opioids; alcohol and tobacco policies; measuring policy effectiveness; assessment of national plans of action, and national practice guidelines; stigma; alternative development; availability and use of new psychoactive substances; social and cultural factors in drug supply and demand; community factors in the prevention of drug and
alcohol abuse; role of the media and civil society; gender perspectives; drugs and the legal system; the current state of drug policy research, vulnerable populations; etc.

Papers that are not directly related to these sub-themes will also be considered for presentation at the conference as long as they address some aspect of the substance use situation in Africa

In addition to sessions devoted to the presentation of research papers, the conference will feature:

Discussion panels on professional practice and policy.


The conference will be held in Abuja, Nigeria. The specific venue will be announced later.


Please take note of the following important dates:

Abstract submission deadline: 26 April 2024

Full Paper submission deadline: 7 June 2024

Deadline for Early Bird registration: 12 July 2024

Begin with the paper title, followed by author(s), affiliation(s).

The first and last names of authors should be written in full.

Provide full contact information for the lead author.

The main body of the abstract should be in one paragraph with no subheadings for the sections. 

More information on pre-conference workshops, registration, travel, accommodation, etc. will be available on the CRISA website in due course. You can also contact us directly for such information.


All registered participants will be served lunch and tea/coffee for two days and will also receive conference materials, complimentary copies of the African Journal of Drug and Alcohol Studies, books and certificates of participation.


Full registration: N40,000 ($100 for international participants)

Early registration: N35,000 (payment on or before 12 July 2024)


For further information about the conference please contact:

Gloria Akpabio: Phone: +234 802 756 1365
Nsidibe Essien: Phone +234 803 328 9499

Email: crisainfo1@gmail.com or info@crisaafrica.org
Office: CRISA, 84 Aka Itiam Road, Uyo, Nigeria

Conference Chair: Professor Isidore S. Obot, Executive Director, CRISA
Email: obotis@gmail.com or iobot@crisaafrica.org

Information about registration, travel and accommodation will also be available on the CRISA website — www.crisaafrica.org.

This African conference series was launched in 1991 and has attracted participants from around the continent and the world over the years. We look forward to seeing first time and returning participants in Abuja in August 20204. Do not hesitate to contact us for any information you may need in connection with the conference.

15th Biennial International Conference on Drugs, Alcohol and Society in Africa

No one should stand alone in our fight to end overdose.

While every individual action matters greatly, coming together as an international community creates a powerful collective action. One that moves us with greater speed toward our shared goal of preventing, and ultimately, ending all overdoses.

Through our 2024 theme, “Together we can” we’re highlighting the strength of coming together and standing in support of those connected to the tragedy of overdose.

For people who use drugs and those who don’t. For heartbroken friends and family members of lost loved ones. For activists who fight for sorely needed policy reform. For healthcare and harm reduction workers. For tireless advocates. Overdose can affect anyone, and we encourage you to remember the tenacity of our community. Lean into the power that we can have when we work together.

This August 31, reach out and connect with others in your local community and join the global IOAD movement. Our collective voices are stronger, louder, and the most impactful when brought together.

Let’s remember, together, we can end overdose.

International Overdose Awareness Day 2024 

At Cranstoun, we empower people & empower change. We believe in collaboration, creativity, compassion, respect & ambition. We want to break down barriers and stand up tall for the people we work for and campaign alongside.

Our focus at the Social Justice Conference 2024 will be across five areas, harm reduction & drug policy, domestic abuse, criminal justice, housing & homelessness & children & young people’s services.


This year’s conference will be held in Birmingham at the BCEC. Birmingham has an international airport with great connections to the city centre and conference venue. Trains run direct to Birmingham New Street from across the UK and the venue is a short walk from the train station.


There are plenty of city centre hotels within walking distance of the conference venue and the venue is connected to the Holiday Inn hotel.


Our Call for Abstracts is still open, and we are particularly interested in topics that cut across two or more of the five service areas. To find out more and submit your abstract, click 

The Social Justice Conference, 18-20 Sept, Birmingham. Click 

 to book your ticket. Full programme and workshop details to follow.

If you are interested in sponsoring this event or having an information table where you can share the work you do please contact: events@cranstoun.org.uk

Social Justice Conference 2024

INHSU is the world’s leading conference for people interested in the health and well-being of people who use drugs. Abstracts that focus on health issues among people who use drugs beyond hepatitis C are not only welcomed but highly encouraged.

Abstract Submission Deadline: 11:59PM (EET) Sunday 3 March 2024

Download the below guidelines and template and submit via our online portal.

INHSU 2024 Abstract Submission Guidelines

Epidemiology, Public Health and Clinical Research Template

Social Science and Policy Research-Based Template

Models of Care and Programs Abstract Template

 Contact conference@inhsu.org to be connected to one of our members who can assist you. 

We are pleased to announce scholarship opportunities will be available for the 12th International Conference on Health and Hepatitis in Substance Users. We will be offering a number of full or partial scholarships for researchers, community members, practitioners, program workers, and policymakers.

The deadline for applications is 11:59pm (EET) Sunday 3 March 2024

Please note that those who have not previously received a scholarship will be prioritised.

A full scholarship will include conference registration, return economy class flights and accommodation and a partial scholarship will include just the conference registration. Before applying please ensure you have read the selection criteria.

12th International Conference on Health and Hepatitis Care in Substance Users - INHSU 2024

From the outset, the European Conference on Addictive Behaviours and Dependencies has been about stimulating and promoting high-quality scientific debate, showcasing leading European addiction research in the specialist areas of illicit drugs, alcohol, tobacco, gambling and other addictive behaviours. Lisbon Addictions is a multidisciplinary conference that provides a forum for networking across the addictions field.

The event is organised by: the Portuguese 

General-Directorate for Intervention on Addictive Behaviours and Dependencies (SICAD)

European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA)

journal Addiction/Society for the Study of Addiction (Addiction/SSA)

International Society of Addiction Journal Editors (ISAJE)

The next European Conference on Addictive Behaviours and Dependencies will take place in Lisbon on 23-25 October 2024 under the overarching theme ‘Empowering the workforce of the future’.

Potential contributors are invited to submit abstracts in the following main thematic tracks:

Prevention of risky and harmful behaviours

Alcohol: risks, clinical considerations, treatments, and outcomes

Hepatitis C, other infectious diseases, and drug-related harms

Drug policy: latest developments and new challenges

For more information about abstract submission, click 

Lisbon Addictions 2024

The HIT Hot Topics Conference, held annually in Liverpool since 2011, continues HIT’s legacy of running cutting edge, high quality harm reduction and drug policy convenings. Whilst primarily UK-focused, HIT’s connection to activists and advocates around the world brings some of the most interesting and exciting speakers to our ‘family gatherings’, with side events almost as unmissable as the conference itself!

 HIT Hot Topics 2024

The AWID Forum is the world’s largest event that wholeheartedly centers feminist and gender justice movements in all their diversity. It is a transformative space created by and for the movements - where Global South feminists and historically marginalized communities take centerstage, strategize to shift power, and connect with allied movements, funders and policy-makers.

And so it is with full and fiery hearts that we share…

The 15th AWID International Forum will take place from December 2-5, 2024 in Bangkok, Thailand! 

We hope to gather 2,500 in-person and 3,000 online/hybrid participants.


When thousands of feminists come together, we create a sweeping force of solidarity that has the power to change the world! We’re excited, and we know you’re excited too - so stay tuned for more details, including registration and our plans for a program full of feminist magic.

We will gather at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Center (QSNCC). Later in 2023 we will be announcing many different ways to actively participate in shaping the content and the various spaces of the Forum, hang tight! Registration will start early 2024. We will announce the exact registration date and registration fee soon. Registration will include participation in the Forum, plus lunch and snacks (breakfast to be provided at the hotels), and one onsite dinner.

AWID International Forum 2024

The conference will present the latest harm reduction developments and innovative practices and discuss drug policy and its implications on people who use drugs and other marginalised groups. It intends to discuss different perspectives on harm reduction, social inclusion and related topics. EHRC provides a platform to create links and synergies between national and European stakeholders. You can read about the previous editions 

6th European Harm Reduction Conference

Each year, RightsCon convenes business leaders, policy makers, general counsels, government representatives, technologists, academics, journalists, and human rights advocates from around the world to tackle pressing issues at the intersection of human rights and technology. In engaging fireside chats, hands-on workshops, strategic roundtables, private meetings, and a lively exhibition space, RightsCon is where a global movement comes together to build strategies and drive forward change toward a more free, open, and connected digital world.

Over the past 12 years, RightsCon has rotated to key hubs around the world, including San José, Tunis, Toronto, Brussels, Rio de Janeiro, Manila, and San Francisco, and grown, both in size and in scope to meet the evolving needs of a movement.

For its 13th edition, we’re excited to host RightsCon 2025 in Taipei and online from February 24 to 27. As a leading democracy in the region, Taiwan is recognized globally for the freest online environment and greatest human freedom in Asia, a whole-of-society approach to human rights, and a vibrant civil society community. As the routine location of large-scale international events, coupled with the rapidly growing presence of international NGOs and global tech companies, we look forward to hosting our first summit in East Asia in Taipei and returning to the Asia Pacific region after a decade.

RightsCon 2025: Taipei

The Harm Reduction International Conference 2025 (HR25) will be held in Bogotá, Colombia on 27-30 April 2025.

In October 2023, Colombia’s new government announced a bold new drug policy that broke away from the war on drugs. It focussed on opportunity and justice.

Among other things the new policy looked to: prevent deforestation linked to drug trafficking; help transition small farmers to the legal economy; and tackle drug use with a focus on public health and human rights.

The Harm Reduction International Conference is going to Colombia to support a country that is taking the leap towards a new paradigm and to learn from the country and region.