Information provided by the Vienna NGO Committee - VNGOC

The Reconvened 65th session of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) will take place 8-9 December in Vienna, at the Vienna International Centre (Board Room C, 4th floor of the C-Building), and online, starting at 10 a.m. and 3 p.m CET.

All organisations in consultative status with ECOSOC are invited to send observers. Please note that official CND rules will apply.



Organisations with ECOSOC status wishing to attend need to 

 as soon as possible but no later than 7 December 2022

. Every participant must have a personalized INDICO profile and you will need to issue an official letter signed by the head of the organization with the composition of the delegation for upload to INDICO. 

N.b. no funding is available to support participation in the event. Delegates will have to cover their own expenses.

Two joint meetings of the CCPCJ and the CND will be held on 8 December (10am to 6pm), and one separate meeting of CND will be held on 9 December (10am to 1pm). The annotated 

provisional agenda and proposed organization of work

CND 65th Session Reconvened

By EECA Interact / AFEW International and the Amsterdam Institute for Global Health & Development (AIGHD).

We are pleased to announce the third scientific workshop on HIV, Hepatitis C and Tuberculosis in Eastern Europe and Central Asia – EECA INTERACT 2022 – to be held on 13-14 December in Riga, Latvia!

EECA INTERACT 2022 will bring together scientists, clinicians, members of civil society, and government officials to tackle topics facing individual countries while building capacity and strengthening research and clinical networks.

We encourage researchers from Eastern and Central Europe, Balkans, Central Asia, and the Baltics to submit abstracts for peer review. There are a limited number of scholarships for the highest scoring abstract presenters to attend the INTERACT workshop in person.

Open call for abstracts: EECA INTERACT Workshop!

We invite researchers to submit abstracts on of the following topics:

Epidemiology, including surveillance and data collection

Access to diagnostics, medicines, and medical products

Basic science and HIV cure, vaccines, and monoclonal antibodies

HIV co-infections, including hepatitis, tuberculosis, sexually transmitted infections, and (re)emerging pathogens

Paediatrics and prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT)

Financing, cost-effectiveness, and impact modelling

Information technology innovations for HIV (MHealth, electronic records, social media)

Community/civil society/stakeholder engagement

Innovative approaches to priority populations that are at risk and underserved

Regulatory, ethical, and research conduct challenges

Structural determinants of HIV vulnerability

Knowledge translation to policy and programming

The online application will be open from 5 August to September 25. Submit your abstract via this form https://eeca-interact.org/submit-abstract/.

There are a limited number of scholarships, preference is given to young investigators (under 35) or less than 5 years out from PhD or MD. Information is available on request via info@eeca-interact.org.

EECA Interact 2022 is organized by AFEW International and the Amsterdam Institute for Global Health & Development (AIGHD).

EECA INTERACT 2022

Bringing together stakeholders to discuss and collaborate, with a range of international and national speakers and organizations.

Key topics: harm reduction and drug policy, racial injustice, sex workers rights, domestic abuse, criminal justice, LGBT+ inclusion, housing and homelessness, young peoples services, dealing with economic precarity in the charity sector.

Registration grants you full access to the weekend workshops, speakers and events including a welcome reception of tea/coffee and light refreshments as well as a serving Saturday and Sunday afternoon.

A Silver Saturday night banquet ticket will include a 3 course set meal, a welcome drink of beer, wine or soft drink, a half bottle of wine per person at the table, tea/coffee and chocolates followed by the Saturday night key note speaker and entertainment.

Keep an eye on our event page for keynote speaker announcements, workshops and other event details: Social Justice Conference.

Please see below for some of the amazing sponsors and supporters for the event. If you are interested in sponsoring this event or having an information/exhibit table where you can share the work you do please email: pkrykant@cranstoun.org.uk

The Social Justice Conference

The 66th session will take place from 13-17 March 2023.

66th session of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND)

The harm reduction community will soon be ready to connect again – join us in Melbourne for HR23: Strength in Solidarity.

The Harm Reduction International Conference, convened by Harm Reduction International in a different city every two years, attracts over 1,000 international delegates and has been held in almost every region of the world.

Harm Reduction International is thrilled to be holding HR23 in Melbourne, Australia, on 16-19 April 2023.

Registration for HR23 is open now. In August, we will open abstracts. We encourage you to start thinking about innovative and exciting aspects of your work that you would like to present at the conference and to submit an abstract when the time comes.

Over four days of presentations, workshops, films, networking events and more, the conference will continue its history of providing a dynamic forum to share the latest research and discussions on best practice in drug use, harm reduction and human rights, bringing together over 1,000 people from around the world working at the heart of harm reduction and drug policy.

Returning to Australia for the first time in 19 years, the conference will be a unique opportunity showcase Melbourne’s incredible harm reduction programmes and the people who have made them possible, and also to push for further progress not just for the country, but for the region as a whole.

The conference theme, Strength in Solidarity, will underpin all HR23 activities and highlight the importance of our strength – as people, as a community, as a global movement – in sticking together.

An early and strong adopter of harm reduction, Australia has an extensive network of needle and syringe programmes, access to pharmacotherapy options and naloxone, as well as two supervised injecting centres and, in many ways, stands as an example of good harm reduction practice. But despite this long history of harm reduction-focused policy and practice, reform in some spheres – for example heroin prescription programmes, decriminalisation of personal use of drugs and prison-based needle and syringe programmes – is still a challenge.

Of course, we couldn't possibly host a conference in 2023 without an online element to enable people who can't or don't want to travel to attend. Full details to follow soon!



27th Harm Reduction International Conference

Harm Reduction International (HRI), UNAIDS, the Eurasian Harm Reduction Association (EHRA), the Global Fund Advocates Network (GFAN) and the Network of Asian People who Use Drugs (NAPUD) invite you to a 

webinar on the implications of the Global Fund replenishment on harm reduction on December 5th at 1:00-2:30pm GMT.

The webinar presents the opportunity to regroup and take stock of the replenishment outcome and what is means for harm reduction in NFM4; to share actions to support inclusion of harm reduction programming in country grants and to strategise around the challenges that remain. We will also hear from the Global Fund Secretariat on their new guidance for harm reduction programming. The over-reliance of harm reduction on the Global Fund will be highlighted and the importance of other donors and national governments increasing their investments to address the funding gap for harm reduction will be emphasised.

There will be translation into French, Spanish and Russian.

Global Fund post-replenishment debrief: Implications for harm reduction

Edition of International Conference on AIDS and STIs in Africa (ICASA) from

On 17th October 2022 in Harare, the Republic of Zimbabwe, the right to host the 22nd edition of the International Conference on AIDS and STIs in Africa was conferred to Zimbabwe under the effective leadership of His Excellency, Dr E. D. Mnangagwa, President of the Republic of Zimbabwe at the state house. This is the second time Zimbabwe is hosting ICASA. As previous hosts of ICASA 2015 held in Harare, Zimbabwe convened over 5400 delegates. Zimbabwe’s selection was a result of a rigorous evaluation process of two pre-selected countries out of five country bids.

With the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding between the Honorable Vice President and Minister of Health and Child Care, General (Rtd) Dr. C.D.G. N. Chiwenga, representing the Government of Zimbabwe and the Society for AIDS in Africa, represented by Hon. Senator. Dr. David Pagwesese Parirenyatwa, SAA President and ICASA 2023 President, the Society for AIDs in Africa has the pleasure to officially declare Zimbabwe as the next host country of 22nd edition of ICASA, ICASA 2023!

The Society for AIDS in Africa is conscious of the momentous task ahead in preparing towards a successful ICASA 2023. We are confident that the Government of Zimbabwe with the good people of this country through ICASA 2023, will further motivate all African countries, and the International community to devote more attention and commitment to the fight against HIV/AIDS and other emerging viral infections and diseases in Africa towards the end of AIDS by 2030.

We are hereby appealing to all, to follow closely the unfolding preparations of ICASA 2023 and to lend your support to Zimbabwe, so that ICASA 2023 reflects lessons learnt that will further the new direction of the SDG strategies to move Africa towards strengthening our health systems, and the elimination of HIV, TB and Malaria.

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