Scientific progress over the 40-plus years of the HIV response has transformed HIV into a manageable condition if you have access to treatment. By the end of 2024, the number of AIDS-related deaths had dropped by 54% and new HIV acquisitions by 40% since 2010. HIV treatment is now so effective that the virus can be undetectable and, therefore, untransmittable. We have highly successful long-acting HIV prevention options, including the injectables, lenacapavir and cabotegravir, with a long-acting oral prevention technology on the horizon.

Despite these gains, UNAIDS data suggests stagnant progress in recent years: 1.3 million people acquired HIV and 630,000 people died of AIDS-related causes in 2023 and again in 2024. There continue to be huge gaps in HIV prevention and treatment: 9.2 million people living with HIV were not getting life-saving medicines in 2024. This is because old barriers to HIV services persist. Among them are stigma and discrimination, criminalization and structural inequalities between populations and countries.

In early 2025, the suspension of US foreign aid, including PEPFAR, triggered a funding crisis that threatens to widen those gaps. This underscores the urgent need for countries to strengthen domestic financing, improve efficiencies and prioritize sustainability.

We have to work together to prevent the current crisis from rolling back progress.

Join the International Aids Society at the 26th annual AIDS conference in Rio de Janeiro and virtually from July 26-31, 2026, for vital conversations to rethink, rebuild and rise.

AIDS 2026 - 26th International AIDS Conference

Scottish Drugs Forum’s annual #StopTheDeaths conference returns in 2026 with a two-day event dedicated to reducing drug-related deaths and harms. This year’s conference takes place on Wednesday, 26 and Thursday, 27 August at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Glasgow.

Timed to mark International Overdose Awareness Day, the conference will bring together key stakeholders, including people with living and lived experience, policymakers, service providers, and health and social care professionals. Together, we will explore democratic policy development, service improvement and harm reduction practices.

Inequality, policy and the human impact of drug harms

The first day of our Stop The Deaths conference focuses on poverty and inequality as key drivers of drug-related harm, deepening understanding of how structural disadvantage, deprivation and social exclusion shape patterns of substance use – and highlighting the urgent need for responses rooted in equity and social justice.

Sessions will explore the impact of drug-related deaths on families and young people, alongside the significant – and often overlooked – role of alcohol in wider substance-related harm.

Set within a rapidly evolving political landscape, the programme will support delegates to understand and respond to national priorities, government decision-making and global drug policy developments.

Emerging trends, substances and innovative responses

Day Two offers a forward-looking exploration of current and emerging issues in substance use, highlighting new trends, research and practical responses.

Sessions will examine substances of growing concern, including cocaine and ketamine, alongside innovative approaches such as drug checking services. Delegates will gain a deeper understanding of evolving patterns of use and their implications for practice, policy and service delivery.

A dedicated focus on neurodiversity and substance use will offer insight into how different cognitive experiences intersect with drug use, helping professionals better recognise and respond to diverse support needs.

Peer-led research will feature strongly throughout the programme, bringing forward real-world evidence and perspectives from affected communities to support meaningful, context-driven practice.

#StopTheDeaths conference 2026

International Overdose Awareness Day is marked every year on 31 August, bringing together communities around the world to remember the lives lost to overdose and support those grieving. The day also creates space to challenge stigma, share stories and affirm that overdose deaths are preventable.

In 2026, individuals and organisations are invited to take part by hosting or attending events, lighting landmarks purple, holding vigils, sharing tributes, organising educational activities and meeting with decision-makers. These actions aim to raise awareness and build support for evidence-based overdose prevention strategies.

The campaign is guided by the belief that overdose can and must be prevented, and that responses should be rooted in compassion, health, human rights and community-wide action rather than criminalisation.

International Overdose Awareness Day 2026

“Accelerating crime prevention, criminal justice and the rule of law: protecting people and planet and achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in the digital age.”

The Fifteenth Crime Congress will be held from 25 to 30 April 2026 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates under the overall theme “Accelerating crime prevention, criminal justice and the rule of law: protecting people and planet and achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in the digital age”, in line with the General Assembly resolution 

High-level segment (Heads of State, Ministers, etc.)

Single declaration, later reviewed by the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice

Regional preparatory meetings starting in 2025

Emphasis on participation of least developed countries, civil society, academia, and NGOs

Encourages early preparation by Member States and creation of national preparatory committees

15th UN Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice

 Clarion Congress Hotel Prague, Prague, Czech Republic

If you’re working to improve the health or rights of people who use drugs, INHSU 2026 is a must-attend event. A vibrant space where research, practice, policy, and lived experience come together on equal footing.

Over 300+ sessions will take place across tracks on Epidemiology and Public Health Research, Clinical Research, Social Science and Policy Research, and Models of Care and Programs.

Sessions will cover harm reduction innovations, HIV, HCV, HBV, TB and other infections, other drug-related harms, drug policy, and more.

Prague is a powerful and timely setting for INHSU 2026, providing the backdrop to reflect on both achievements and barriers that continue to affect people who use drugs globally.

14th International Conference on Health and Hepatitis in Substance Users (INHSU 2026)

The reconvened 69th session of the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs is expected to take place on 3-4 December 2026 in Vienna, Austria.

Reconvened CND 69th Session

The CND will hold thematic discussions in December 2026.

CND Intersessional meeting - Thematic discussions (December 2026)

The Harm Reduction International Conference is convened by Harm Reduction International in a different city every two years. Over four days of presentations, workshops, films, networking events and more, the conference provides a dynamic forum to share the latest research and discussions on best practice in drug use, harm reduction and human rights and attracts a diverse group of over 1,000 delegates and speakers including front-line health workers, academics, researchers, policy makers, politicians, UN representatives, people who use drugs, sex workers and people working in the criminal legal system.

So why will 1,000 of us gather in Belfast in May 2027?

Our global gathering comes with a rich history. HRI conferences have helped to put harm reduction on the map and to coordinate advances, innovations, evidence, and advocacy in the fields of harm reduction and drug policy for more than three decades.

At HR27, we will spotlight how local leaders are rising, how regions are mobilising, and how our global movement is resisting in the face of existential threats to global health and human rights.

Harm reduction is a movement rooted in dignity and rights, that has been shaped by radical resistance. Our host city knows this story well. In 2027, we meet in 

. The city's journey from decades of political conflict toward peace offers enduring lessons in social justice and self-determination.

The Harm Reduction International Conference 2027 (HR27) will be held in Belfast, Northern Ireland on 9-12 May 2027.

At Harm Reduction International, we seek host cities for our conference that mirror the spirit of our movement. For our next conference, we are heading to a city that understands what it means to survive, rebuild and imagine a different future. Belfast is a place shaped by resistance and resilience, where communities have worked across division to create new possibilities for peace, justice and self determination. Its history reminds us that even the most entrenched systems can be challenged and transformed through collective action.

HR27 will take place at ICC Belfast, an internationally recognised conference venue in the heart of the city. Located beside the waterfront and within walking distance of Belfast’s cultural and civic landmarks, ICC Belfast will provide a welcoming and accessible space for our global community to come together.

Join us in Belfast to meet this moment together and shape the future of our movement.

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