News

East African network on Harm Reduction

16 April 2013

The meeting on an Eastern African Harm Reduction Network was organised by KANCO, and held in Sarova White Sands Hotel, Mombasa on the 27th of March 2013. The aim of meeting was to discuss how networks operate in each country and discuss relevancy of a regional network within East Africa.

Kenya, Tanzania. Zanzibar, Uganda and Mauritius were represented at the meeting. Representatives of these countries included Harm Reduction networks and Users organisations. Representatives of INPUD (Mick Webb), UNODC (Dr. Reychad Abdool), Medecins du Monde (Ancella Voets), as well as representatives of Kenyan Governmental bodies like the National AIDS Control Council (NACC), National Authority for Campaign against Alcohol and Drug Abuse (NACADA) and National AIDS & STI Control Programme (NASCOP) were also part of the delegates.

The meeting started with a presentation from Dr. Reychad Abdool who talked about the HIV resolutions that emanated from the recent CND meeting in Vienna, and stressed on 3 aspects of these resolutions: the recognition of civil society’s role and the space given to them in the global drug debate, the new Hepatitis treatment guidelines for PWIDs by the World Health Organisation, and the push for Drug Policy reform in terms of access to Harm Reduction services for PWUDs.

Keep up-to-date with drug policy developments by subscribing to the IDPC Monthly Alert.