This technical update was prepared in November 2013 in collaboration with key experts, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS). Its primary objective is to synthesize experiences, research and policies on HIV self‑testing to inform stakeholders who are considering or already implementing HIV self‑testing.

HIV self‑testing is a process whereby a person who wants to know his or her HIV status collects a specimen, performs a test and interprets the test result in private. HIV self‑testing does not provide a definitive diagnosis; instead, it is a screening test for the presence of HIV-1/2 antibodies or the HIV-1 p24 antigen. Any positive HIV result must be confirmed by a health worker in accordance with national testing algorithms.

HIV self‑testing enables individuals to test themselves for HIV in private. By providing an opportunity for people to test themselves discreetly and conveniently, HIV self‑testing may provide people who are not currently reached by existing HIV testing and counselling (HTC) services with information about their HIV status.

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

Short technical update on self‑testing for HIV

The Good Practice Guide: HIV and Human Rights is an accessible and user-friendly guide to explain:

what human rights-based HIV programming is

the different ways that organisations can integrate human rights into their HIV programmes.

It brings together international guidance as well as good practice experience from across the world on HIV and human rights programming.

The guide assists programmers to integrate human rights through all stages of theHIV programming cycle, from design, development and implementation throughto M&E. It gives practical guidance on the kinds of human rights programmes recommended by the Alliance and the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) for protecting and promoting human rights in the context of HIV, and for creating change at individual, community, service provision and law, and policy levels. It provides accessible and practical planning tools, as well as programmatic examples of how to address human rights in a way that includes affected populations, builds capacity, responds to the inequalities underlying HIV and AIDS, and promotes universal access to HIV-related health services. It also includes reference to further information and resources for more in-depth information about human rights, HIV and rights-based programming for HIV.

Good practice guide: HIV and human rights

Andrey Rylkov Foundation for Health and Social Justice together with the Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network submitted a Shadow Report to the UN Human Rights Committee in relation to the review of the 7th Periodic Report of the Russian Federation.

The focus of the Shadow Report is violation by Russian Federation of the rights and freedoms of people who use drugs. The authors say that RF systematically violates many of the rights and freedoms of IDUs as enumerated in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), including: freedom from discrimination; the right to life; freedom from torture and cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment; the right to liberty and security of person; humane treatment of persons deprived of liberty; the right to equality before courts and tribunals and to a fair trial; freedom of expression including the right to freedom of information. These violations stem primarily from the government’s use of punitive approaches, based on absolutely no scientific evidence, to address what the international community classifies as a health problem, namely drug dependence, a condition with globally sanctioned and effective evidence- and human rights-based responses.

Every fifth inmate is in prison for drug crime in Russia. Up to two-thirds of all people who use drugs (PWUD) have been in custody at least once in their life.

the underlying drug policy document of the Russian Federation — the Strategy of State Drug Policy until 2020, which was approved by Decree of thePresident — makes zero mention of human rights. Aimed at punishing people for using drugs and coercing people into abstinence, Russia’s official drug policy disregards the health nature of drug dependence

The report includes the statistics, facts of the human right violations of drug users and also recommendations to the government of RF, particularly: “

the government of the Russian Federation should develop and adopt a human rights-based federal law regulating drug-demand reduction and drug-related harm reduction through social and medical measures, rather than through law enforcement

Shadow Report to the UN Human Rights Committee in relation to the review of the 7th Periodic Report of the Russian Federation

The findings of the largest European project to date in the emerging science of wastewater analysis are taken up in this 'Perspective on drugs'. The project in question analysed wastewater in over 40 European cities (21 countries) to explore the drug-taking habits of those who live in them. The results provide a valuable snapshot of the drug flow through the cities involved, revealing marked geographical variations.

Wastewater analysis and drugs - a European multi-city study

The Internet is now recognised as a plausible vehicle for delivering drug and alcohol education, prevention and treatment programmes in a range of settings. This 'Perspective on drugs' charts developments in Internet-based drug treatment (IBDT), which has expanded in Europe over the past 10 years, and explores some of the benefits it can offer.

Internet-based drug treatment in Europe

Over 50 synthetic cathinone derivatives were detected via the EU Early Warning System (EU–EWS) between 2005 and 2013. This 'Perspective on drugs' explores new worrying localised and national outbreaks of injecting these substances and recommends close monitoring of the issue as a public health priority.

Injection of synthetic cathinones in Europe

Methamphetamine is an established stimulant drug in many parts of the world (e.g. South-east Asia, US), where it has long caused major public health problems. While methamphetamine use in Europe has historically been confined to the Czech Republic and Slovakia, new pockets and patterns of use are now emerging elsewhere in the EU, in diverse populations. In this analysis, EMCDDA looks at challenges for the provision of health and social responses related to this drug today.

Health and social responses for methamphetamine users in Europe

Europe has long been one of the world’s largest consumer markets for cannabis, particularly resin imported mainly from Morocco. In this analysis, EMCDDA reports how Europe’s consumer market for cannabis is increasingly dominated by herbal products, with domestic herbal production supplying national markets. It also describes how imported cannabis resin appears to be getting stronger.

New developments in Europe's cannabis market

The EMCDDA’s 2014 European Drug Report (EDR) presents a new analysis of the drug situation, accompanied by an overview of developments in interventions and policies. Rooted in a comprehensive review of both European and national data, the EDR package offers an interlinked range of products, with the Trends and developments report at its centre. By taking a multi-dimensional approach, an in-depth analysis of key topics is presented alongside a more top-level overview of major issues and long-term trends. This perspective is of value, as it allows differing national experiences to be understood within the broader context offered by European-level data.

European Drug Report 2014: Trends and developments

The Growth of Incarceration in the United States examines research and analysis of the dramatic rise of incarceration rates and its affects. This study makes the case that the United States has gone far past the point where the numbers of people in prison can be justified by social benefits and has reached a level where these high rates of incarceration themselves constitute a source of injustice and social harm.

The Growth of Incarceration in the United States recommends changes in sentencing policy, prison policy, and social policy to reduce the nation's reliance on incarceration. The report also identifies important research questions that must be answered to provide a firmer basis for policy. The study assesses the evidence and its implications for public policy to inform an extensive and thoughtful public debate about and reconsideration of policies.

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

The growth of incarceration in the United States: Exploring causes and consequences

The EMCDDA has carried out a meta-analysis of six reviews examining the effectiveness of medications used in treating cocaine problems. The original reviews, undertaken by the Cochrane Drugs and Alcohol Group, involved 92 studies (85 in the US) and over 7 000 participants. This 'Perspective on drugs' shows how some medications can reduce specific symptoms (e.g. cravings), yet no single pharmacological solution has been found for cocaine dependence overall (see video).

Treatment for cocaine dependence in Europe - reviewing current evidence

For service users, the opportunity to have ‘a voice’ began to disrupt the routine objectification or dehumanisation that consistently, if unintentionally, characterise the treatment experience. Having a voice, it seemed, was synonymous with being human, with having ones’ ‘humanness’ recognised. We contend that not only did the introduction of consumer participation appear to empower service users and enhance the therapeutic alliance, it may have also improved service quality and health outcomes.

Publications