Preventing HIV among drug users

Club Eney began as a community-based organization offering HIV prevention services to people who use drugs and other HIV affected communities in Kyiv.

GENEVA, 26 June 2024—UNAIDS welcomes the recent report by Dr Tlaleng Mofokeng, Special Rapporteur on the Highest Attainable Standard of Physical and Mental Health, which was presented to the 56th session of the UN Human Rights Council. The report, on Drug Use, Harm Reduction and the Right to Health, demonstrates the public health necessity of moving away from punitive approaches to people who use drugs.

UNAIDS welcomes the adoption of a key resolution today at the 67th session of the United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND), recognizing harm reduction for the first time as an important part of an effective public health response. The resolution encourages member states to develop and implement harm reduction measures to minimize the adverse public health and social consequences of the non-medical use of illicit drugs. UNAIDS congratulates the CND and the CND Chair for this historic…

At the 67th meeting of the United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs taking place in Vienna, UNAIDS has called for the urgent scaling up of services to prevent new HIV and viral hepatitis infections among people who use drugs. Addressing delegates in her video message, UNAIDS Executive Director, Winnie Byanyima, commended some countries for making progress in implementing evidence-based programmes but called for bolder action.

A new report by UNAIDS demonstrates the critical role communities play, and how underfunding and harmful barriers are holding back their lifesaving work and obstructing the end of AIDS. As World AIDS Day (1 December) approaches, UNAIDS is urging governments across the world to unleash the power of grassroots communities across the world to lead the fight to end AIDS. A new report launched today by UNAIDS, Let Communities Lead, shows that AIDS can be ended as a public health threat by 2030, but…

With support from UNAIDS Asia Pacific, Youth LEAD is now piloting a “Regional Healthcare Worker Training Manual: Friendly HIV and SRHR services for young key populations in Asia Pacific”. The approach is meant to address the multiple barriers to young key populations accessing services including concerns about privacy and confidentiality, stigma and discrimination among healthcare providers, inconvenient opening hours and service packages that do not speak to their specific needs.

At the Ozone Foundation clients talk about their drug use with as much openness as they discuss their jobs or families. In the yard of their Bangkok drop-in centre we sit under the cannon ball tree. Prapat Sukkeang shares his story first.

It was this need for stigma-free services that led to the establishment of the Rainbow Sky Association of Thailand (RSAT). RSAT offers sexual healthcare for men who have sex with men, migrants, people who use drugs, sex workers and transgender people. It also advocates for the full rights and equity of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) communities. Tom Wang is amongst the clients who have benefited from their support.

Harm reduction policies and practices help people who are using drugs to stay alive and protect them from HIV and Hepatitis C

Moldova has committed more resources to the prison programme over the years. “In the beginning, when these services were developed, they were actually financed from external sources,” said Irina Barbîroș, head of the medical department at the national prison administration. “Over the years, the state assumed its commitment and took over the financing of these services from the state budget.”