A report on the Third Regional Conference on Harm Reduction in Eastern Europe & Central Asia has been published. The event, held in Odesa on May 12-13, 2016, looked for an answer to the question: "Is science able to overcome stigma in the HIV epidemic context?"
The International AIDS Society (IAS) organized the consultation in conjunction with the Ukrainian Institute on Public Health Policy and the UN Secretary General’s Special Envoy on HIV/AIDS in Eastern Europe and Central Asia. It brought together over 30 participants, including leading experts from national health institutions, civil society organizations, UN agencies and academic circles. Experts from Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Uzbekistan and Ukraine attended the event. IAS was represented by its president, Chris Beyrer.
The event was intended to provide doctors, health care workers and narcologists in the region with a platform for open and honest dialogue on harm reduction. The participants discussed the situation of HIV infection spread in EE&CA, shared problems existing in their countries and the region as well as presented successes and achievements of harm reduction programs. The main discussions focused on how to overcome the drug use stigma and discrimination in EE&CA countries in the context of HIV infection epidemic.
The participants took a decision to resume work of the Eurasian Professional Association of Addiction Medicine (EPAAM) as an effective tool for raising awareness about up-to-date dependence treatment and HIV/AIDS prevention methods among professional circles in the region.
The discussions resulted in a number of basic recommendations for the professional medical community, health ministries, civil society organizations and law enforcement agencies.