Focus on Harm Reduction
On Monday 11 November 2024, UNODC organized a briefing for Member States on harm reduction. This hybrid event introduced the concept of harm reduction and showcased UNODC’s initiatives and tools supporting harm reduction globally. This included community-based opioid agonist therapy in Vietnam and Kenya, as well as the Stop-Overdose-Safely (SOS) initiative in Kyrgyzstan. The programme of work on drug treatment and care has a long experience in promoting these types of interventions worldwide in line with the UNODC/WHO International Standards for the Treatment of Drug Use Disorders. Ever since the publication in 2009 of the discussion papers
Reducing Adverse and Social Consequences and
Principles of Drug Dependence Treatment, UNODC has been working with Member States to develop systems of care that promote and protect the health of people who use drugs and people with drug use disorders and support, if they so wish, their way to recovery. This is about unconditional healthcare, engagement and an always open door for additional health and social services.
For instance, the
Treatnet Training Package is a central component in increasing the level of knowledge and skills of service providers working in the field of substance use disorder treatment, and a tool to assist Member States in their efforts to improve quality of drug treatment services. Every year, UNODC improves the capacity of services providers globally using Treatnet Training, including modules on opioid agonist maintenance treatment, and overdose management. Since 2007, 100,000s of service providers have been trained globally.
In order to promote the expansion of the community management of opioid overdose, the
Stop-Overdose-Safely Initiative was launched by UNODC and the World Health Organization (WHO) at the 2017 Commission on Narcotic Drugs. Also in line with the WHO (2014) guidelines on
Community management of opioid overdose, this initiative aims to save lives by promoting access to naloxone and by training potential first responders (including first responders, peers and family members) in overdose management.
The S-O-S project was successfully implemented in three Central Asian countries (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan) and Ukraine. In little more than 6 months, SOS trained more than 14,000 people likely to witness an overdose and distributed more than 16,000 naloxone kits. The study documented the fact that more than 90% of those trained had carried and utilized naloxone correctly, thus potentially saving more than 4,000 lives. This study also demonstrated for the first time the feasibility of take-home naloxone in low- and middle-income countries.
Finally, attention must be drawn to the challenges faced by women who use drugs. Among the 292 million people worldwide who use drugs, 1 in 4 is a woman. Of the 13.9 million people who inject drugs, 1 in 5 is a woman. In countries with sex-disaggregated data, women who inject drugs are 1.2 times more likely than men to be living with HIV. Despite this, in 2022, women represented only about 1 in 5 individuals treated for drug use disorders, and only 1 in 18 women with drug use disorders received treatment globally.
Women who use drugs and with drug use disorders are stigmatized and are often the survivors of trauma and violence, yet gender-sensitive services can improve their health, wellbeing and recovery. We have the
Standards and the tools that can guide service providers in empowering women and providing accessible and effective services!
Learn more
