Involving people who use drugs in policy and programming: new resources
23 May 2008
A new resource to support the greater involvement of people who use drugs in policy and programming was launched at the International Harm Reduction Conference in May.
The report, Nothing about us without us: greater, meaningful involvement of people who use drugs: a public health, ethical and human rights imperative, is published by the International HIV/AIDS Alliance, the Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network, the Open Society Institute and the International Network of People who Use Drugs.
The report sets out the case for involving people who use drugs – including the benefits of involvement and the right to participate – and the evidence-base that supports this approach. It also describes how people who use drugs are routinely excluded by organisations and institutions, including civil society organisations, and urges a more inclusive way forward.
The report also contains lots of useful strategies and resources – for example, a set of ‘do’s and don’ts’ when consulting with drug users, employment policies, and guidance on how to set up a drug user organisation.
Accompanying the report is a poster which sets out a manifesto for greater involvement by people who use drugs.
Russian-language versions of the report and poster have also been developed for use in the Eastern Europe/Central Asia region. This work was supported by Alliance Ukraine.
