September 06, 2021

Alliance and IAS will hold Regional Dialogue on Progressive Approaches to HIV Diagnostics and Treatment

On September 14, 2021 Alliance for Public Health, within the Sustainability of Services for Key Populations in EECA regional project (SoS_project) in collaboration with IAS – the International AIDS Society will launch Regional Dialogue on Progressive Approaches to HIV Diagnostics and Treatment in Eastern Europe and Central Asia (EECA) and Balkan countries.

This Dialogue is organized for the civil society representatives and governments who are involved into the AIDS response, as well as researchers, community, activists and policy makers from both regions with the aimto demonstrate operational research (OR) results, focusing on lessons learned and recommendations for implementing similar interventions in other countries in the region. Also, the participants will get ad hoc data on assess the situation in the region with the implementation of the latest recommended approaches to diagnosis and treatment, with an emphasis on the interventions that have been piloted within the ORs, identifying key action points/next steps/road maps for the countries of the region to improve the situation and achieve results on the implementation of interventions, as well as possibility to improve corresponding exchange of experience – information and technical support.

Languages: English and Russian (simultaneous translation will be provided)

To participate, please register here: https://bit.ly/2VepJeT

All registered participants will be sent information on participation.

*SoS_project: The implementation of the three-year project will be coordinated by the Alliance for Public Health, in a consortium with the 100% Life (All-Ukrainian Network of PLWH), the Central Asian HIV’ Association and the Eurasian Key Populations Health Network, with the participation of national governmental and non-governmental organizations, regional key populations networks , international agencies and organizations, as well as technical partners, with financial support  The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria

Contact for more information:

Inna Gavrylova, PR & Communications manager, gavrylova@aph.org.ua

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May 26, 2021

The Second All-Ukrainian competition for the media “Drug Addiction vs. Drug Policy: problems and solutions in Ukraine”

We are pleased to announce that The International Charitable Foundation “Alliance for Public Health” is organizing a competition for the media “Drug Addiction vs. Drug Policy: problems and solutions in Ukraine” for the second year in a row. We invite the journalists of national and regional mass media to take part in the competition for the best journalistic materials on the drug policy and protection of the rights of people who use drugs/patients on substitution maintenance therapy (SMT). The activities will include visits to the regions of Ukraine and training events for the journalists.

The application can be submitted by the authors/editors or editorial teams who have published (or aired) their news/articles/videos/posts from January 1st to November 12th, 2021.

The All-Ukrainian competition for the media was created to inform the people of Ukraine about modern prevention and treatment techniques for people who use drugs with an emphasis on the peculiarities of introduction and expansion of SMT in medical institutions, increasing access for people who use drugs to comprehensive services of the national program on HIV/AIDS and hepatitis C prevention, tuberculosis, problems of observance of the human rights.

The urgency of reforming and liberalization of the national repressive drug policy of Ukraine, as well as the decriminalization for people who use drugs on practical successful examples of such work in Ukraine and effective practices of developed countries, are the priority tasks of the competition.

The jury, which will include well-known Ukrainian editors and journalists, as well as public activists and representatives of the Alliance, will determine one winner in each of the following categories:

  • Television and radio
  • Printing press
  • Online edition
  • Blogging

The winners of the journalist competition will receive diplomas and incentive prizes. In addition, this competition provides individual awards for initiative materials, such as a series of texts/articles/videos/posts, the creation of special projects, the collaboration of several editions, and so on.

Requirements for competitive works:

  • Texts/articles/videos/posts can be prepared in any language of national minorities with a translation into Ukrainian or Russian.
  • Publications should reflect Ukrainian realities and, preferably, contain references to the best world practices, demonstrate the real state of affairs with an emphasis on ways to solve these problems.
  • The jury will give preference to well-reasoned texts/articles/videos/posts, which prove the need to expand the access of people who use drugs to substitution maintenance therapy and promote their decriminalization on the examples of the best world practices. The focus should be on countering organized drug trafficking, not on stigma or discrimination against people who use drugs.
  • The publications may also cover certain aspects, such as women who use drugs and its taboos in Ukrainian society, changes in the drug scene and adolescent addiction with an emphasis on synthetic drugs, and so on.
  • All materials submitted by media representatives must be original and free of plagiarism.
  • One author (editorial team) can submit an unlimited number of works to the competition.
  • All contestants must enter information about the posted material in the registration form at the link: https://forms.gle/6xRHwdCU2f67o23s8

The deadline for submission of materials is November 12th, 2021 (6 p.m).

 Please visit our website for more information https://aph.org.ua/uk/golovna/

and FB-page https://www.facebook.com/AlliancePublicHealth.

he best materials will be published on the information resources of the ICF “Alliance for Public Health”, so when applying to the competition, the authors automatically allow such publications.

The Second All-Ukrainian competition for the media “Drug Addiction vs. Drug Policy: problems and solutions in Ukraine” is part of the project “Accelerating Progress in Reducing the Burden of Tuberculosis and HIV in Ukraine” implemented by ICF “Alliance for Public Health” with the support of The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.

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May 14, 2021

Open dialogue on preparation proposal under the Global Fund’s COVID-19 Response Mechanism

We invite you to join the #Open_dialogue on preparation Regional funding proposal under the Global Fund’s COVID-19 Response Mechanism (C19RM), EECA and SEE countries.
The dialogue will take place at ZOOM on May 21, 2021 from 11:00 to 13:00 Kyiv time (EEST/UTC +3).
The program of the event includes a presentation of the concept and a 1.5-hour discussion of priorities for communities of key groups in the region and PLHIV.
All interested organizations, representatives of key groups, activists and experts are invited to participate. Everyone will have the opportunity to take part in the discussion.
To participate in the Open Dialogue, fill out the registration form: https://cutt.ly/IbKnARi
All registered will be sent the program of the event and a link to zoom to participate.
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April 28, 2021

MPP Signs Agreement on Generic Dolutegravir for Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Malaysia

On April 22, Medical Patent Pool (MPP) announced that it signed sublicence agreements with pharmaceutical companies Hetero and Viatris (through its subsidiary Mylan), to manufacture and supply dolutegravir (DTG) and DTG-based regimen to Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Malaysia.

Sergey Filippovich, director of #SoS_project at the Alliance for Public Health: “In the countries of Eastern Europe and Central Asia, the region with the greatest HIV treatment deficit and limited resources, this is a real breakthrough. Now even more people will be able to receive the latest innovative treatment and significantly improve the quality of their health. In this example of cooperation, we see that through joint efforts, access to effective ART will be expanded. And our work with the partners of the regional project to build the sustainability of HIV services continues. ”

In late 2020, ViiV Healthcare (the manufacturer of the delusional drug) and MPP signed a licensing agreement for these four countries, aimed at expanding access to generics of dolutegravir and ensuring a lower cost of the drug.

“We are delighted that more people living with HIV in the four countries will soon be able to access DTG-based regimens, especially TLD (tenofovir disoproxil fumarate/lamivudine/dolutegravir), the first-line regimen recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO), which will now be available in these countries in a single pill,” says Charles Gore, Executive Director of MPP.

An official press release from MPP indicates that Hetero and Viatris (through its subsidiary Mylan) were selected following a rigorous and impartial selection process. They are longstanding partners of the Medical Patent Pool and have a proven track record of developing, manufacturing and supplying essential medicines to countries around the world, including low- and middle-income countries. “As Hetero and Mylan have already received approvals for DTG and TLD from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and WHO prequalification, they will be able to supply these much-needed products rapidly to the four countries. A third generic manufacturer is in the process of being selected.”

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April 20, 2021

#SoS_project Partners to Share Experience in COVID-19 Response in the Balkans (Online Discussion)

On April 27, 2021, from 11:00 to 12:30 (CEST, UTC +2 or from 12:00 to 13:30 EEST, UTC +3), an online discussion will be held “The Balkans’ response to COVID-19: experience of #SoS_project partners”.
This is the second in a series of events to discuss the COVID-19 response in EECA and SEE countries. The main goal is to share experiences to improve the regional response to the pandemic.

The first online discussion took place on April 7, 2021 with the presentation of research reports on the impact of COVID-19 on HIV and tuberculosis programs. More than 120 people from 15 countries took part in the event. To view the reports, go to the Alliance for Public Health library >>>

Event agenda:
11:00-11:05 – Opening remarks
11:05-11:20 – Andrej Senih, Executive Director of Stronger Together (North Macedonia)
                       Maintaining essential HIV services and introducing new ones in Covid-19 time
11:20-11:35 – Aida Kurtovic, LLB, MA, Executive Director of the Health Partnership (Bosnia and Herzegovina)
                       Innovation in COVID-19 response
11:35-11:50 –- Goran_Radisavljević, CEO, Timok Youth Center (Serbia)
                       COVID-19 case detection and vaccination – implementation strategy and challenges
11:50-12:05 – Sanja Šišović, program director of NGO CAZAS (Montenegro)
                       Access to HIV prevention, testing and treatment during COVID 19 epidemic
12: 05-12: 20 – Dr. Fifa Rahman, principal researcher of the Matahari Global Solutions (United Kingdom)
                  Results of the study on the impact of COVID-19 on the sustainability of HIV and TB services (accent on Balkan)
12: 20-12: 30 – Q&A session.

Learn more about events and speakers >>>

To participate, please register here: https://cutt.ly/jvPkG43
All registered participants will be sent information on participation.

Organizers: Alliance for Public HealthPartnerships in HealthTimocki Omladinski CentarStronger TogetherCAZAS.

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April 08, 2021

The rights of women who use drugs will be discussed at a side-event of the 64th session of the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs

On April 14, 2021, from 15:10-16:00 (EEST, UTC +3) or 14:10-15:00 (CEST, UTC +2) , a side event will be held during the 64th session of the UN Commission on Narcotics: “Critical situation with rights violation of women using drugs in Eastern Europe and Central Asia: immediate action required”.
Description:
1. Presentation of cases regarding violation of rights and violence against women who use drugs collected through the REAct database in 5 EECA countries (Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Tajikistan, Ukraine). Alliance for Public Health
2. Regional overview of problems and recommendations for organizing services for women who use drugs and violence. EHRA, in cooperation with UNFPA
3. Assessment of problems by the community of women who use drugs and women living with HIV. Eurasian Women`s Network on AIDS
4. Police response: the experience of the Ukrainian system “Polina”. National Police of Ukraine
5. Community responses. The WINGS project (Kyrgyzstan)
See Agenda>>>

Organizers: Alliance for Public Health and Eurasian Harm Reduction Association.
Please register to participate: https://cutt.ly/gcPGdYV

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March 30, 2021

Safety first!

We at the Alliance care about the safety of our partners who are #AlwaysAtFrontLine and of clients of HIV prevention projects!

Considering another upsurge in COVID-19 incidence and another lockdown all over the country, Alliance for Public Health has made an urgent procurement: 4 mln medical masks, 47 thousand litres of a disinfectant, and 300 thousand pairs of gloves (for the total amount of around UAH 12 mln)!

A significant part of the goods is already on the way to our partner organizations, and we expect that it will fill their need for 2021 — for protecting both personnel and clients coming to receive HIV prevention, testing and confirmation services — thus enabling uninterrupted provision of all the services regardless of the difficult epidemiologic circumstances in the country.

All the procured personal protective equipment have passed state sanitary-epidemiologic examination and received necessary certificates of conformity. Let us take care of our health and of the health of others!

Protect yourself and the people around you!

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March 24, 2021

Statement on the occasion of World TB Day: A year of fighting against TB in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic

In order to honor World TB Day, which is commemorated annually on March 24, the Alliance for Public Health is calling upon MPs, government officials, public authorities, doctors, scientists, international partners, and civil society to pay particular attention to people affected by tuberculosis (TB) against the backdrop of the spreading COVID-19 pandemic. Time is running out is the slogan that has brought together organizations and activists this year in an effort to focus attention on the commitments made by countries to eliminate TB.
“Do we allow the possibility that the situation with COVID-19 may be here to stay or even get worse over the next 10-20 years? No! The entire world has mobilized to make sure the answer here is a resounding ‘No’! And what about TB? The COVID-19 pandemic has taught humanity how to take concerted action, and we see and know what works and what does not. We need the prioritized policies, the resources, modern treatments, a focus on human needs, and the effective engagement of communities and civil society. Let’s not settle for half measures every year!” points out Andriy Klepikov, the Executive Director of the Alliance for Public Health.

During this past year of living with the COVID-19 pandemic, we have witnessed unprecedented safety and security measures, as well as quarantine restrictions imposed by Ukraine and other countries. We had to find modern and effective approaches to doing our work in the new conditions, which have already demonstrated their efficacy. These include active TB case finding among new vulnerable populations, the widespread introduction of video directly observed therapy for TB patients, and strengthening patient support to maintain adherence to treatment.

Civil society, which has traditionally played a key role in combating TB and has been actively involved throughout the process of TB service delivery, has become a link between the health care system and people affected by TB under COVID-19-related quarantine restrictions. During this difficult period, civil society proved to be a cornerstone of TB diagnosis and continuing care.

Thus, the efforts of the Alliance and its partner organizations have made it possible to maintain the effectiveness of TB treatment at the pre-pandemic level. A sufficient amount of anti-tuberculosis drugs was purchased and delivered to patients. Additionally, at the request of the representatives of the regional TB service, necessary medical equipment was purchased; medical and social workers were provided with personal protective equipment; partners in the regions provided with SARS-CoV-2 antigen rapid test kits.

To facilitate successful treatment outcomes, patients were linked to medical and psycho-social support in 8 regions. This strategy led to TB recovery rates being 91.3% for patients with drug-susceptible TB and 82.4% for patients with drug-resistant TB.
In addition, the Alliance and its partner NGOs continued with their active efforts to identify TB cases among vulnerable populations through screening surveys for TB-like symptoms and using a results-based funding approach. Thus, in 24 regions, nearly 104,000 people from most-at-risk groups were screened, of which more than 97% with a positive screening result were linked to diagnostic services.

A new grant from the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria for 2021-2023 provides for the expanded scope of activities intended to detect new TB cases among most-at-risk groups, including children and residents of areas along the demarcation line in the government-controlled areas of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions. Efforts to support the mental health of people with TB are also underway to help them successfully complete treatment. In a bid for further improving patient rights, a gender-sensitive algorithm is currently being developed for healthcare professionals to counsel TB patients and strengthen patient rights protection in collaboration with TBPeople Ukraine, a charitable organization of TB patients.

The Alliance is continuing its policy-making activity and efforts towards advancing TB political commitments. Thus, on March 17, 2021, at the initiative of the inter-factional parliamentary group called The Parliamentary Platform To Fight TB, which is supported by the Alliance, the Committee hearings on measures for combating TB during the pandemic caused by the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus were organized and held. However, in order to contain the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the TB sector, multiple pressing issues need to be addressed as soon as possible. Thus, given the overall decrease in the number of TB cases identified over the last year, which is likely to lead to a spike in the number of complicated cases and an increase in TB-related deaths in the near future, we would like to stress the need for more attention and vigilance on the part of healthcare workers towards TB signs and symptoms. Among the issues that need to be addressed as soon as possible is the development and approval of a plan for the transition from donor to public funding.

We hope that next year these and other challenges will be overcome through our joint efforts.

The Alliance, as always, is ready for undertaking large-scale and decisive action in the fight against TB, and we feel deeply grateful to our partners and donors, civil society and key communities, professional and governmental organizations for the fruitful cooperation in overcoming the TB epidemic in Ukraine!

National TB Hotline: 0800503080

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March 15, 2021

Abandoning the repressive drug policies will allow saving the total of €12.34 billion in 4 EECA countries and curbing the HIV/AIDS epidemic

The Economist Intelligence Unit and the Alliance for Public Health presented a report based on the study “Drug Policies in Eastern Europe and Central Asia: the Economic, Health and Social Impact” in Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Russia. It is the first such study in the region, where researchers analyzed a number of possible scenarios and were able to get impressive findings.

The study points out that reinvesting the total amount of €12.34 bln saved from decriminalizing drug use in the four study countries (Belarus – 431 mln, Kazakhstan – 773 mln, Kyrgyzstan – 38 mln, Russia – 11.1 bln) into scaling up antiretroviral therapy and opioid agonist treatment programs could help to effectively curb the HIV/AIDS epidemic in 20 years for no added cost.

(Infographic source: The Economist)

It would, in its turn, make a significant impact on the control over the epidemic in Eastern Europe and Central Asia (EECA) in general, with the following forecasted rates of averted HIV infections: Belarus – 64%, Kazakhstan – 84%, Kyrgyzstan – 69%, Russia – 58%. The study findings are very timely, and the recommendations offered make the case for using such new approaches as the UNAIDS 2020 targets within the 90-90-90 strategy have not been achieved yet in Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan or Russia. “The previous UNAIDS target to halve HIV among PWID by 2015 was missed by a huge 80%. Continuing on this trajectory will mean also missing the more ambitious target to end AIDS by 2030,” states the report.

The study results clearly show the need to revise the drug policy approaches in the focus countries, but the progress in this direction remains slow, said Dr. Chrissy Bishop, Senior Analyst for Health Policy and Clinical Evidence at the Economist Intelligence Unit. In this context it is important to point out the cost effectiveness of decriminalization approaches. Putting people who inject drugs in jails not only costs a lot to the national budgets, but also leads to the increasing number of new HIV cases.

The report also underlines that because of competing needs, public health interventions for HIV have been low on policymakers’ priority lists, with the allocation of domestic funds to scaling-up HIV prevention programs falling short of demand. Authors of the study think that the national governments should reconsider their approaches because criminalizing the lifestyle of PWID does not make sense as those people are drug dependent and need medical and social support.

“What is striking about these findings is that the savings can be achieved and the HIV infections can be averted in the countries following a shift in resources from criminalization to ART and harm reduction,” underlined Dr. Bishop.

“This report has a tremendous potential to be the basis of our future efforts and it is crucial that the Global Fund is ready to support them.  For the EECA countries it is very significant and can serve as a strong incentive to work even more to stop the HIV/AIDS epidemic, using all the possible arguments to advocate for the elimination of repressive drug policies,” pointed out Andriy Klepikov, Executive Director of the Alliance for Public Health.

Decriminalization of drug use saves resources and allows people to live longer lives

Today, Eastern Europe and Central Asia is the only region in the world with catastrophic dynamics of the HIV/AIDS epidemic growth. Thus, since 2010 the number of new HIV cases grew by 72%, while mortality increased by 24%. PWID account for 48% of the new HIV cases in the region. According to 2017 data, only in Russia there are 1,881 mln of people who use drugs.

Drug policies in the EECA countries are quite similar and are first of all characterized with prevailing punitive measures, while public health measures aimed at prevention, rehabilitation, treatment and access to the controlled use of drugs still have lower priority for the national governments.

The main victims of such an approach are PWUD, who first of all are people with a chronic illness who need medical and social support. Instead, PWUD become hostage to the existing approach as the key efforts of the law enforcement agencies are aimed at them and not at the organized drug dealers staying in the shadow.

Authors of the study show that decriminalization and reinvestment of the saved resources in the health sector to support harm reduction programs will lead to the total life years gained by PWID from 17.8 thousand to 2.6 mln in the study countries.

It should be noted that one of the key recommendations presented in the report is addressing stigma and discrimination. “Stigma and discriminatory attitudes towards vulnerable populations need to be stopped. Stigma-reducing workshops which educate the health and law enforcement sector on HIV prevention is a simple yet scarce solution in EECA. The importance of counselling, supporting positive mental health, addressing homelessness, preventing overdose and providing access to sexual and reproductive health services should be central to these educative workshops. Long term solutions require consistent and robust data collection on violence, discrimination and stigma, alongside actively using tools of influence such as shadow and alternative reporting to UN human rights treaty bodies”, states the report.

Catalyzing change

During the online presentation of the study results, international experts, law enforcers, researchers, CSO representatives and health professionals from the focus countries shared their comments. Participants from 20 countries of the world watched the online discussion live.

When discussing the study report, speakers agreed that the presented findings are striking and can be used to advocate for the elimination of repressive approaches in drug policies of the EECA countries. However, they pointed out that rapid change should not be expected.

Michel Kazatchkine, member of the Global Commission on Drug Policy, when commenting on the report, assured that this document with an economic justification of the alternative approaches to drug policies can be used by the UN agencies and national CSOs to advocate for change in the countries.  The report clearly shows how modelling can be a significant supportive tool to plan and develop government policies in the long-term perspective. Results of the modeling studies are part of the evidence base, and this is an important consideration both for individual countries and for the region as a whole. Professor Kazatchkine underlined that it is very important that the future policies should be based on cost effectiveness and human rights, especially in Russia, where there is a very strong political and ideologic opposition to transition to safer approaches to HIV prevention in PWID using opioid agonist therapy.

It should be noted that “as OAT is not available in Russia, scaling up needle and syringe programs (NSP) is an alternative solution which would be cheaper than scaling up OAT and ART. It would cost on average €46.5m per year to get 60% coverage of PWID and avert around 14,000 HIV infections per year. What is striking about these findings are the savings and HIV infections averted following such a simple shift in resources from criminalization to harm reduction approaches, something governments cannot ignore,” states the report.

Aleksander Kwasniewski, member of the Global Commission on Drug Policy, gave the example of Switzerland. In the early 1990s, the country had the highest HIV prevalence among PWID, similar to what is happening in the EECA region today. The number of people injecting drugs was growing, they were marginalized by society and harassed by police. Despite having sufficient financial means, the Swiss government decided then to stop using repressive methods, but to initiate a massive scale up of harm reduction services. A large spectrum of treatment and support options was offered to people who use drugs, from rehabilitation to lifetime maintenance, to address the transmission of HIV and other infections. The results were rapid and astonishing. The HIV rate among people who inject drugs fell from 30% in 1993 to under 2% in 2009, while the number of overdoses decreased by 62%. The challenging situation that Switzerland had 20-30 years ago is now repeated in the EECA region, and we can address those challenges in a similar way, by revising the repressive drug policies and reinvesting resources in HIV treatment and harm reduction programs.

According to Peter Sands, Executive Director of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, study on the EECA drug policies can really catalyze the change. Mr. Sands underlined that now it is a very important time to be talking about the HIV epidemic, especially while the top topics for discussion is still COVID-19 and vaccines. Those are the realities that the world is facing. However, it is crucial to speak about the effective measures to fight HIV/AIDS for people to remember that there are other health crises and that actually COVID-19 is making them much worse. We need to get people to think differently. “We can’t afford to do things, which were ineffective or served as barriers to making progress, now is the time to say – that didn’t work,” said Mr. Sands. He also pointed out that there is still a crisis with HIV/AIDS plus the situation is aggravated with COVID-19. It is clear that governments are facing a lot of challenges, but they cannot ignore the alarming dynamics of the HIV epidemic, especially if this issue can be addressed at no added cost as clearly shown by the study findings presented by The Economist.

“This report  has a tremendous potential to be the basis of our future efforts. It is very important,” said Andriy Klepikov to wrap up the online discussion “Drug Policies in Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Russia: Presenting the Report by The Economist.” “I would like to point out that this report is something new. We have been talking about decriminalization for many years now. However, in this study we were not raising the question of decriminalization, we asked an open question: “Where can the money come from, if there is no money?” The Economist offered a clear answer to this question. In 20 years, about €12 billion can be saved in four countries with introducing humane drug policies based on human rights and reinvested in ART and harm reduction programs, which will be cost effective. Further advocacy should be based on those arguments. It is only a start of a broad discussion. There are good practices in the countries and we need to strengthen knowledge sharing. We invite representatives of all the stakeholders to join the dialogue and discuss the details of the advocacy strategy to be implemented in the countries. Millions of lives are at stake and now we know for sure the answer to the question how countries can bring the dynamics of new HIV cases under control and achieve 90-90-90 targets without allocating additional resources.”

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March 02, 2021

Drug control policies in EECA: presentation of the study by The Economist (online discussion)

Drug policy in Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Russia: presentation of the study by The Economist

On March 10, 2021, from 10 AM to 1 PM ET (EET, UTC +2), an online discussion will be held on the first regional study “Drug Policy in EECA: the Economic, Health and Social Impact” conducted by the Economist Intelligence Unit with the support of the Alliance for Public Health in 2020.

The research is unique as it provides data on the economic consequences of the existing drug policy on the example of Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Russia, demonstrating financial costs that countries incur by continuing the existing approach and practices. The document also contains forecasts of what changes await for the states in case they change approaches to drug policy. This is the first study of its kind in Eastern Europe and Central Asia (EECA).

The main purpose of the online presentation on March 10 is to present and discuss the findings from the survey, as well as to initiate wider stakeholder dialogue in focus countries.

To participate in the event, you must pre-register: https://bit.ly/381dmWC. Before the event, all registered participants will be sent a ZOOM link to join the online conference.

The language of the event is Russian and English with simultaneous translation.

Representatives of civil society from EECA countries, representatives of relevant government agencies that make decisions on drug policy issues, representatives of country, donor and international organizations, experts, human rights defenders, and the media are invited to participate in the online discussion on March 10.

The drug policy of the countries of the Eastern Europe and Central Asia (EECA) region is largely similar and is characterized primarily by the predominance of law enforcement measures, while public health measures aimed at prevention, rehabilitation, treatment and access to controlled medicines remain a lower priority for governments. The legislation of these countries and law enforcement practice are restrictive and even punitive in nature.

The main victims of this approach are people who inject drugs (PWID), who are primarily chronically ill people who need medical and social assistance. Instead, in practice, PWID become hostages of the existing approach, since the main efforts of law enforcement agencies are directed at them rather than at the organized drug business.

The report describes the methods and key findings of a study by the Analytical Department of The Economist on the criminalization, access to health and social services of PWID in four EECA countries: Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Russia. These countries were selected due to the high level of drug use, disproportionate legal regulation and law enforcement practices in relation to PWID.

To understand the social and political barriers and costs associated with scaling up HIV prevention for PWID and treatment targets, the study looked at a number of factors. For example, the report reveals the implications of punitive law enforcement policies using a modeling approach that assesses the savings and benefits of scaling up public health interventions for PWID, as opposed to the current criminalization approach. The report concludes with key recommendations for improving harm reduction practices for PWID in EECA countries in order to reduce the spread of HIV.

 

Contact for more information:

Email: gavrilova.mark@gmail.com, Inna Gavrylova, PR&Communications Manager, Alliance for Public Health

AGENDA

time sessions
10:00—10:20

Welcoming words, aims and objectives of the webinar

— Andrey Klepikov, Executive Director of the Alliance for Public Health

— President Aleksander Kwasniewski, Global Commission on drug policy

— Peter Sands, Executive Director of the Global Fund

Olena Kucheruk — moderator

10:20—10:50

Presentation of the report “Drug Control Policies in EECA: The Economic, Health and Social Impact

Chrissy Bishop, the Economist Intelligence Unit

Questions, discussion

10:50—11:30

Discussion on the report

— Professor Michel Kazatchkine, Global Commission on drug policy

— Zhannat Kosmukhamedova, UNODC

— Vladimir Pozner, journalist, Russian Federation

11:30—12:30

Current state in 4 countries: discussions for EECA countries

Russian Federation

Peter Meylakhs, Ph.D., Senior Research Fellow Higher School of Economics, St. Petersburg, Russia

Anna Sarang, Andrey Rylkov Foundation, expert on drug policy, Russian Federation

Arseniy Levinson, lawyer, human rights activist, Russian Federation

Kazakhstan

Erlan Balymov, Major of Police (TBC)

Oksana Ibragimova, PLHA Union, Kazakhstan

Kyrgyzstan

Timur Isakov, State Committee on drug enforcement control, Government of Kyrgyzstan, colonel of Police

Erkinbek Iriskulbekov, Economical faculty of the International University of Kyrgyzstan, lawyer, human rights activist, expert on drug policy

Belarus

— Alexey Aleksandrov, chief doctor Minsk clinical narcology, Belarus

Anatoliy Pospelov, “Positive action”, Belarus

12:30—12:40 Summarizing and closing
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