Monitoring Data Report 2021

 

The main aim and purpose of C-EHRN monitoring activities is to improve knowledge and information and complement existing data and monitoring efforts in Europe in specific areas of harm reduction based on the perspective of civil society organisations (CSOs). The data collected helps us to assess the implementation of certain drug and health policies at the national and local levels and supports our advocacy efforts at the European and EU Member State levels.

The adapted 2021 civil society monitoring incorporated the experiences from the past years. During evaluation meetings with our expert groups, it was decided to keep most of the questionnaires in 2020 intact for 2021. That was done both because the questionnaire of 2020 has worked reasonably well and also to allow for comparisons between 2021 and the previous year.

We kept our focus on the situation at the city level which allowed for more accurate and precise information. Consequently, the information provided in this report sometimes represents the situation in a particular city or region. Although this information is not representative of a country, it reflects the fact that the situation in a country is diverse and most often dependent upon the approach at the city level. Small modifications were made for clarity in the sections on essential harm reduction services, overdose prevention, Hepatitis C, civil society involvement and new drug trends. More modifications were made in the COVID-19 section to cover a new phase of the pandemic.

In addition to the survey, and on an experimental basis, the expert groups decided to try new forms of data collection. In 2 countries – Finland and the UK – online Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) will be performed to gather data on new drug trends. That was decided due to the low response rate in the online survey and also due to feedback from our Focal Points that this remains the most difficult section of the survey to complete.

More than one hundred organisations and individuals from 34 European countries have contributed to this Monitoring Report. Thanks go to our Focal Points and associated experts at the national and local levels who have filled in the online questionnaire and provided all information and data on time. Without their dedication and commitment, we would not have been able to produce this report.

E-learning module on Chemsex

On the 28th and 29th of April 2022, delegates from six organizations in Europe joined forces to establish the guidelines for the development of a new e-learning module on chemsex. This training builds on the results from the European survey that the project partners carried out in 2021 to identify new training needs among drug professionals in the EU. 727 professionals from 24 countries participated in the survey and 48% asked for training on Chemsex.

During the meeting in Madrid, the delegates from the six partner organisations established the guidelines for the development of this new e-learning module on chemsex. Once the first development of the e-learning module is completed, the project partners will test it with addiction professionals across the EU in order to assess how effective it is in delivering the learning objectives. Based on the results from the testing, the project partners will implement the necessary improvements before the final publication of the new e-learning module on chemsex, in December 2023, in seven languages (English, Spanish, Slovenian, Portuguese, Dutch, German and Czech) under a Creative Commons license. Thus allowing anyone to freely use it, modify it and build upon it.

The development of this e-learning module is an initiative of UNAD -The Spanish Network of Addiction Organisations- in collaboration with UTRIP -Institute for Research and Development- (Slovenia), DIANOVA (Portugal), SANANIM (Czech Republic), and DAH -The German AIDS Service Organisation- (Germany). C-EHRN is happy to join this consortium as a reviewer and tester of the training. The project is co-funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union.

Online Launch Data Report 2021

On the 1tth of May 2022, Correlation – European Harm Reduction Network launched its Civil Society Monitoring of Harm Reduction in Europe in 2021.

With the contributions of more than one hundred organizations and individuals from 34 European countries, the development and implementation of the Civil Society Monitoring Tool for Harm Reduction are one of the most important achievements of C-EHRN in recent years. The main aim of C-EHRN monitoring activities is to improve knowledge and information and complement existing data and monitoring efforts in Europe in specific areas of harm reduction based on the perspective of civil society organisations. As such, C-EHRN’s monitoring activities acknowledge the important function of civil society and harm reduction services and foster their expert role in national and European drug policy.

During this webinar, C-EHRN launched the Data Report 2021, presented its key findings and discussed them with representatives from different European organizations and institutions.

C-EHRN SC Elections

This coming May the Steering Committee (SC) elections will take place and we want to ensure that our committee is as diverse, motivated and well informed as it should be – to become a crucial voice in guiding our journey. As a C-EHRN Member, you are eligible to submit an application for this process either as an organization OR as an individual. The deadline for submissions is Thursday, May 12th 2022.

As per normal practice outlined in the Terms of Reference [ToR], half of the current Steering Committee members will rotate and half will remain. This means that, for this election, we are looking to fill 4 positions.

What is the Steering Committee?
The Steering Committee (SC) is one of the most important governing bodies of C-EHRN. The major goal of the SC is to facilitate the fulfilment of the Network’s mission by developing and supporting policies, strategies and operational implementations in a nutshell, the tasks of the SC involve:

  • To initiate the discussion on specific issues, related to activities and/or critical issues.
  • To represent the Network at European, regional and national meetings and conferences, including the interaction with multilateral organisations and political bodies.
  • To advocate and negotiate on behalf of the Network interests in the various working fields on European, regional, national and local levels.
  • To develop, implement, monitor and evaluate future plans, priorities, projects and activities of the network in consolation with various stakeholders in Europe.
  • To review and decide upon the planning and execution of annual action plans.
  • To provide technical guidance on the Network priority areas in relation to their specific field of experience.

Who is currently a Member of the Steering Committee?
After this rotation, Alina Bocai, Marianela Kloka, Christos Anastasio and Peter Sarosi remain as Members of the SC. C-EHRN would like to express its gratitude to all rotating Members of the SC for all their commitment, contributions, support and passion for the Network. Thank you Tuukka Tammi, Dirk Schaefer, Jose Queiroz and John-Peter Kools. 

Interesting! But… am I eligible to apply?
All C-EHRN Members can stand for election and are eligible to vote. However, outlined by the ToR, C-EHRN Management Team “may develop a specific profile for the vacancy in the SC, in order to ensure a balanced composition of the SC in terms of experience and expertise”. To complement the expertise and experiences of the current members of the SC, on this occasion, we would like to call for SC Member applications from any of the following areas:

  • Youth and young adults [under 30 years old] working in the field of harm reduction or related drug policy field.
  • Harm reduction professionals working in any of the following areas: drug-checking, safer nightlife, festivals or other recreational settings.
  • Harm reduction professionals providing services for people of diverse sexual orientation, gender identity and expression and sex characteristics; people living with HIV; or sex workers.
  • Drug policy professionals with a strong advocacy experience both at national and international levels.

Equally, C-EHRN would like to strongly encourage proposals of candidates across all the spectrums of lived experience of drug use, gender, sexual orientation, sex characteristics, involvement in sex work, homelessness, ethnic origin, age, physical or neural ability, migratory background, religious belief or responsibility for dependants.

Sounds like a good fit! How do I apply?
Applications are open from now until Thursday, May 12th  2022. To apply, you are required to complete this application form (click the link) and this form of consent. Once completed, you can submit all everything by email to administration.co@correlation-net.org

What’s the timeline?
The timeline for the elections is as follows:

  • Deadline for applications | Thursday 12th May 2022
  • Publication of candidates | Thursday 19th May 202
  • Voting | 19th May – June 1st 2022
  • Announcement of results | Thursday, June 2nd 2022

Great! However, after reading this, I still have some questions
No problem! If you have a question, please drop the C-EHRN office an email at administration@correlation-net.org

New Paper | Diferent phases of ATS use call for diferent interventions

We are pleased to have been a part of this new paper regarding the different phases of amphetamine-type stimulant (ATS) use, and how each phase calls for different interventions.

The information was gathered through a large qualitative study in Europe, with 237 participants across five different European countries, who had used ATS, being interviewed about their experiences.

This ATTUNE study looked at factors which shape indidivual phases of ATS use, as well as ATS use patterns.

This large scale study looks at the phases into and out of ATS use, and also proposes recomendations for prevention, harm reduction and treatment of the different identified phases.

Significant findings include;

  • Amphetamine and MDMA were the most commonly used ATS
  • Types of ATS use differed between the countries
  • People who use ATS have various motives for and dynamic patterns of ATS use with alternating phases of increase, continuation, decrease and sometimes dependence
  • Cessation was pursued in diferent ways and for different reasons, such as mental health problems and maturing out.

Read the full article here

NGOs call for implementation of measures to ensure continuity of HIV and opioid dependency treatment for people displaced by the war in Ukraine

On 21 April, NGOs working with and representing the interests of communities of people living with and affected by HIV, tuberculosis, viral hepatitis and drug dependence in Europe addressed a letter to governments in the EU and EU institutions. The organisations report on the great will of various partners to accommodate the needs of people escaping the war but also major obstacles, especially regarding access to opiod agonist therapy. Therefore, the NGOs call on governments in the EU and EU institutions to implement a set of urgent measures:

  1. Facilitate GDPR-proof medical data exchange 
  2. As a good clinical practice, ensure that previous diagnoses are accepted, people are prescribed the same regimens and take-home dosages of OAT as in Ukraine as much as possible 
  3. To promote and follow the recommendations being set in the Standardized Protocol for clinical management and Medical Data-Sharing for people living with HIV among refugees from Ukraine and to collaborate with WHO on the development of a similar protocol for the refugees from the Ukraine who are OAT patients 
  4. Support EU member states with emergency procurement and exchange of medications, as needed, to ensure methadone (tables), buprenorphine, dolutegravir-based antiretroviral therapy, pediatric antiretroviral medications and similar Ukraine-prevalent treatments are made available for continuation in all border and other neighbouring countries 
  5. Establish a pool of translation support for clinicians and Ukrainian refugees and utilise automated translation services to overcome barriers in refugee services and clinical settings 
  6. Support outreach and contacts by HIV and drug treatment experts and NGOs in refugee centres, including the sensitization of staff and urgently identify people in need of uninterrupted daily treatment 
  7. Introduce simplified initiation of essential treatment to all Ukrainians with or without refugee status based on their passport data 
  8. Ensure that monitoring systems and hotlines are available to clinicians and other service providers to immediately solve the health issues affecting Ukrainian refugees.

Download and read the letter here 

Webinar | Crisis of Harm Reduction Funding

Crisis in Harm Reduction Funding. Opportunities for Governments to act in South-Eastern Europe and the Balkans.

Correlation – European Harm Reduction Network, the Eurasian Harm Reduction Association and the Drug Policy Network of South-Eastern Europe are hosting an online discussion about the funding challenges and opportunities for governments to the crisis of harm reduction services in SEE countries and the Balkans.

The webinar will take place on the 20th of April from 13:00h to 14:30h CET

Countries of South-Eastern Europe and the Balkans, including Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Kosovo, Montenegro, Romania and Serbia, are experiencing relatively high levels of HIV and HVC infection among people who inject drugs, including those who inject psychoactive substances. However, due to limited domestic resources and the gradual withdrawal of the Global Fund from the region, the governments of these countries are facing a lack of resources to continue the long-term funding of comprehensive harm reduction programmes. In addition to these and other barriers, in some countries, there is no legal basis for NGOs to provide services to marginalized populations, including people who use drugs.

During this webinar, C-EHRN, EHRA and DPNSE will present the research they have conducted in the area and discuss its key findings, which include among others:

Common challenges of scaling-up harm reduction programmes in the countries of South-Eastern Europe.

Consequences of the limited funding of the harm reduction services for public health and national healthcare systems.

Opportunities available for the governments of the region to act and invest funds and efforts in effective and proven models of harm reduction in their respective countries.

 

To register, please fill in the form here https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_-4Dh14MmQumJc3mPJxZgOw

In the meantime, you may access the report here.

Request for proposals – consultants and experts

As part of an Operating Grant for our activities in 2022, C-EHRN is looking for different experts and consultants. C-EHRN strongly encourages professionals within the Network to submit proposals and apply to any of the following consultancies before the 29th of April, 23:59 CET

C-EHRN2201 Consultant to monitor and evaluate the process, outputs and impact of the Network activities.
C-EHRN2202 Consultant to support the writing of a C-EHRN Technical Report and an Activity Report.
C-EHRN2203 Consultant to support the development and implementation of C-EHRN’s capacity-building activities.
C-EHRN2204 Consultant to support the writing and editing of publications.
C-EHRN2205 Consultant to prepare a report and a policy brief on integrated and people-centred care models in harm reduction.
C-EHRN2206 Consultant to prepare a report and a policy brief on harm reduction in custody settings.
C-EHRN2207 Consultant to prepare a report and a policy brief on national harm reduction networks.

Due to funding regulations, we specifically invite candidates from any of the following EU Member States to apply: Bulgaria, Czechia, Estonia, Greece, Spain, Croatia, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Slovakia.

More information? administration@correlation-net.org

New report – The Death Penalty for Drug Offences: Global Overview 2021

Harm Reduction International has monitored the use of the death penalty for drug offences worldwide since its first ground-breaking publication on this issue in 2007. This report, their eleventh on the subject, continues their work of providing regular updates on legislative, policy and practical developments related to the use of capital punishment for drug offences, a practice which is a clear violation of international law.

The Death Penalty for Drug Offences: Global Overview 2021 found that:

Read the report

Harm reduction services in the Netherlands: recent developments and future challenges

A new report (9 March) from the Dutch Harm Reduction Network (HRN) provides an update on harm reduction services in the Netherlands, based on an investigation conducted in 2021.

HRN monitors the state of affairs of HR services in the Netherlands, and provides regular updates. It is part of the department of Drugs at the Trimbos Institute and funded by the Dutch Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sports (VWS).

The report is the result of data collected through interviews with employees in different harm reduction services: drug consumption rooms (DCRs), opioid substitution treatment centres (OSTs), heroin-assisted treatment units (HATs) and needle and syringe exchange programmes (NSPs).

The aim of the report is to provide a brief overview of the current state of affairs of harm reduction (HR) services in the Netherlands and to present recent developments and future challenges.  The main topics of interest in the study were:

Read the report