The call for abstracts EECA INTERACT 2022 is open.

The third scientific workshop on HIV, Hepatitis C and Tuberculosis in Eastern Europe and Central Asia – EECA INTERACT 2022 – will be held on 13-14 December in Riga, Latvia.

EECA INTERACT 2022 will bring together scientists, clinicians, members of civil society, and government officials to tackle topics facing individual countries while building capacity and strengthening research and clinical networks.

Researchers from Eastern and Central Europe, Balkans, Central Asia, and the Baltics are encouraged to submit abstracts for peer review.  There are a limited number of scholarships for the highest scoring abstract presenters to attend the INTERACT workshop in person.

We invite researchers to submit abstracts on of the following topics:

Health & science

Society

Policy

The online application will be open from 5 August to September 25. Submit your abstract via this form https://eeca-interact.org/submit-abstract/.

There are a limited number of scholarships. Information is available on request via info@eeca-interact.org.

EECA Interact 2022 is organized by  AFEW International and the Amsterdam Institute for Global Health & Development (AIGHD).

Ukraine Snapshots – Harm Reduction Services in Action During the War in Ukraine

 

The Russian invasion of Ukraine has brought catastrophic suffering and health consequences for civilians, including key populations to harm reduction such as people who use drugs, LGBTIQ+, and people living with HIV. 

 

Several organizations have been working hard to try and cater for the needs of these populations. In this snapshot, we depict the current harm reduction services being offered, as well as the needs of key populations who are caught up in the conflict.

 

With the aim of addressing the needs of key populations impacted by Russian aggression, we have consulted a series of documents and engaged in several coordination meetings with civil society and other key international organizations in the field of harm reduction trying to address the needs of key populations due to the war in Ukraine.

 

We believe that our work will help stakeholders to recognize priority areas and identify how they could be a positive force of hope.

 

Read the document here.

 

Translated Executive Summaries of Monitoring Report 2021

Correlation have created executive summaries of our Monitoring Data Report in 8 different languages to share with our members to aid in local advocacy and to be distributed throughout the network.

 

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). More than one hundred organisations and individuals from 34 European countries contributed to this monitoring report.

 

The executive summary covers the following topics;

– Participation of Civil Society Organisations in policymaking
– Essential harm reduction services
– Hepatitis C
– Overdose prevention
– New Drug Trends
– COVID-19 and Harm Reduction

 

We want to thank all the focal points for their involvement in the monitoring report, and hope the executive summaries will be useful for advocacy efforts.

Download the executive summaries here, in;

English

French

German

Greek

Czech

Russian

Italian

Portugese

 

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.

Key Principles of Harm Reduction in Homeless Settings

Check out the HR Key Principles, our key innovative output which translates the learnings of the HR4homelessness project into guidance for homeless and other services who support people in homelessness

The HR Key Principles translate the learnings from the ‘HR4homelessness’ Project, which brought together homeless and bustance use services, into guidance for homeless services to improve support provision for people who use drugs and/or alcohol.

For each of the seven principles, strategies for improving support provision are described as well as existing good practices. We provide suggestions for tools that can be helpful for staff and service users, suggestions for further reading and link you up to the respective training video(s). The seven principles are:

  1. Human Rights based service provision: HR aims at establishing quality of individual and community life and well-being – not necessarily abstinence of all drug use – as the criteria for successful actions and policies. HR calls for a non-judgmental, non-coercive access to support and care.
  2. Meaningful engagement of service users: HR engages and involves people with lived experience of homelessness and substance use in the development and evaluation of policies, services and programs that affect them. This is essential for achieving  good social and health outcomes and addressing unmet needs.
  3. Reduce risks and harm: HR focuses on reducing the harms related to substance use for the individual and the broader community. It takes into account factors that may exacerbate vulnerability such as trauma, incarceration history, racism, social disadvantage, housing status, age, sexual orientation and gender.
  4. Take on a pragmatic attitude: HR accepts that licit and illicit substance use is part of our world. HR reflects the idea that none of us will ever achieve perfect health behaviors and that ‘perfect’ health behaviors are impossible to define as they are shaped by social determinants and norms.
  5. Person Centered Services: HR services focus on responding to the needs, preferences and values of the individuals and communities they work with. This includes the recognition of the social conditioning of health outcomes, addressing power relationships between care providers and service users, and the promotion of communication and shared decision-making.
  6. Evidence-based services, strategies and policies which are relevant and effective to the communities they serve and which are regularly evaluated and, if necessary, adapted.
  7. Accountability: HR aims to minimize not only the negative health and social impacts associated with drug and alcohol use, but also the harms caused by respective policies, laws, services, and institutional practices. HR promotes processes and systems designed to hold individuals and groups in check for their decisions and actions.

Future Collaboration for Harm Reduction in Europe

Last month, we organised two meetings welcoming the national harm reduction networks in Europe who have taken part in our recently published survey. As networking is one of our strengths, and we would like to initiate closer collaborations within the harm reduction networks in Europe, we were thrilled to start the dialogue.

The attending organisations’ backgrounds varied from self-support to peer-led harm reduction, to research-based services, to intersectional cooperation and finally to non-governmental and somewhat illegal provision. Their culturally spiced struggles were not only very inspiring but also familiar.

The critical points of these meetings were to discuss how we could support each other and help advocate together. We believe that advocacy could easily be one of the grounds to meet and provide insights to others dealing with similar challenges. Don’t you agree?

We have now set up a news wheel in our newsletter where each edition will bring you updates from Europe-wide countries.
Any thoughts you would like to share?
Please send us an email to administration@correlation-net.org.

5th European Harm Reduction Conference 10-12 November 2021

In 2021, the 5th European Harm Reduction Conference will be organised in Prague by Correlation European Harm Reduction Network in close cooperation with the Eurasian Harm Reduction Association and the Czech organisation Sananim.

 

The conference programme is currently under development. The European Network of People Who Use Drugs, the World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe, the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction and other important stakeholders from Europe are joining us in this effort.

Target Groups

The 5th European Harm Reduction Conference targets professionals from the community, professionals working in the broader area of harm reduction, policy-makers and politicians, advocacy representatives, researchers, and media representatives.

Aims of the Conference

The conference will present the latest harm reduction developments and good, innovative practices. It will discuss drug policy and its implications on People Who Use Drugs and other marginalised groups, such as sex workers and People Living with HIV/Aids. It intends to discuss different perspectives on harm reduction, social inclusion and related topics. Finally, the conference provides an appropriate platform to create links and synergies between national and European stakeholders.

read more and register here

Quality Standards’ Implementation in Daily Practices of Drug Prevention, Treatment and Harm Reduction in the EU

FENIQS is a new EU funded project that C-EHRN is involved. It aims at enhancing implementation of Quality Standards (QS) in drug prevention, treatment and harm reduction throughout the EU. The project just started in April this year and will run until April 2023.

What about Quality standards?
Quality standards (QS) were a central priority in the EU Drug Strategy 2013-2020 to improve the quality of drug services and to bridge the gap between science and practice. Yet, the extent and ways in which QS are implemented in daily practices of drug prevention, treatment and harm reduction in the EU vary substantially. Some countries have successfully implemented QS and there is a clear need to understand what transferable lessons can be learned from available ‘good practices’ which can guide implementation of QS in different contexts across the EU. Those countries and services which have had difficulties in implementing QS can benefit from clear guidance and recommendations.

Objective of FENIQS – EU
The general objective of this project is to enhance implementation of QS in drug prevention, treatment and harm reduction throughout the EU, with more services, organizations and countries applying QS in daily practice. The project will focus on the actual application of QS in EU countries and factors stimulating implementation.

How will the project work?
The project is divided into 3 main phases, according to its objectives, as described below. Throughout the whole process, the lessons learnt will be disseminated, including a dedicated website, newsletters with regular progress updates, and webinars. Our members will receive the first newsletter, and will have the option to inscribe for the others. Not a member yet? You may become one here

First –  Assessing the current state of QS implementation in the EU
The extent of QS implementation will be described country-by-country and by area (prevention, treatment and harm reduction). Reasons for successful/limited implementation will be mapped, as well as implementation needs, and potential good practice examples. This information will be based on previous literature, and consultation with EMCDDA Reitox focal points and European country representatives (via online survey).

Second- Study ‘good’ and promising practice examples of QS implementation
In each drug demand reduction area (prevention, treatment and harm reduction), 2-3 examples of successful/promising implementation (‘QS Implementation champions’) from across the EU will be selected and described as case studies, including facilitating and hindering factors that advanced/obstructed implementation in daily practice. Case study results will be presented and implications for QS implementation discussed during a QS Implementation Champions day.

Third – Translate ‘good’ practice examples into an implementation toolkit and test it in various real-world contexts
Lessons learnt from the selected ‘good’ practices will be translated into a step-by-step implementation toolkit. Recommendations for practical and feasible implementation strategies as well as key features of the toolkit will be proposed during a 1-day international QS event and reviewed using Delphi methodology (a methodology where experts meet and discuss to generate consensus). The draft toolkit will be refined using target audience feedback (e.g. QS champions, civil society organisations) and field tested in at least six countries (covering all three areas).

The final toolkit will be openly available online. A video tutorial will support the introduction of the toolkit.

Who are the project partners?
Project partners are four academic partners based in Belgium (UGent), Croatia (ERFUNIZG), France (Lyon) and the Czech Republic (CUNI) and four pan-European networks -IREFREA, Correlation C-EHRN, Euro-TC, EUFAS-, covering all EU member states and DDR areas.

Want more information about the project?
Wait for the first newsletter with the brand-new website, or contact kschiffer@correlation-net.org or rrigoni@correlation-net.org

Peer2Peer Project: Policy Dialogue Meeting

The Peer2Peer Project is a European project co-financed by the European Commission’s Justice Program – Drug Policy Initiatives, and coordinated by APDES. This project aims to strengthen the capacity of civil society organisations to improve the efficiency of outreach intervention, namely by promoting the inclusion of Peer Educators and good practices, in cooperation with relevant stakeholders. The Consortium includes internationally recognised entities (from Belgium, Greece, Lithuania, Poland, Portugal, Holland, France and Hungary) working in the areas of research, social intervention and advocacy.

On 25th March, the Project organised a Policy Dialogue Meeting articulated around three main themes:

  1. Bottom-up approach: Decision-makers and a different political culture, more room for the participation of the citizens?
  2. A new vision for Health centred on community-based intervention.
  3. Translating Public Policies into Drug Services: How to engage and commit Intermediate institutions and community towards a collaborative approach?

The meeting offered space to the project partners along with representatives of civil society organisations in Europe working in the field of peer inclusion, researchers, peers and representatives of European institutions working in the field of drugs and drug use.

Interested in the recording?
WATCH IT HERE

Also, recently Peer2Peer has published their Guiding Principles for Cooperation Practices in Outreach Work. This document identifies principles to be used in holistic interventions and includes relevant information related to the Peer2Peer project, such as the main result of research and the explanation of the guiding principles for best practices concerning cooperative strategies in outreach interventions with people who use drugs.

Would you like to read the publication?
READ HERE

You may want to follow the project and its updates closely after reading all the very interesting information above.
VISIT THE PROJECT WEBSITE HERE

European National Harm Reduction Networks’ on Structure, Objectives, Activities, Funding

At the end of the most expectation-twister year of the last decade, as known as 2020, we wanted to investigate the structure, objectives, activities, and funding resources of the national harm reduction groups or networks in 34 European countries. So, we asked our members to provide us with the contact details of such networks.

Right with that first question, data collection have begun.
Only 50% of approached countries have such a network (17), whilst the rest does not.

Most of those 17 networks are established with formal structures such as mission statements, steering committees, registered members and annual work plans.
Two-third of the networks receive funding which is mostly from national or local authorities.
Their main activities? They share a focus on capacity building, advocacy and networking.
Moreover, the solid commitment they have to collaborate more between the European and national level,is enticing, which is now our intention to improve.

Once again, we would like to thank all the networks involved for their time and consideration.

Please read the detailed survey results HERE