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1. IHRA has a name change to Harm Reduction International
 The close of Harm Reduction: 2011, also closed one chapter in the history of the International Harm Reduction Association, and opened a new one. At the conclusion of an eventful and exciting week, it was announced that IHRA would henceforth be known as Harm Reduction International. The name change was announced by John-Peter Kools, Chair of the Board of Directors, and reflects the evolution and multi-faceted nature of the organisation of the 15 years since its foundation. Beginning life as a sort of professional network of harm reductionists, today Harm Reduction International is one of the leading international NGOs working on harm reduction research, policy, human rights, civil society collaboration and advocacy. The new name reflects this evolution, and the new status of the organisation.
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2. HRI launches the Beirut Declaration on HIV and injecting drug use
 Harm Reduction International launched the Beirut Declaration on HIV and Injecting Drug Use: A Global Call for Action at the 22nd International Harm Reduction Conference in Beirut, Lebanon on April 3rd, 2011. The Declaration points to a number of gaps in the HIV/AIDS response to injecting drug use, harm reduction and drug policy, and calls for a renewed commitment to HIV-related harm reduction and drug policy reform in the output document of the United Nations High Level Meeting in June 2011. Over 150 organisations endorsed the Declaration including: amFAR, CAFOD, Medicins du Monde, Red Cross/Red Crescent Societies, the Executive Director of the Global Fund Michel Kazatchkine, the Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network, the International HIV/AIDS Alliance, BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS and many others. In their April 9th editorial, the Lancet drew heavily on the Beirut Declaration featuring it as a key document for informing High Level Meeting priorities.
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For the April 9th Lancet editorial,
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3. Reflections on Harm Reduction: 2011
 Thank you to all those who attended this year's harm reduction conference in Beirut, Lebanon. The support and enthusiasm Harm Reduction International received helped to make the event a success. As a result of the conference we hope to be reporting on positive changes and outcomes throughout the year. Photos, videos, presentations and other conference resources will all be available very shortly on the HRI conference archive. Please check back soon to view these materials. In the meantime we have compiled a brief report which outlines the key points and highlights from the event. Please to have a read through this document. We look forward to seeing everyone again next year, in Adelaide!
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4. HRI announces new board members
Harm Reduction International is pleased to welcome three new members to our Board of Directors. of the UK, of Indonesia and of Russia were elected at our annual general meeting held during our conference in Beirut. Also re-elected to the Board at the meeting were of the Netherlands and of Iran. The six women and six men on the Board of Harm Reduction International hail from twelve different countries, and represent regions including South Asia, North America, the Middle East, the Caribbean, Eastern Europe, Western Europe, Southeast Asia and Australia.
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5. Harm Reduction International Intervene in Insite Case
 Harm Reduction Association, the and have been granted joint intervener status to appear before the Supreme Court of Canada to support Insite, Vancouver’s supervised injection site, against the Canadian government’s attempts to close it down.
In a landmark 2010 decision, the British Columbia Court of Appeal ruled that Insite fell within the jurisdictional authority of the provincial government, since the supervision of injections of illicit drugs within a health-care setting constituted a matter of public health, and as such did not violate federal health or drug laws — a decision the federal government lost little time in appealing. This appeal is now before the Supreme Court of Canada.
The three NGOs have been granted 10 minutes to make oral arguments before the Supreme Court Justices when the case is heard in mid-May. The outcome of this appeal will carry serious implications for other jurisdictions across Canada looking to emulate Insite’s success by implementing their own safe-injection sites.
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6. Upcoming event in Africa and abstract writing advice
ICASA Conference
 The 16th International Conference on AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Infections in Africa (ICASA) is being held from 4-8 December 2011 under the theme: “Own, Scale-Up and Sustain” in Addis Ababa. This bi-annual event is one of the largest HIV focused conferences taking place in Africa, with over 10,000 delegates expected to attend. This event offers a unique opportunity to raise the profile of harm reduction within the region, with this in mind IHRA are encouraging all members to submit abstracts (closing date 10th June).
For more information please go to:
Conference abstract writing e-course
Authored by the editors of the Journal of the International AIDS Society, this e-course is designed to support the preparation, writing and submission of abstracts to scientific conferences. The course provides examples and short exercises for interactive learning, as well as key take-home messages and a summary overview in form of a self-use checklist. Access to the course is free through the Health[e]Foundation website: . Future modules are envisaged to extend the scientific writing e-course to offer further interactive training in manuscript writing and publication practices.
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7. Joint statement against the death penalty at the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs
 Harm Reduction International read a joint statement against the death penalty at the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs.
The statement was prepared with The International Network of People Who Use Drugs, Human Rights Watch, Penal Reform International, The International Drug Policy Consortium, The German Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty, The Open Society Foundations Drug Policy Programme, Reprieve, Transform Drug Policy Foundation and The Quaker Council for European Affairs and others.
The statement read, 'While nobody should be executed for any offence, the vast majority of those known to be sentenced to die for drugs are not kingpins or major traffickers. They are carriers. Very often involvement in this aspect of the drug trade is driven by poverty, drug dependence and a lack of options. To kill these people is cruel in the extreme.
'Our call is brief. All States must cease the application of the death penalty for drug offences, and, indeed, for all offences, and immediately institute a moratorium to spare the lives of those on death row.'
The full statement is available on the Harm Reduction International website at
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Friday, 29 April 2011 13:11 | 
Written by IHRA | 
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