The UN Special Rapporteur on the right to health is producing a second report on harm reduction this year entitled ‘Harm reduction for sustainable peace and development‘. The Special Rapporteur intends to explore the ways in which harm reduction intersects with the right to health and related human rights.
Most commonly, harm reduction refers to policies, programmes and practices that aim to minimise the negative health, social and legal impacts associated with drug use, drug policies and drug laws. For the purposes of this report, the Special Rapporteur defines harm reduction in a broader sense, including the policies, programmes, and practices that aim to minimise the negative health, social, and legal impacts associated with various behaviours and related policies and laws, as exemplified above.
A ‘Call for inputs’ is now available on the UNSR’s website.
The deadline for submissions (which can be made in English, Spanish or French) is Monday, 27 May 2024.
The report is a great opportunity to build on UN human rights experts’ increasingly supportive positionings on harm reduction and drug policy.