Category: BOOST project

5-5-5 – We Won’t Be Left Behind!

Posted on by Milutin

During the AIDS 2024 Conference (Munich, July 21st-July 25th), the European Harm Reduction Network (Correlation), the European AIDS Treatment Group (EATG) and AIDS Action Europe (AAE), hosted the 5-5-5 Networking Zone at the conference’s Global Village.

The aim of the 5-5-5 zone was to address gaps and solutions in achieving the UNAIDS 2030 95% targets and propose strategies to reach the remaining 5%. It focused on horizontal and integrated approaches and how to address the multiple needs that people from the most affected and inadequately served populations face.

The three organisations arranged a diverse series of talks, networking opportunities, mutual learning sessions, and presentations. A blend of intimately personal life stories and the sharing of research results resulted in an engaging environment over the 5 days of the Global Village.

Each day focused on a different theme: HIV & Mobility, Sex-Positive Approaches, Well-Being and Quality of Life, Drugs and Harm Reduction and Blind Spots in the HIV response.

C-EHRN hosted the day program dedicated to Drugs and Harm Reduction, which included a Round Table on the Advocacy Strategy of the BOOST Project. This event was moderated by Katrin Schiffer (C-EHRN), Ganna Dovbakh (EHRA), Tuukka Tammi (THL), Aleksei Lakhov (EuroNPUD) and DPNSEE Executive Director Milutin Milošević.

Milutin presented advocacy priorities in South East Europe and activities we take in the region, and emphasizes cooperation between four European networks working on drug policy.

Training for local advocacy

Posted on by Milutin

Six organisations that will implement local advocacy project that won the support throught a BOOST call for proposals gathered for a workshop in Budapest, Hungary on 13 and 14 June. Workshop aims and objectives were to:

  • Provide a comprehensive understanding of key advocacy concepts and the nuances of advocacy within the harm reduction field.
  • Familiarize participants with the BOOST project’s aims, objectives, and activities, including the Advocacy Strategy.
  • Review and improve local advocacy plans, emphasizing the community’s role in shaping and implementing these plans.
  • Provide tools and resources for the development and implementation of advocacy

Our colleagues from ARAS (Romania) and HOPS (North Macedonia) were among them, together with BerLUN (Germany), HuNPUD (Hungary), R3 (Portugal) and XADUD (Spain).

Besides inputs on the BOOST project, Advocacy, How to engage communities developing and implementing communities, and Media advocacy, participants had the opportunity to present their projects and work with mentors to fine-tune their projects and plans for their implementation.

ARAS plans to use the Electoral Year 2024, which in Romania includes elections on different levels, to ensure long term political support for harm reduction funding at all levels.

HOPS prepared a project to ensure the financial sustainability of Harm Reduction Programs in North Macedonia. It is important because last years the Ministry of Health cut the budget for harm reduction programs by about 40%.

Participants and regional network representatives were interviewed about their advocacy projects by the Right Reporter Foundation, Budapest based organisation that is an expert in video advocacy. The video they shall produce will be disseminated via BOOST project and partners’ communication channels.

BOOST Project Progress and Future Steps

Posted on by Milutin

The BOOST Project, running from 2023 to 2025, is nearly halfway through. This was the perfect time for meeting with all project partners to review achievements and plan the remaining project period.

At the partner meeting that took place in Antwerp on 27 – 28 May, Correlation staff, as coordinators of the project, provided an overall overview of the current state of affairs. The picture is very positive: all milestones and deliverables due so far have been achieved, indicating that the project is well on track.

Following this, all work package leaders reported on their respective areas. The first project period focused on collecting and compiling information through monitoring, surveys, and focus group discussions. Now, this information will be translated into follow-up activities such as mentoring programs.

An important element of BOOST – creating awareness and supporting advocacy efforts – will also be a focus in the next project period, supported by intensified communication and dissemination activities.

Overall, meeting with colleagues involved in the project was very inspiring. Participants emphasized that the meeting provided a better overview of the project’s different elements and improved the synergies created by the project.

The meeting concluded with a visit to the local NGO Free Clinic, co-host of the meeting. This was another inspiring experience facilitated by Free Clinic staff and volunteers.

 

Local grant awarded

Posted on by Milutin

The Correlation-European Harm Reduction Network (C-EHRN), the Eurasian Harm Reduction Association (EHRA), the Drug Policy Network South East Europe (DPNSEE), and the European Network of People Who Use Drugs (EuroNPUD) are proud to announce the recipients of grants from the recent call for proposals under the BOOST project. This initiative supports local advocacy efforts aimed at enhancing access to comprehensive, people-centered health and harm reduction services for people who use drugs in European countries.

The awarded organizations, each receiving a grant of €3,000, are:

  • ARAS – Romanian Association Against AIDS, Romania
  • XADUD, Xarxa de Dones que usen drogues (cat) – Network of Womxn Using Drugs (en), Spain
  • HuNPUD – Hungarian Network of People Who Use Drugs, Hungary
  • HOPS-Healthy Options Project Skopje, North Macedonia
  • R3 – Riscos Reduzidos em Rede, Portugal
  • BerLUN – Berliner und internationale Gemeinschaft der drogenkonsumierenden Menschen, Germany

The competition for these grants was notably high, with 22 organizations submitting applications. We are particularly pleased to see an overwhelming interest in the advocacy grant, with nearly half of the applications coming from community groups of people who use drugs. While many applications were of high quality, funding limitations allowed for only six awards.

The selection process was rigorous, with a panel comprising representatives from EHRA, C-EHRN, DPNSEE, and EuroNPUD, who assessed proposals based on their alignment with advocacy priorities, quality, potential impact on harm reduction services, and organizational experience.

These organizations have demonstrated a strong commitment to developing and implementing robust local advocacy plans that align with one or more of the priority areas of our Joint European Advocacy Strategy for 2024-2028. The strategy focuses on increasing political will and financial sustainability for community based and community-led harm reduction, promoting community-driven solutions tailored to diverse needs of people who use drugs, ensuring access to essential health services, and achieving universal access to comprehensive care for people who use drugs.

In addition to financial support, the grantees will benefit from ongoing mentorship, participation in an advocacy training workshop, and assistance in organizing policy dialogue meetings and events at the local level. These efforts are part of the broader BOOST project, funded by the EU, which aims to strengthen the capacity of community-based and civil society organizations in their critical work.

 

Call for proposals

Posted on by Milutin

The Correlation-European Harm Reduction Network (C-EHRN), the Eurasian Harm Reduction Association (EHRA), the Drug Policy Network South East Europe (DPNSEE), and the European Network of People Who Use Drugs (EuroNPUD) are pleased to announce a call for proposals.

This initiative aims to support local advocacy efforts of community-led and civil society organizations in Europe, enhancing access to comprehensive, people-centered health and harm reduction services for people who use drugs in European countries.

Applicants must be based in eligible countries, and proposed activities should align with the advocacy priorities stated in this call.

The Application form should be completed ONLINE.

Awarded grantees will receive ongoing mentorship support, the opportunity to participate in advocacy training, and a small grant of €3,000 for organizing advocacy-related activities, including policy dialogue meetings and events at the local level.

More information and application form are available at the BOOST webpage following this link>>>.

 

Drafting a joint European advocacy strategy

Posted on by Milutin

Representatives from the BOOST project implementation organisations – C-EHRN, EHRA, EuroNPUD, and DPNSEE – met in Amsterdam on 30 and 31 January 2024.

The aim of the meeting was to finalize the European Advocacy Strategy, ensuring comprehensive access to HIV, HCV, and TB services for people who use drugs, based on online dialogues and consultations with regional network governing bodies.

The objectives of the meeting were:

  • To determine key advocacy priorities for the European harm reduction networks over the coming years.
  • To explore opportunities for advocating at the European level for comprehensive harm reduction services for people who use drugs.
  • To focus on establishing a unified European advocacy agenda aimed at implementing effective models for the prevention, treatment, and care of communicable diseases, tailored specifically for people who use drugs, at the European, national, and local levels.

As a result, four regional European priorities were agreed in each thematic area of the project. In addition, actionable and SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound) advocacy goals achievable at the regional level within the next 3-5 years were developed and relevant stakeholders and potential project partners were identified.

The final Strategy is expected to be launched and published in March 2024 and will be implemented with the support of a broader network of European harm reduction and drug policy organisations.

In February, the networks will launch a call for local harm reduction services to support the development and implementation of Local Advocacy Plans in 6 countries/cities.

We are glad to underline that 6 out of 19 participants came from South East Europe, although representing different partner organisations in the project.

Online dialogue meetings

Posted on by Milutin

The Drug Policy Network South East Europe (DPNSEE) organised two regional online dialogues as part of the BOOST project. The aim was to assess the needs and challenges for the implementation of community-based good practices in the field of HIV/HCV/HBV prevention, treatment, and care for people who use drugs (PWUD). The two online dialogue meetings held in South East Europe gathered 30+ participants from 17 organisations in 9 countries

As the situation in the region is far from good, most of the dialogue was on the problems that people from key affected populations, their community organisations, service-providing organisations, and institutions face. In the context of our region’s challenging situation, discussions primarily revolved around the issues confronting key affected populations and organisations providing support to communities facing elevated risks.

Problems are common across the region. These include the pervasive stigma and discrimination directed at nearly all at-risk communities, particularly within institutional sectors where understanding should be most prominent. The public discourse surrounding these communities often employs disrespectful and discriminatory language, despite the efforts of NGOs to promote appropriate terminology.

Financing and sustainability of support services pose significant challenges, and the civil sector’s operational space is limited, reflecting a lack of motivation among institutions and decision-makers to enhance the quality of life for these communities. Existing laws related to these communities are problematic, as is the complex and exclusionary nature of accessing healthcare services and treatment programs. Official registers or record-keeping mechanisms are often lacking, and strategies are frequently rewritten without effective implementation.

The recommendations and conclusions from our open dialogue emphasise the need to focus on these issues. Through lobbying, public awareness campaigns, collaboration agreements, participation in working groups, and partnerships, we aim to improve the current situation. Our goal is to raise public awareness about these critical issues faced by at-risk communities and advocate for improvements in services, policies, and laws. Ultimately, we strive to ensure that members of these communities, who are at an elevated risk of social exclusion, can fully integrate into our society.

The report from the dialogues is available following this link>>>.