UNODC is cosponsor of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS - UNAIDS
Injecting Drug Use
GOAL: UNODC's goal is to increase the scale and improve the quality of evidence-based HIV/AIDS prevention and care services, through the
comprehensive package, for IDUs in countries where the use of contaminated injecting equipment can be a major means of transmission. To do so, the specific drug use situation and the socio-cultural and political context each need to be assessed.
UNODC's role is in:
Helping countries to develop legislation, policies and standards of prevention and care that enable them to put in place effective services for IDUs.
Assisting countries to establish comprehensive outreach interventions, covering at least 35 per cent of all IDUs by 2008, and providing them with HIV/AIDS information, education and the means of reducing their risk behaviour. The overall goal is to reach as close as possible to universal access to prevention by the year 2010.
Facilitating diversification and expansion of drug dependence treatment services, including drug substitution treatment.
Creating awareness among drug dependence treatment services regarding the need to address HIV/AIDS.
Helping countries to develop interventions to prevent the transition from non-injecting drug use to injecting drug use, particularly with regard to young people.
Encouraging proactive involvement of law enforcement agencies in HIV prevention and care, as well as more collaboration among health, criminal justice sectors, and community-based and civil society organizations.
In addition, UNODC also promotes access to voluntary HIV counseling and testing, treatment of sexually-transmitted infections, antiretroviral therapy and interventions for specific vulnerable groups - including prisoners, sex workers who inject drugs and IDUs who may also exchange sex for drugs or money.
