Collaboration with other UN agencies

HIV/AIDS TG- Prevention of HIV/AIDS is mentioned in the 6 ^th MDG. On the other hand, drug use is associated with significantly higher risk on HIV/AIDS infection. The UNODC has been the chair of HIV/AIDS Thematic Work Group during the 2001-2004 period with great success and is currently acting as an active member. The field of action includes predominantly prevention of risky drug use behaviours and prevention of the transmission of HIV to sexual partners of drug users. UNODC actively participates on the conduction of the World's AIDS Day activities. UNAIDS included the collaboration among different UN agencies on the preparations of the WAD 2004 as exemplary in Iran and included it in its best practice roster. UNODC conducted workshops on HIV prevention among NGOs and among the mass media in the context of the UNAIDS work successfully.

• Gender TG- Gender discrimination is a major global problem and many declarations and programmes have been proposed to oppose it at the international level. Advocacy for gender equality and empowerment of women is the 3 ^rd MDG. Drug abuse has immense impact on women: many female drug users suffer under double discrimination and many suffer as family members of drug users prone to sexual exploitation together with psychic, physical and sexual abuse. The new established thematic Work Group on Gender is encountering many problems in planning, implementation and financial in the first place. The UNODC as a member agency strives for the highest level of achievable impact of the TG.
• UNIC arranges regular visits of school students to the common UN premises to convey the Idea of the UN and its activities closer to the Iranian young generation. It was agreed that the DDR section cooperates in this undertaking through attending the meetings and explaining about DDR activities and advocating drug use prevention among youth. Joint activities with mass media are other areas of collaboration.
• UNIDO- Following the letter of 23 February, 2005, signed by the Deputy Executive Director and Director of Division of Operations, UNODC; and the Deputy Director-General and Managing Director, Programme Coordination and field Operations Division, UNIDO in Vienna; UNODC and UNIDO Country Offices in Iran had a meeting on 28 February, 2005. Identified areas for potential joint activities in this meeting were:
• • Advocacy campaigns against drug use in the work place and corruption in the context of UNDAF;
  • Support of training activities for NGOS in the context of the UNIDO project on Women and Youth Entrepreneurship Development by UNODC;
  • Participation in the development of UNIDO projects in Bam by UNODC;
  • Participation in advocacy campaigns on DDR in the workplace and on issues connected with Corporate Social Responsibility by a number of UNIDO major counterparts;
  • Implementation of a regional seminar on drug use prevention in the workplace in cooperation with ECO.
• An Inter-country Consultation on HIV Prevention among Injecting Drug Users took place in Tehran from 17- 22 April 2006. This event was hosted by the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran and co-sponsored by the World Bank, the UNODC and UNAIDS, and brought together government officials and programme managers from Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. The meeting was extremely successful in terms of cross- fertilisation and exchange of best practices and experiences at the regional level. Issues regarding perspectives on HIV among injecting drug users, socioeconomic determinants of drug use and HIV, implementing and accelerating the programmes on HIV prevention were discussed. An Iran country focus on the fifth day attended by the Iranian Officials together with the World Bank, UNODC and UNAIDS concluded this very productive exercise.

Preliminary meetings with the UNHCR have taken place to launch some activities on reducing demand of illegal drugs and prevention of drug related HIV among Afghani refugees.