Theme Meeting on Preventing Injecting Drug Use and HIV/AIDS, 8-11 September 2001, Cuiaba, Brazil

One of the disastrous effects of drug use is infection with HIV and AIDS. While there are many ways in which drug use can lead to HIV transmission, including unsafe sex, the problem of transmission through the use of injectable drugs is a grave one in a growing number of countries. In co-ordination with the Brazilian National Ministry of Health, the National Co-ordination for STD and AIDS prevention, UNDCP Brazil, and UNAIDS Brazil, the Global Youth Network organised a participatory meeting for young people involved with preventing HIV/AIDS amongst young injectors. The meeting was held in the city of Cuiaba, capital of the Mato Grosso State of Brazil. This was also the site of the 4th Brazilian National Forum on HIV/AIDS Prevention. A total of 14 youth groups from eight countries participated in this meeting. The idea was to formulate a set of guidelines for working with young injecting drug users that were written by young people for use by their counterparts elsewhere in the world. In much the same way as we did for the meeting on using performance for substance abuse prevention, the meeting was organised into small working groups where people could better contribute their thoughts and ideas. We would like to thank all those who attended the meeting, especially a young person, who is HIV positive with many health problems, and made valuable contribution to the working group sessions. Drug-related harm and ways to reduce the social and health consequences of injecting drug use among youth were debated. One of the interesting things that emerged was the striking similarity between the various factors that make young injectors particularly vulnerable to HIV infection, including lack of information, access to health and social services. On the last day of the meeting, we all heard the shocking news of the bombing of the world trade centre in New York and this pretty much ruined the mood for all of us. Some people had a friend or a relative in New York or indeed in the US who they were concerned about and the magnitude of the attack was just too much to absorb. The meeting thus ended on a fairly solemn note where we all promised to stay in touch and work with the other members of the youth network to replicate the spirit of New York, in some small way.

Gautam Babbar, UNDCP