UNODC promotes a dialogue on drug use during the 10th Congress on HIV / AIDS and 3rd Congress on Viral Hepatitis

 

Brasilia, November 18, 2015 - Over one hundred participants attended the dialogue on law enforcement in contexts of drug use and access to prevention, treatment and care for HIV / AIDS, organized by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in Brazil on 17 November 2015 in João Pessoa, Brazil.

The discussion was organized under the pre-congress activities of the 10th Congress on HIV/AIDS and 3rd Congress on Viral Hepatitis - "New Horizons, New Responses" held by the Ministry of Health from 17 to 20  November in João  Pessoa.

 

The activity aimed to promote a discussion on the role of public safety professionals and their impact on actions directed at the HIV prevention and care in contexts of drug use, especially regarding the performance of civil society.

The meeting was divided two moments. The first one addressed the drug use from the perspective of public safety, law and criminal justice. The Chief of the Military Police of Rio de Janeiro, Col. Robson Rodrigues, the spokesperson of the Brazilian Platform for Drug Policy (PBPD), Andrea Galassi and the Professor of Criminal Law and Criminology of the University Mackenzie and Colleges of Campinas (FACAMP), Maurides Ribeiro participated in the discussion. The round table was moderated by Marcos Guimarães from the Department of STD/Aids of the Ministry of Health.

 

The discussion on the second round table focused on drug use from a health care perspective. Ana Lucia Ferraz, prevention coordinator of the  STD/AIDS Department of the Ministry of Health, Nara Santos, Programme Officer for HIV/AIDS of UNODC, Liandro Lindner, spokesperson of the Brazilian Association of Harm Reduction (ABORDA), Celi Cavallari, counselor of the Brazilian Network for Harm Reduction and Human Rights (REDUC) were present at the table. The Programme Assistant for HIV/AIDS of UNODC, Roberta Ataídes, moderated the discussion.

"The meeting was an unprecedented opportunity to promote during the Congress on HIV/AIDS and Viral Hepatitis a space for dialogue between civil society working with harm reduction and the military police, discussing possibilities for coordinated actions," said Nara Santos.  

More information about the Congress:  http://aidshvbrasil2015.aids.gov.br/.

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