Field visit to Harm Reduction Programme Sites in Mamelodi, Pretoria for the Group
of Friends
Pretoria, South Africa 14 August 2024 — United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) organized a field visit to the Group of Friends of HIV Prevention for People Who Use Drugs and People Living in Prison Settings Vienna, to a harm reduction programme in Pretoria, South Africa. This visit was aimed at enhancing the delegates understanding of harm reduction programming for people who use and inject drugs. Representatives from nine embassies joined the field visit (Australia, Belgium, Canada, Germany, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Sweden and USA). This field visit has significantly heightened participants' awareness of the crucial role they play in addressing drug and HIV-related challenges in South Africa.
The field visit began with a meeting at the Community Orientated Substance Abuse Programme (COSUP) Mamelodi at Mamelodi Hospital, where participants from the various Embassies received a briefing about the harm reduction programme. This was followed by discussions and observing COSUP’s operations. The field visit included important discussions around the challenges and efforts in addressing HIV and harm reduction among people who use drugs, advocating for urgently needed improvements in harm reduction services, and facilitate the exchange of best practices and strategies among participants and representatives joining the field visit.
This visit also involved meeting with programme beneficiaries who receive Opioid Agonist Treatment (OAT) and other harm reduction services on site, followed by interactions with the visiting delegation.
The debriefing session at UNODC included a comprehensive and robust discussion about what is currently needed to increase technical support and impactful interventions for HIV and drug use in South Africa and the support the Group of Friends and stakeholders can provide to increase harm reduction programming in South Africa. The stakeholders, including National Department of Health and Civil society representatives, provided a solid local context of harm reduction programming, pertinent issues, including how the Group of Friends can assist in intensifying harm reduction.
The Group of Friends who participated experienced the field visit as meaningful and a valuable contribution to their understanding of evidence-based harm reduction programming and drug issues, including the opioid epidemic in South Africa. A representative from one Embassy stated: “I have learned so much during the field visit, including obtaining a rich understanding of drug use and evidence-based interventions that are needed in South Africa.” The Group of Friends expressed interest in further diplomatic engagements, including supporting UNODC technical support for harm reduction programming in South Africa.
