UNODC HIV/AIDS Section at the 2023 INHSU Conference: launch of the gender-based violence briefing paper and relevant outcomes

16-20 October 2023, Geneva (Switzerland) - The International Network on Health and Hepatitis in Substance Users (INHSU) is a global network dedicated to improving the health of people who use drugs, with a specific focus on hepatitis C, infectious diseases, and harm that can occur from drug use. Established in 2009, the International Conference on Health and Hepatitis Care in Substance Users brings together every year hundreds of practitioners, researchers, policymakers, advocates, community members and people who use drugs.

This year's Conference offered a rich and engaging program, with over 100 sessions dedicated to the health and well-being of people who use drugs, with tracks on epidemiology, public health, clinical research, and policy development. Keynote presentations from leading experts, panel discussions on current topics of interest, workshops on practical skills and networking opportunitiesrepresented a valuable learning experiencefor all who attended.

UNODC HIV/AIDS Section’s role during the Conference

Prior to the main Conference (18-20 October), Monica Ciupagea, Expert on Drug Use and HIV (HIV/AIDS Section) and member of the planning committee for the Conference, led the discussion on capacity building needs during the Policy Day organised by INHSU’s Community Committee of people who use drugs and with the focus on “Increasing Opioid Agonist Treatment (OAT) coverage globally”. In the opening session, the speakers highlighted the global, regional, and country-level coverage of testing and treatment for HIV and hepatitis C infection among people who inject drugs.

During the conference Monica Ciupagea participated as a speaker in the session on “Extending your research impact as an EMCR (Early and Mid-Career Researchers): the intersections of academia, policy & implementation”, contributed to the discussion on “opportunities/strategies for EMCRs to initiate/sustain collaboration with government and NGOs in diverse sectors to produce innovative research to inform clinical, public health or policy guidance”, and chaired and moderated the session on “Drug use trends, policy and practice”.

Ehab Salah, Advisor on Prisons and HIV (HIV/AIDS Section), spoke at the session ”INHSU Prisons ’Hypothetical‘: hepatitis C services in prisons”. The panel included several experts from academia and the community representing College of Behavioural, Social and Health Sciences at Clemson University; The Hepatitis C Trust; Justice Health and Forensic Mental Health Network; Albert Einstein College of Medicine; and the Department of Medicine at McGill University.

The HIV/AIDS Section delegates also attended a study tour of the drug consumption room (DCR) in Geneva, Quai 9. This drug consumption room in Geneva provides people who use drugs with a safe place to use drugs under medical supervision that helps to reduce their risk of overdose. As a part of a broader harm reduction strategy, this facility also offers clean needles and syringes to people who use drugs to minimize the use of contaminated injecting equipment and to reduce the spread of HIV and viral hepatitis. People who come to this facility can also receive food and be supported with referrals toto health services such as drug treatment.

Launch of the UNODC briefing paper on gender-based violence

On October 20, the UNODC HIV/AIDS Section launched the briefing paper “Addressing gender-based violence against women and people of diverse gender identity and expression who use drugs” in a side event organized in cooperation with the World Health Organization (WHO). This briefing paper was developed by Ruth Birgin, UNODC consultant, in cooperation with UNODC. Both Ruth Birgin (via prerecorded video) and Monica Ciupagea spoke at the launch, together with Annette Verster, Technical Lead, Key Populations, Global HIV, Hepatitis and STI Programmes, WHO.

The briefing paper aims to raise awareness of the scope and scale of gender-based violence (GBV) experienced by women and people of diverse gender identity and expression who use drugs, and the connection between GBV and the HIV epidemic among these populations. It highlights practical responses to violence against these populations that can be adopted by providers of harm reduction and allied services. The paper also demonstrates how adopting a gender-responsive approach to drug use benefits women and people of diverse gender identity and expression. It is also relevant for advocates, human rights defenders, lawmakers, law enforcement and other stakeholders who engage with women and people of diverse gender identity and expression. The launch helped to reinforce the message that successful prevention of GBV requires political commitment, leadership and resource allocation.

Ahead of the Conference, UNODC HIV/AIDS team prepared a conference poster and a scientific abstract featuring main findings in the briefing paper on gender-based violence.

INHSU 2023 important outcomes

INHSU 2023 brought together hundreds of delegates and speakers from all over the world, who share the relevant mission of ensuring that people who use drugs have equitable access to the healthcare they need in order to enjoy their right to the highest attainable standard of health. The Conference had traditionally covered the latest advances on hepatitis C epidemiology, management, and treatment of viral hepatitis among people who use drugs. By disseminating scientific knowledge, the Conference aims to promote strategies to achieve the goal of eliminating hepatitis C by 2030. The most powerful impact can be achieved when researchers, clinicians, advocates, and the community of people who use drugs come together to share their knowledge, learn from each other, and have an opportunity to implement new common ideas.

The Conference represented an excellent opportunity for the HIV/AIDS Section to network in-person with a global community of people dedicated to improving the health and wellbeing of people who use drugs, to shareprofessional knowledge and to contribute to thematic discussions.The next INHSU Conference will be taking place in Athens, Greece in 2024.

United Nations

Office on Drugs and Crime

UNODC HIV/AIDS Section at the 2023 INHSU Conference: launch of the gender-based violence briefing paper and relevant outcomes

UNODC HIV/AIDS Section’s role during the Conference

Launch of the UNODC briefing paper on gender-based violence

INHSU 2023 important outcomes