- Ms. Fariba Soltani, Head of UNODC's HIV/AIDS branch
New York, 16 April 2023
On Wednesday 16 April, UNODC co-organized a briefing entitled ‘At the Intersection of Drug Policy, Health and Human Rights’ together with UNAIDS and the New York NGO Committee on Drugs. The event aimed to raise awareness on the UN's work on HIV prevention, treatment and care among people who use drugs and people in prison settings, and to promote a wider dialogue on these issues.
The event looked at the health and human rights of marginalized groups often facing multiple types of discrimination, such as being in prison and having HIV. The stark impact of this marginalization was described by Ms. Fariba Soltani, head of UNODC’s HIV/AIDS section, who noted that people who use drugs have a 35 times greater risk of becoming infected with HIV. In prison, risks to health are even greater, due to: "Overincarceration, excessive use of pretrial detention, overcrowding, poor prison conditions, neglect of prison services, stigma, isolation from the public health system, stigma, discrimination and violence." These risks do not affect all prisoners equally: Ms. Soltani noted the sharp increase in women being incarcerated, many for drug-related offences, and explained the subsequent need to consider women's specific health needs in designing and increasing prison services. Covid-19 posed a great challenge to health for prisoners, however Ms. Soltani shared the positive development for some drug-users being treated in community settings who benefitted from at-home opioid agonist treatment, which has continued after the pandemic in view of how it can improve treatment and quality of life for recipients.
The difficulties in reaching and supporting drug users were highlighted by Mr. Ninan Varughese, senior advisor at UNAIDS, who labelled stigma and the criminalization of drugs for personal use and possession as key barriers. Inequalities faced by specific groups, such as low incomes or limited access to education, create even more barriers to accessing healthcare, which must be factored into health policies. Mr. Varughese then called for a response based on science, evidence, and human rights, expressing UNAIDS’ commitment to implementing the UN Common Position on Drugs which gave the UN system a mandate to promote harm reduction, human-rights and decriminalization of drug use and possession for personal use.
- Mr. Ninan Varughese, Senior Advisor at UNAIDS
Much of focus on a human rights centered approach to policy is thanks to the tireless advocacy of civil society, as acknowledged by Heather Haase from New York NGO Committee on Drugs. She remarked on the substantial change in terminology towards a more effective harm-prevention approach and praised the increase in regular and substantive engagement among UN agencies to co-ordinate on drug and health policy. Despite such progress, the scale of support needed for people who use drugs to be able to fully exercise their rights to healthcare was reiterated by Mr. Raffael Torruella, Director of Intercambios Puerto Rico and Ms. Jess Morales, an activist from the Latin American and Caribbean Network of People who Use Drugs (LANPUD).
The panellists were followed by contributions from the floor, which called for a more gender-sensitive approach to consider the specific needs and ways of supporting female drug users. The event, attended by Permanent Missions and civil society at UNHQ, plus more than 300 viewers online, raised awareness of progress and remaining challenges in ensuring healthcare and human rights for some of the most vulnerable in society.
