Health Connections International, as a founding member of the Harm Reduction Platform (HARP) in the Netherlands, was an active participant in the recent Harm Reduction Donor Conference, held 29-30 January 2009 in Amsterdam.

The Harm Reduction Donor Conference successfully brought together a range of high-profile decision makers from across the globe, including the First Lady of Georgia Sandra Saakashvili-Roelofs, representatives from bilateral and multilateral stakeholders, and donors such as the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, the UK Department for International Development (DfID), the Australian Government’s Overseas Aid Programme (AusAID), and the Norwegian Agency for Development Co-operation (Norad), as well as other development aid agencies.

One much-needed outcome of this conference was the pledge amongst international donors and agencies to implement an agreed upon roadmap of concrete steps and actions to strengthen harm reduction responses globally. Closer to home, the Dutch Minister of Development Aid Bert Koenders and the Dutch AIDS Ambassador Paul Bekkers reaffirmed the earnest commitment of the Dutch government towards harm reduction programmes, pragmatic drug policies and intensifying HIV-related prevention efforts.

Health Connections International as a conference participant is delighted to be a part of this initiative and willingly commits to the roadmap outlined during the conference. As a further affirmation of our commitment, HCI will facilitate the translation of the conference report and materials into Russian so that this information can assist those working in Russian-speaking countries.