11th National Congress on STIs/HIV/AIDS

Each year close to World AIDS Day (1 December), a national conference on issues related to sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and HIV are held in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

On 30 November 2007 at the 11th National Congress on STIs/HIV/AIDS, HARP was instrumental in organising a panel discussion—‘Insufficient Leadership from the Netherlands on Harm Reduction’—on improving leadership on harm reduction related activities in the Netherlands.

The workshop was chaired by Tanne de Goei, with a debate facilitated by Mr. Janhuib Blans. Members of the panel included:

• HRH Princess Mabel van Oranje-Nassau, International Advocacy Director, Open Society Institute
• Mr Urban Weber, Team Leader for Eastern Europe and Central Asia, The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria
• Mrs Johanna Spreeuwenberg, Harm Reduction Specialist of the Social Policy Division of the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs
• Dr Joost van der Meer, Executive Director, AIDS Foundation East-West (AFEW)