1 November is International Drug Users’ Day, when the global community of people who use drugs comes together to celebrate its history and affirm the rights of people who use drugs.
People who use and inject drugs are among the groups at highest risk of acquiring HIV but remain marginalized and often blocked from accessing health and social services. In 2020, 9% of all new HIV infections were among people who inject drugs.
United Nations Member States set bold global targets on decriminalization of drug possession for personal use and on elimination of stigma and discrimination against people who use drugs and other key populations. To reach these targets by 2025, strategic actions at the country level need to start today.
GLOBAL AIDS SOCIETAL ENABLER TARGETS 2025
– Less than 10% of countries criminalize drug use and possession of small amounts of drugs.
– Less than 10% of people who use drugs report experiencing stigma and discrimination.
– Less than 10% of people who use drugs lack mechanisms for people living with HIV and key populations to report abuse and discrimination and seek redress.
– Less than 10% of people who use drugs lack access to legal services.
– Less than 10% of health workers and law enforcement officers report negative attitudes towards people who use drugs.
– Less than 10% of people who use drugs experience physical or sexual violence.
GLOBAL PREVENTION TARGETS 2025
– 90% of people who inject drugs have access to comprehensive harm reduction services integrating or linked to hepatitis C, HIV and mental health services
– 80% of service delivery for HIV prevention programmes for people who use drugs to be delivered by organizations led by people who use drugs
The EECA region
The EECA region is home to an estimated one quarter of all people who inject drugs worldwide and has the fastest growing HIV epidemic related to unsafe injecting. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) estimates the total number of opiate users in EECA is between 3.4 and 3.8 million people. The UN Reference Group on HIV and Injecting Drug Use also suggests that there are around 3.7 million people who inject drugs in the region, with Eastern Europe having the highest regional prevalence of injecting drug use worldwide.
