Dear Friends,
Over the past few months, there has been a lot of hard work behind the scenes in planning for Harm Reduction 2009: IHRA’s 19th International Conference. With this letter, I would like to update you on some of the significant developments with what promises to be a landmark conference for harm reduction in Thailand, across South-East Asia and internationally.
Conference Venue
The conference will now be held at the Imperial Queen’s Park Hotel (which was already the official conference accommodation) – and not the ‘Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre’ as had been previously planned. This venue move offers us a greater flexibility in terms of the programme. There is a wide range of facilities and opportunities available at the hotel for sessions, workshops, satellite meetings and side events. There is also the added advantage that participants will not have to travel from the conference hotel to a separate venue.
Conference Dates
The conference will now take place over four full days (Monday 20th April –Thursday 23rd April) as opposed to three full days and two half days – as has been the case in previous years. The Opening Session – which will include high-profile speakers, local dignitaries and community representatives – will now take place on the morning of Monday April 20th. The Closing Session will take place on the afternoon of Thursday April 23rd. This structural change provides us with more space in the conference for sessions and workshops – and also leaves the whole of the Sunday April 19th available for Satellite Meetings and other events (which can be accommodated in the hotel).
Conference Programme
The Executive Programme Committee has been working hard to develop an excellent programme for Harm Reduction 2009. The abstract deadline passed on November 10th 2008, and we have received nearly 900 abstracts from around the world. This means that there is space in the programme for approximately one in five of these abstracts to be presented – with further possibilities for others to present in workshops or to exhibit as ‘poster presentations’. The abstracts are currently being reviewed by our ‘International Programme Advisory Group’.
Three Plenary sessions are being planned:
- Injecting Drug Use and HIV: A Comprehensive Review of the Situation and Response in Asia
- Harm Reduction and Human Rights (the conference theme)
There are also currently plans for up to fifteen Major Sessions (an increase on previous conferences) and around thirty Concurrent Sessions. Major Sessions have been developed to cover a wide range of topical harm reduction issues that should be of interest to researchers, policy makers, advocates and frontline workers alike. These topics include Alcohol, Tuberculosis and HIV Services, Nursing, Drug Wars, Gender Roles and Women, Evidence for Harm Reduction, Young People, Law Enforcement, Prisons, Drug Treatment, Legal Interventions, Sex Work, Poverty, Risk Environments, and Employing Drug Users.
The final decisions about the programme will be made at the Executive Programme Committee’s ‘Marathon Meeting’ from the 9th – 11th December in Bangkok. Feedback will be provided as soon as possible to abstract authors and delegates via email and the conference website.
For 2009, we have also been working hard to accommodate more interactive sessions, skills-building workshops and community events and we anticipate that there will be a great deal of space for these valuable activities in addition to the abstract-driven programme. It is hoped that this will further help to promote harm reduction in Thailand and across South-East Asia as well as providing opportunities to key local and international civil society groups. More details will be made available soon.
Translation
All of the Plenary Sessions and Major Sessions will have simultaneous translation in English and Thai – as will half of the Concurrent Sessions. A Thai version of the conference website will also be operational soon.
Scholarships
As in previous years, there has been a huge demand for scholarships and waived registrations for Harm Reduction 2009. This is a positive thing, as it indicates widespread interest in the event – particularly from civil society, people who use drugs and NGOs in Thailand and South East Asia. Scholarship support is entirely dependent on contributions from international donors such as IHRD and UNAIDS. Unfortunately, donor support for this conference has not been as good as in previous years, but we still hope that there will be a good number of scholarships available to speakers and delegates from the host country and region. We cannot make any formal announcement about scholarships at this stage until we have agreements in place from donors.
IHRA will never be able to meet the demand for scholarships for our conferences, so we strongly recommend that those seeking support to attend the conference approach their regional and national UN organisations, international NGOs, governments and other potential funders. Of course, IHRA is happy to provide any letters of support necessary as part of this process.
Conference Price
The delegate fees for Harm Reduction 2009 are either frozen or reduced compared to the two previous conferences – dependent on the fee category. There are discounts available for group bookings, delegates from lower or middle income countries, students, people who use drugs, IHRA members, Thai nationals, and those who pay before January 22nd 2009 (the ‘early bird’ deadline).
In addition, however, the global currency fluctuations also mean that – for many delegates – there has been a substantial reduction in the cost of attending the conference due to the fall in the value of the British Pound (£). We strongly urge delegates to take advantage of this situation by registering and paying as soon as possible.
Conference Support and Advocacy
We now have over thirty organisations who areConference Partners or Supporting Organisations. Many of these groups – and others – are already using the conference to advocate for harm reduction and human rights. Many also already have plans to bring substantial numbers of participants in order to gain from this unique opportunity to learn about advances in harm reduction policy and practice.
Over the last few months, there have been a number of consultations between NGOs, people who use drugs and civil society groups in Thailand, the region and elsewhere. These have all indicated support for the event and recognised the opportunities for promoting harm reduction.
With respect to Thailand specifically, the conference coincides with a prospective and significant national grant from the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. Meetings have also been proposed at Harm Reduction 2009 to discuss Thai drug policy, a new national harm reduction policy, the Global Fund grant, and the future of harm reduction in Thailand. These will involve government, NGOs and civil society.
Medical and Harm Reduction Services
The health, safety and security of all conference participants is always our prime concern. As such, we are committed to facilitating the engagement of people who use drugs. There will be a dedicated drug user space in the venue. Plans are also underway – in collaboration with the Thai Government and other key stakeholders – to allow for the personal import of essential medicines such as methadone and buprenorphine, and for methadone prescribing in Thailand. Arrangements are also being discussed for the provision of safer drug use equipment, naloxone (for overdose prevention), first aid and other medical support services. A ‘Medical Sub-Committee’ of the ‘Local Organising Committee’ has been established to lead on this area of the conference, and more details will be available on the website as soon as possible to assist delegates.
Entry to Thailand
All delegates are urged to check the visa entry requirements well in advance of their trip to Thailand. Please visit http://thailand-visa.net for more information. There will also be a Welcome Booth at Bangkok Airport and we will do everything we can to ensure that the conference is a safe and welcoming environment for all of our participants.
Overall, this is shaping up to be an excellent harm reduction conference and one which will be significant in taking forward harm reduction in Thailand and South-East Asia. I, and the staff of the International Harm Reduction Association, the Conference Consortium and our partners, look forward to welcoming you next April in Bangkok.
Professor Gerry Stimson
IHRA