DRUG USER ORGANIZATIONS DRUG USER ORGANIZATIONS AND DRUG USER ACTIVISTS AND DRUG USER ACTIVISTS

STIJN GOOSSENS, INPUD vzw IDPR Conference, Astor Plaza Hotel, New Orleans, December 8, 2007

the Need for Advocacy: the Need for Advocacy: from Local to International Levefrom Local to International Levell

19961996 – official beginning of the INPUDINPUD idea;

20052005 – the 16th IHRA Conference in Belfast – cooperation agreement between IHRA, IHRD, and DUA ;

20062006 – 11stst DU Congress; DU Congress;the Vancouver Declaration;the Vancouver Declaration;

20072007 – Warsaw Congress – the founding of INPUDINPUD;

PEOPLE WHO USE DRUGS UNITEPEOPLE WHO USE DRUGS UNITE

INPUDINPUD is a registered organization

Contract with IHRA / DFID - enables INPUDINPUD to maintain office and 1 paid employee for 3 years. For any other activities we need to find financial support

Regional networks: INPUD-Asia, INPUD-EuropeINPUD-Europe

December 8th - the 1st meeting of N-American INPUDN-American INPUD

INPUDINPUD takes part in the UNGASS Civil Society Civil Society Regional ConsultationsRegional Consultations (Macau, Dhaka, Budapest)

INPUDINPUD - in the organizations of 19th IHRC, Barcelona

INPUD,INPUD, WHO, IHRD – work on GUIDELINES for providing HR services at International events with DUA

WHERE ARE WE NOWWHERE ARE WE NOW

New organization with limited International experience, although constituted and run by the most experienced and competent DU organizations and individual DU activists, who became the INITIALINITIAL INPUD INPUD MEMBERSMEMBERS, and later on – the core group that drives INPUD ahead

Communication and Language Barriers

There are only few donors willing to support financially Drug User Organizations as they unfortunately work with local DUO

Only few occasions to meet personally each other

DIFFICULTIESDIFFICULTIES

Only few DU are willing to declare openly themselves as People Who Use DrugsPeople Who Use Drugs and even - to consider themselves equal and competent partners of the other stakeholders working in the field

Policy makers and professionals in the drug field disrespect us as partners, ignore our opinion - in general - neglect the rights and the needs of the people from the DU

Policy makers and professionals in the drug field feed the stigma, the repression, the marginalization, the criminalization, etc. In short:

the PROHIBITION with all of of itsthe PROHIBITION with all of of itsDESTROYING and DEADLY CONSEQUENCES !!!DESTROYING and DEADLY CONSEQUENCES !!!

PROBLEMS WE ENCOUNTERPROBLEMS WE ENCOUNTER

Thank You!Thank You!

INPUD INPUD vzw: vzw: www.INPUD.org

Address: Guldensporenstraat 88/2 2140 Borgerhout, Belgium Phone: 0032 3 297 84 51 Stijn Goossens: Stijn@INPUD.org

www.hardcoreharmreducer.be

People Who Use Drugs – Antwerp People Who Use Drugs – Antwerp