People who use drugs – especially those who inject – face a disproportionate burden of communicable diseases, overdose, mental health conditions, stigma, discrimination, violence, and criminalization. Addressing these intersecting risks requires a person-centred approach that integrates harm reduction with HIV, hepatitis and tuberculosis (TB) services, among others. WHO recognizes harm reduction as an evidence-based, rights-based, and cost-effective approach that is essential for achieving global HIV, hepatitis, and universal health coverage goals.
Despite this, harm reduction services remain underfunded, fragmented, and often outside mainstream health systems. In many countries, key services – such as needle and syringe programmes, opioid agonist treatment, and naloxone distribution are not adequately scaled. WHO’s 2026 operational guide for needle and syringe programmes calls for a shift toward sustainable national systems through political commitment, domestic financing, health system integration, community leadership, and strong quality monitoring.
This webinar builds on the WHO AFRO TeleECHO™ series on key and vulnerable populations and responds to growing demand from Member States and partners for practical dialogue on how to translate evidence into scalable national service models.
Date and time
Tuesday, 12 May 2026 | 13:00–15:00 (CEST)
The webinar will be held in English, French and Portuguese.
Webinar objectives
This session has the following objectives:
- review the latest epidemiological trends affecting people who use drugs, with a focus on HIV, viral hepatitis, and TB;
- understand WHO guidance and effective harm reduction approaches, including definitions, recommended interventions, and practical country models for integration into national health systems; and
- identify actionable strategies to strengthen sustainable, equitable, and integrated harm reduction responses, drawing on perspectives from governments, communities, donors, and civil society.
Key speakers
- Anton Basenko, Executive Director, International Network of People who Use Drugs (INPUD);
- Gaj Gurung, Senior Analyst, Harm Reduction International;
- Barbara Mambo, HIV Prevention Lead, National HIV Clinical Support Center NASCOP, Ministry of Health, Kenya;
- Ibtissam Khoudari, Head of AIDS and STI Programme, Ministry of Health, Morocco;
- Filipa Alves da Costa, Advisor, Ministry of Health, Portugal; and
- Antons Mozalevskis, Technical Officer, Department for HIV, Tuberculosis, Hepatitis and Sexually Transmitted Infections, WHO.
Moderator
Catherine Cook, Executive Director, Harm Reduction International.