Middle East & North Africa Harm Reduction Association (MENAHRA)
http://www.menahra.org/en/
MENAHRA CONTACT
Mission
The mission of MENAHRA is to support, develop and advocate for harm reduction approaches in the field of drug use, HIV/AIDS, public health, and social inclusion by following the principles of humanity, tolerance and partnership with respect to human rights and freedoms.
MENAHRA Objectives
Objective 1: Create a conducive environment for the implementation and scaling up of harm reduction activities in the countries of the region
Objective 2: Build capacity and enhance knowledge and skills of governments and civil society organisations to increase availability, access and coverage of harm reduction services for drug users
Objective 3: Increase availability, access and coverage of harm reduction services for drug users inside and outside prisons and for different subgroups of drug users
The Middle East and North Africa Harm Reduction Association (MENAHRA) was launched in 2007; a collaborative initiative by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and Harm Reduction International (HRI, formerly IHRA), funded by Drosos under the “Strengthening the role of civil society organisations in the Middle East and North Africa” project. Today, MENAHRA is an international NGO registered in Beirut under Presidential Decree number 7491, and its main funder is the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria (GFATM).
MENAHRA is the first network on injecting drugs harm reduction in the MENA covering 20 countries (Afghanistan, Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia, UAE, Yemen), with its secretariat in Beirut, and three knowledge hubs (KHs) based in Iran (KH-INCAS), Lebanon (KH-SIDC), and Morocco (KH-ArRazi).
The initiative was launched during a regional workshop organised by UNODC, UNAIDS, WHO and GTZ with the aim of stimulating informed national policymaking, and programme design and implementation in response to drug use and HIV in the region. The workshop comprised of HIV and drug use stakeholders from different sectors in MENA. In addition to the objective of increasing commitment to harm reduction, the consultation intended to explore and reach consensus on the establishment of a regional network on harm reduction. WHO and IHRA presented the Drosos funded project. Through interactive means, the participants discussed and provided their recommendations regarding the administration, location and membership of a regional network on harm reduction.