We are the group of Christian and Muslim religious leaders working in the field of harm reduction who are convening in Beirut, Lebanon on December 11 and 12, 2012, within an initiative launched by The Middle East and North Africa Harm Reduction Association – MENAHRA, and we have agreed on the following:
General Premises
– Based on our religious principles and our realisation of the value of each human created and honoured by God regardless of condition, situation, and background, we find it our duty to work hard to reduce the harms of drug use, which is rapidly increasing in the MENA region.
– We must activate the role of religious leaders in the face of the imminent danger that the use of drugs poses on our society.
– It is a necessity that every human preserve oneself, physically, psychologically, spiritually, and mentally.
– We must accept others based on their value as human beings and in accordance with the principles of love, tolerance, and compassion taught to us by our religions.
– A drug user is a human who has the same rights as anyone else, free of discrimination, as per the International Declaration of Human Rights.
We will mobilise on this issue based on three pillars: prevention, treatment, rehabilitation and harm reduction, and reintegration.
Prevention
– Emphasis on the importance of the role of the family and educational institutions in the nurturing and protection of youth from all factors that may lead them to drug use.
– The necessity of both Muslim and Christian religious leaders’ raising young people’s awareness against using drugs.
– Opening the door to dialoguing and debating with youth, as well as listening to them comprehensively; preparing publications, posters, and brochures; and launching websites for social networking in order to raise awareness on the seriousness of addiction.
– Focusing on the role of the media to reduce the harms associated with drug use.
– Organising meetings for those working in the field of drug harm reduction to exchange experiences
– The involvement of both governmental and non-governmental institutions to advocate and to reduce the harms of the spread of drugs and the resulting diseases such as HIV/AIDS and hepatitis, among others…
– Emphasising the right of drug users to protect themselves and benefit from available health services, programmes, and strategies adopted to reduce the harms of drug use.
Treatment, rehabilitation and harm reduction
– Reconciliation of the drug user with the self, God, and others.
– Provision of psychosocial and economic support for drug users and their families.
– Establishment of drop in centres providing awareness and guidance to drug users.
– Establishment of support groups for drug users.
– Emphasising the right of drug users to benefit from all human rights, and have access to treatment, and social, psychological, spiritual, and health care.
Reintegration
– Calling for the removal of all barriers affecting the reintegration of drug users and people living with HIV into their communities.
– Working to overcome all legal and social obstacles in order to allow former drug users to reintegrate into their communities as active, productive, and responsible individuals.
