After three days of sessions, panels, and discussions, the MENAHRA concluded its 3rd Regional Conference on Harm Reduction. The conference was attended by representatives from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), and the UNAIDS Regional Goodwill Ambassador Ms. Yousra.

The conference was also attended by representatives of civil society organizations from throughout the world, Harm Reduction International (HRI), and the International HIV/AIDS Alliance among others.

During the closing session, the MENAHRA Executive Director, Mr. Elie Aaraj, summarized briefly discussions and panels that have resulted from the three day conference. Mr. Aaraj also summarized the pre-conference Law Enforcement Regional Consultation stating that one of the recommendations reached during the consultation is the need for close collaboration between law enforcement and civil society in the region.

Mr. Aaraj said that we need to raise the voice of key populations stating that “we are not dealers or promoters of drug use but we are here because governments have not been able to stop the drug trade. As such, governments must do their jobs while we do ours by ensure that human rights are respected.” He also stated that governments must include harm reduction in their national strategies and further their commitment and engagement by including harm reduction services in their budgets.

Mr. Aaraj thanked civil society, UN, and international organizations for their collaboration and contributions to the conference. He also thanked Ms. Yousra for her efforts and commitment. Finally, he addressed the importance of the meeting that took place with the President of the Republic of Lebanon in securing human rights and harm reduction.

The closing session also included testimony from Mr. Mohamed Bentaouite in which he stated that key populations, such as himself, need harm reduction and human rights insisting that community groups must uptake their efforts and increase networking for themselves.

During the last day of the conference, as part of a session chaired by Ms. Joumana Hermez (WHO), the “Dignity Above All” campaign was announced ahead of the World AIDS Day on December 1, 2016.