The African Union (AU) has implored Member States to take decisive action to scale up efforts to address HIV among people who use drugs and in Prisons where prevalence remains higher than in the general population due to several factors such as stigma, discrimination and lack of access to commodities and services resulting in needle sharing.

Addressing a side event held on the margins of the United Nations General Assembly High-Level ‎Meeting (UN HLM) on AIDS, Mrs Cisse Mariama Mohamed, Director for Health, Humanitarian Affairs & Social Development (HHS) at the AU Commission, reiterated the need for collective, sustained effort. The UN HLM took place in New York from 08-10 ‎June 2021.

The meeting was also addressed by UNODC Deputy Director of the Division for ‎Operations, Ms Candice Welsch, and Special Adviser to Executive Director of UNAIDS, ‎Mr Vinay Saldanha, after which specific country presentations were made by delegates ‎from South Africa, Kenya, Morocco, Eastern Africa Harm Reduction Network as well as ‎the Middle East and North Africa Harm Reduction Association. ‎

The African Union Plan of Action on Drug Control and Crime Prevention (2019-2023) ‎complements global and continental frameworks on HIV/AIDS by ‎articulating comprehensive policy responses for HIV prevention amongst marginalised ‎key populations. Specifically, the continental drug action plan urges AU Member States to ‎implement the universal, comprehensive package of HIV prevention, ‎treatment and care among people who inject drugs, particularly public services for ‎pharmacological treatment of drug dependence and needle and syringe programmes ‎in prison settings.‎

‎“For us to make a dent, we need to look into the evidence-based interventions ‎articulated in the comprehensive package. In addition, it is important to note that we need greater ‎collaboration between the health ministries and those responsible for drug control, law-‎enforcement, social services and civil society,” said Mrs Cisse Mariama Mohamed. ‎
The comprehensive package, promoted by the continental drug action plan and also ‎reflected in the Outcome Document of the 2016 United Nations General Assembly ‎Special Session on the World Drug Problem, calls for effective measures targeted at ‎minimising adverse public health and social consequences of drug abuse, including ‎appropriate medication-assisted therapy programmes, injecting equipment ‎programmes, as well as antiretroviral therapy and other relevant interventions that ‎prevent the transmission of HIV, viral hepatitis and other blood-borne diseases ‎associated with drug use.‎

Less than 10 out of the 55 AU Member States provide harm reduction services to prevent and treat HIV to people who use drugs. Harm reduction refers to ‎policies, programmes and practices aimed at primarily reducing adverse health, social ‎and economic consequences of licit and illicit drugs and is centred on a ‎strong commitment to public health and human rights.‎
People who use drugs and those in prisons are two key populations essential to focus on due to their vulnerabilities. For example, people who inject drugs are disproportionately affected by HIV and also have higher rates of hepatitis C and tuberculosis than the general population. In addition, risk factors in prisons such as overcrowding, lack of quality sanitation, and inadequate health services contribute to HIV being a significant health issue in many African countries.

“As long as this key population is excluded from services, we will not realise pre-set targets in our various commitments. Therefore, the priority of the African Union remains to reduce HIV morbidity and mortality in Africa significantly and for that reason, reaching everyone and leaving no one behind,” said the Director in her opening remarks, delivered online from Addis Ababa, at a High-Level side event jointly organised by the African Union Commission and United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).

People who use drugs and people in prisons have also been disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, underlying health issues, stigma, social marginalisation, and more significant economic vulnerabilities, including lack of access to health care, significantly increase their chances of being seriously affected by COVID-19 and HIV, highlighting the need for a comprehensive approach that targets specific needs of key populations.

The UN General Assembly High-Level Meeting adopted a set of new and ambitious targets in a political declaration which calls on countries to provide 95% of all people at risk of acquiring HIV within all epidemiologically relevant groups, age groups and geographic settings with access to people-centred and effective HIV combination prevention options.
Mrs Cisse Mariama Mohamed observed that more outstanding efforts had been harnessed towards countering drug trafficking and supply with little attention on addressing drug use and related harms in many parts of the continent.
“In many countries, coverage of HIV prevention for people who inject drugs is non-existent or too low to have a significant impact on the epidemic,” said Mrs Cisse Mariama Mohamed.
In closing, the Director informed the meeting that AU had declared 2021 as “the Year of Arts Culture and Heritage”, which was an opportunity for Member States to leverage on culture to remove stigma and discrimination that hindered access and uptake of HIV prevention and treatment services to marginalised populations.
About the African Union Plan of Action on Drug Control and Crime Prevention (2019-2023)
The African Union, since 1996, has adopted Action Plans to address drug control and associated crime prevention on the continent, resulting in the establishment of institutional mechanisms in Member States, Regional Economic Communities and at the AU Commission to coordinate balanced and integrated responses to the mentioned drug control challenges.
The responses encapsulated in the AU Plan of Action on Drug Control and Crime Prevention (2019-2023) (AUPA) mirrors that of the African Common Position for the 2016 UNGASS General Assembly Special Session (UNGASS) on the World Drug Problem, as well as the seven (7) chapters of Operational Recommendations of the UNGASS Outcome Document. In addition, the AUPA contains two additional pillars with objectives and activities to address crime prevention, and coordination of the implementation of the AUPA at national, regional and continental levels, respectively.
The overall objective of the AUPA (2019-2023) is to improve the health, security and socio-economic well-being of the people of Africa by addressing drug trafficking and problematic drug use in all its forms and manifestations and preventing the onset of drug use.

Read more about the African Union Plan of Action on Drug Control and Crime Prevention (2019-2023) @ https://au.int/en/newsevents/20190729/third-session-specialised-technica...
For further information, please contact:

1. Dr Jane Marie Ong’olo | Department of Health, Humanitarian Affairs and Social Development| African Union Commission | Email: OngoloJM@africa-union.org
2. Dr Abel Basutu | Department of Health, Humanitarian Affairs and Social Development| African Union Commission | Email: BasutuA@africa-union.org

For further media inquiries, please contact:
1. Mrs. Esther Azaa Tankou | Head of Information Division | Information and Communication Directorate, African Union Commission | Mobile: +251911361185 | E-mail: yamboue@africa-union.org
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