IEC Materials developed for the Lambaga Kasih Indonesia (LKI) Peer Education project supported by the Levi Strauss Foundation
Harm reduction is the most successful approach to tackling illicit drug use and HIV/AIDS yet devised, and is the philosophical basis of the UN Joint Programme on AIDS and Australia's National Drugs Strategy. Harm reduction is a pragmatic philosophy which aims to reduce the risks to the individual and the community associated with some often stigmatised, antisocial or illegal behaviours.
Perhaps the best example of harm reduction among injecting drug users is the widespread use of needle and syringe programs (NSP) in Australia. Some governments oppose this approach, arguing that to provide clean injecting equipment promotes drug use and therefore is immoral.
However, the 20 years of very low levels of HIV/AIDS among Australian drug injectors by global standards has been directly linked to the success of needle and syringe programs in Australia. The effective implementation of NSP in Australia has saved the lives of thousands of young people, has been proven to have saved millions of dollars and has been shown not to encourage or increase drug use.
A major aim of Centre for International Health is to encourage development of rational, evidence-based drug policies that eschew judgements about personal behaviour and have the reduction of harm as their primary aim.