Using Public Policy Tools to Create Public Support for Harm Reduction Initiatives

1. Using Public Policy Tools to Create Public Support for Harm Reduction Initiatives International Center for Policy Studies Istanbul - 2004

2. IRF and OSI-NY have spent more than $1 mln. on public health projects since 1999: Educational programs Legal help Needle exchange programs Primary medical help Counseling Active role of the public health projects

3. Moreover, Harm reduction projects gained support for institutional development: Network of the Harm reduction projects Training for project’s staff Creation of the Ukrainian Harm Reduction Association Institutional development

4. Rate of the infection spread is growing The number of people LWHA is growing geometrically, the situation can become uncontrollable Successful projects, but the situation is worsening

5. The main cause of this situation is lack of the clear common policy, supported (or not resisted) by all involved stakeholders Lack of the policy

6. The large number of existing programs of the government, non-governmental and international organizations are not coordinated among themselves, and are aimed at different goals. This leads to inefficient useof resources and lack of real change What does the lack of the policy mean?

7. Existing measures are important for dealing with negative consequences of the problem, but they are not planned as pressure on main stakeholders that want to keep the status-quo Policy change is not planned

8. We can differentiate two groups of stakeholders resisting to changes: Those who treat drug use as a crime Those who are not interested in reducing the consumption of illegal drugs Main types of opposition to change

9. There is no traditions and institutions for the dialogue between the government and civil society in the post-soviet countries. It is impossible to change the situation without this kind of dialogue, because mostly government officials are those who treat drug use as a crime The interaction with the government is missing

10. To make changes it is necessary to focus on clear goals and to work together with the government We need to attract public attention in order to create public pressure and to make government want to talk to civil society A need to attract public attention

11. We need to attract the attention of major stakeholders to the problem, to make them understand the importance of the problem, and that the problem can not be ignored We need to promote the idea that the opposition to substitutional therapy is equal to the support of illegal drugs What is attracting public’s attention?

12. In order to create public pressure, ICPS proposes to use the tools of public policy as an instrument to make significant social changes. ICPS has successful experience in cooperating with nonprofits and government in developing policies The tool that we propose to use is policy campaign Using the public policy tools

13. The policy campaign is aimed at policy change: Involvement of all stakeholders into the dialogue about the policy Informational campaign for public in general What is policy campaign?

14. Public policy is a technology that allows to develop and implement policies in “politically sensitive” areas, that have significant impact on citizens. This technology helps: to develop the policy which is acceptable to main stakeholders to explain government’s actions and create wide public support to it Policy cycle

15. Public policy cycle is a core structure the project is built around. The project is aimed at changing existing policies. Policy Campaign for Harm Reduction project

16. The project is implemented by the Ukrainian Harm Reduction Association with the methodological and organizational support from the International Centre for Policy Studies Project budget is $86,000.00 About the project

17. Supporting the concentration of efforts and gaining public support to the implementation of Harm Reduction Strategy. Achieving sustainable changes in the areas of HIV spread prevention and drug circulation control in the interests of PLWHA, IDUs and society in general Project goal

18. To shift the focus from declarations about the need for policy to the practical use of public policy procedures in order to achieve policy change Idea of the project

19. Anticipated changes

20. Mobilization of the civil society organizations in order to create public pressure on the government Policy analysis in order to develop recommendations on implementation of the Harm Reduction strategy, involving all stakeholders into the discussion Development of the NGO’s capacity to influence public policies in this area Project’s results

21. Drafting policy documents: problem analysis, development of alternatives, making policy recommendations (green & white papers) Involving all stakeholders into the discussion, organizing discussions in 10 regions Informational campaign Study component for regional NGO partners Project’s structure

22. Project’s structure

23. Parliament’s Special Ad-Hoc Committee on HIV/AIDS Transatlantic Partners Against AIDS – an international organization that works directly with top-level politicians Ukrainian Harm Reduction Association, which is represented in every region in Ukraine Projects of the IRF, that have accumulated huge experience in implementing Harm Reduction initiatives Additional resources

24. Through international networks, for example, the OSI network of policy centres Through local networks, such as UHRA Through Twinning – the technology of institution’s learning from institution, used by the EU to build the institutions of democracy in new member states Possible ways to transfer the ICPS experience in using public policy procedures

25. It is not possible to transfer the technology through one-time events (seminar or conference) In order to do this, network projects are needed with participation of the policy centres ICPS is ready to take part in the learning projects to transfer the technology of organizing policy campaign How to share the ICPS experience in using public policy procedures?