Quarterly Progress Report # 13: HIV PLEDGE PROJECT

The project is implemented by the UNODC Programme Office in Ukraine, in partnership with the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Interior, and other government agencies. USAID/Ukraine provides funding for the project, which is part of the regional programme XCEA01 – "Effective HIV/AIDS prevention and care among vulnerable groups in Eastern Europe and Central Asia". The project's goal is to build support among Ukrainian law enforcement officials and other key government stakeholders for HIV/AIDS and drug dependence treatment services targeted at MARPs. To achieve this goal, the project has three objectives: (i) create an environment supportive of evidence-informed and human-rights based HIV and drug dependence treatment programmes for MARPs; (ii) strengthen capacities of the State Penitentiary Service, public health, and social services to provide evidence-informed and human-rights based comprehensive HIV prevention, treatment, and care services, including drug dependence treatment in prison settings; and (iii) improve capacity of drug dependence treatment system (narcological services) to provide evidence-informed and human-right based integrated HIV prevention and drug dependence treatment services. During the reporting period (October 1, 2014 – December 31, 2014), the project made progress in achieving its objectives. Key activities included facilitating participation of Ukrainian law enforcement partners in international conferences on public health, drugs, and HIV/AIDS issues, conducting training workshops on OST and NSP for police staff in pilot regions, and providing small-scale grants to NGOs for piloting effective collaboration and referral schemes involving law enforcement. The project also facilitated technical workshops with police training institutions and supported the police training institutions to update training modules and materials. The project's activities were implemented in partnership with various stakeholders, including law enforcement agencies, health care sector, and civil society organizations. The project's progress was monitored through regular meetings and reporting, and the project's achievements were presented to the stakeholders. The project's next steps include rescheduling the national awareness raising workshop for police on harm reduction and OST, conducting a KAPB survey among law enforcement officials, and developing specific guidelines, instructions, and training materials for law enforcement agencies. The project's geographic focus is Ukraine, and the project's timeframes are October 1, 2011 – September 30, 2016. The project's recommendations include strengthening the capacity of law enforcement agencies to provide HIV/AIDS and drug dependence treatment services, improving the accessibility of OST programmes, and promoting inter-sectoral collaboration between law enforcement and health care sectors. The project's overall goal is to reduce HIV transmission among MARPs in Ukraine through increased access to state-of-the-art HIV, AIDS, and drug abuse services.