United for change: Advocacy strategy for comprehensive health and harm reduction services for people who use drugs in Europe

The BOOST project, a collaborative effort aimed at combating HIV/AIDS and viral hepatitis in Europe, supports EU and neighboring countries through community-based and led harm reduction initiatives. This response, vital due to the disproportionate impact of these diseases on people who use drugs (PWUD) and marginalized populations, is structured around four main pillars: Inform, Improve, Support, and Connect & Act, which focus on data collection, capacity building, best practice enhancement, and advocacy, respectively.

This Advocacy Strategy provides an overarching framework and sets priorities for regional harm reduction and community-led networks working for EU and neighboring countries. The objectives of the Strategy will serve as a basis for developing joint regional advocacy actions for comprehensive health and harm reduction services for people who use drugs.

The Strategy aims to enhance the quality, accessibility, and coverage of harm reduction services. It focuses on increasing political will and financial sustainability, promoting community-driven harm reduction, ensuring access to specific health services, and advocating for comprehensive health and social care. The strategy emerged from an inclusive consultation process, including extensive online dialogues, surveys, and strategic meetings, which identified key barriers to service access and outlined objectives for improving harm reduction efforts across the continent.

Through this collective approach, the BOOST project and its partners aim to address the critical health needs of people who use drugs, advocating for changes that support harm reduction, health rights, contribute to the priorities of the EU Drugs Strategy 2021-2025, and ultimately, the goal of eliminating HIV/AIDS and viral hepatitis as public health threats by 2030.