Just over a month ago, the global harm reduction movement came together in Bogotá for the Harm Reduction International Conference 2025 (#HR25Bogotá) — our most ambitious convening yet. Over 1300 people from 60 countries joined in-person and online to share, learn, and connect.
This was more than a conference. It was a celebration of community, resistance, and possibility. From moving plenaries to insightful panels, powerful grassroots perspectives to global policy discussions, HR25 showcased the energy and innovation driving harm reduction today — especially in our host country of Colombia.
For the first time in the history of any harm reduction conference, HR25 was broadcast live by a national public broadcaster. Our official media partner, Radio Televisión Nacional de Colombia (@rtvcco ), live streamed the plenaries and opening/closing ceremonies to audiences across the country, amplifying our message to new corners of the public and political sphere.
This visibility is no small thing. It signals that harm reduction is no longer on the margins — it is at the centre of the conversation.
The Global State of Harm Reduction report is here! It is the most comprehensive global mapping of harm reduction responses to drug use.
Comment below to get a link to the report.
This report includes:
🌍 Nine regional chapters authored by experts from the region
✔️ Chapters focused on harm reduction for Indigenous people, people in prison and youth
💉 Global tracking of needle and syringe programmes
💊 Data on the provision of opioid agonist therapy such as methadone and buprehnorphine
🏥 Information on drug consumption rooms (also known as overdose prevention centres)
💨 Data on the availability of safer smoking kits & stimulant pharmacotherapy
⚖️ Key legal/policy developments related to harm reduction and drug policy
Funding cuts harm vulnerable communities, destabilise essential projects, contribute to burnout, and cost lives. Yet governments continue to pour resources into punitive approaches such as incarceration and aggressive drug enforcement.
It is urgent to divest from the unjust drug war and invest in justice.
#divestinvest #investinjustice #fundingcuts
On #InternationalHarmReductionDay, we call for person-centred harm reduction services that adapt to the context and needs of people who use drugs.
Learn more: https://bit.ly/4tgHMeo
Where is our next conference going to be?
For the Harm Reduction International Conference 2027, we're headed to a city that mirrors the spirit of our movement.
Save the date: 9-12 May 2027
#HarmReduction #HR27 @visitbelfast_biz
2026 is expected to present significant challenges: emerging dru6 markets, global conflicts, and sector-wide funding cuts. What are the key priorities that need to be addressed this year?
Harm Reduction International spoke with @talking.drugs about some of the critical areas that harm reduction organisations should focus on in 2026 to stay resilient through the year.
As 2026 unfolds, Harm Reduction International and @talking.drugs review some of the most significant developments of the past year. While certain events—such as the United States reducing global aid funding—were widely documented and reported internationally, there were also other positive changes that merit recognition.
#HarmReduction #FundingCuts #DCR #NSP
Catherine Cook is HRI’s Executive Director!
Catherine brings nearly two decades of experience in harm reduction research and advocacy. At HRI, she has led groundbreaking work tracking how governments and donors fund harm reduction, producing data and analysis used by the UN, policymakers and civil society worldwide. She also conceptualised and developed our flagship project, the Global State of Harm Reduction and has spearheaded advocacy to shift funding away from punitive drug policies towards health, rights and community-based responses.
In Singapore, drug-related executions reached the highest number ever recorded since we started reporting on the issue in 2007. The death penalty doesn’t reduce drug use or supply, but it does have devastating consequences on people's lives and rights.
Read our report "The Death Penalty for Drug Offences: Global Overview 2025" at the link in our bio.
#DeathPenalty #DrugPolicy #HumanRights #HarmReduction #CND69 #AbolishTheDeathPenalty
Vulnerable individuals and communities are disproportionately affected by punitive drug laws.
Read our latest report "The Death Penalty for Drug Offences: Global Overview 2025" at the link in our bio.
#DeathPenalty #DrugPolicy #HumanRights #HarmReduction #AbolishTheDeathPenalty
