using public policy tools to create public support for harm reduction initiatives international...

Using Public Policy Tools to Create Public Support

for Harm Reduction Initiatives

International Center for Policy Studies

Istanbul - 2004

Міжнародний центр перспективних досліджень

International Centre for Policy Studies

Tel. +380 44 236-4477

Web: www.icps.kiev.ua

Active role of the public health projects

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



Tel. +380 44 236-4477


Institutional development

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



Tel. +380 44 236-4477


Successful projects, but the situation is worsening

• Rate of the infection spread is growing

• The number of people LWHA is growing geometrically, the situation can become uncontrollable



Tel. +380 44 236-4477


Lack of the policy

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



Tel. +380 44 236-4477


What does the lack of the policy mean?

• 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 use of resources and lack of real change



Tel. +380 44 236-4477


Policy change is not planned

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



Tel. +380 44 236-4477


Main types of opposition to change

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



Tel. +380 44 236-4477


The interaction with the government is missing

• 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



Tel. +380 44 236-4477


A need to attract public attention

• 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



Tel. +380 44 236-4477


What is attracting public’s attention?

• 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



Tel. +380 44 236-4477


Using the public policy tools

• 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



Tel. +380 44 236-4477


What is policy campaign?

The policy campaign is aimed at policy change:– Involvement of all stakeholders into

the dialogue about the policy– Informational campaign for public in

general



Tel. +380 44 236-4477


Policy cycle

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



Tel. +380 44 236-4477


Policy Campaign for Harm Reduction project

• Public policy cycle is a core structure the project is built around.

• The project is aimed at changing existing policies.



Tel. +380 44 236-4477


About the project

• 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



Tel. +380 44 236-4477


Project goal

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



Tel. +380 44 236-4477


Idea of the project

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



Tel. +380 44 236-4477


Anticipated changes



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Project’s results• 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



Tel. +380 44 236-4477


Project’s structure

• 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



Tel. +380 44 236-4477


Project’s structure



Tel. +380 44 236-4477


Additional resources• 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



Tel. +380 44 236-4477


Possible ways to transfer the ICPS experience in

using public policy procedures• 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



Tel. +380 44 236-4477


How to share the ICPS experience in using public

policy procedures?• 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

using public policy tools to create public support for harm reduction initiatives international...

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