Shrinking Civic Space & Marginalised Communities
Eurasian Harm Reduction Association (EHRA), Eurasian Coalition for Health, Rights and Sexual Diversity (ECOM), Eurasian Women’s Network on AIDS (EWNA), et al. – 12 February 2026
Shrinking Civic Space & Marginalised Communities
A 2025 analysis of ten Eastern Europe and Central Asia countries finds that civic space for organisations supporting people living with HIV and key populations is increasingly restricted. Legal pressures, selective enforcement, and criminalisation limit freedom of association, assembly, and expression, while deterring engagement with health services. Civil society adapts through risk mitigation, though these strategies reduce meaningful participation. The report highlights community-led monitoring, strategic litigation, coalition building, and advocacy as vital tools to sustain HIV and TB responses under shrinking civic space.
Building Safe and Healthy Communities: A Messaging Playbook for Proven Solutions to Homelessness, Addiction, and Mental Health
Drug Policy Alliance – 12 March 2026
Building Safe and Healthy Communities: A Messaging Playbook for Proven Solutions to Homelessness, Addiction, and Mental Health
This playbook offers evidence-based strategies to tackle homelessness, addiction, and unmet mental health needs in the United States. It highlights proven interventions – including healthcare, drug and mental health treatment, overdose prevention, and supportive housing – that save lives and strengthen communities. By promoting a shared narrative of safety, access, and belonging, it equips advocates to counter fear-based messaging and advance policies for healthier, more resilient communities.
Decriminalization of Drug Use in the Context of HIV: A Guidance Note
UNAIDS – 12 March 2026
Decriminalization of Drug Use in the Context of HIV: A Guidance Note
This new guidance note offers practical, evidence-based strategies to align drug policies with human rights and public health in the HIV response. It highlights the disproportionate impact of HIV on people who use drugs and the effectiveness of harm reduction and voluntary, community-led services. Decriminalization is emphasized as a key step to expanding access to care, reducing stigma, improving health outcomes, and advancing progress toward ending AIDS.
The Death Penalty for Drug Offences: Global Overview 2025
Harm Reduction International (HRI) – 10 March 2026
The Death Penalty for Drug Offences: Global Overview 2025
In 2025, executions for drug offences surged by 97%, making up nearly half of all confirmed global executions. These harsh measures remain concentrated in a small number of countries and disproportionately affect vulnerable populations and low-level actors. More than 1,200 people were executed, with thousands more on death row for drug offences worldwide. Despite evidence showing the death penalty does not deter drug-related crime, its use continues to escalate – highlighting the urgent need for human rights–based drug policy reform and the abolition of capital punishment.
