To our community of people who use drugs,
The recent decision by the U.S. administration to terminate USAID programmes threatens devastating consequences for people who use drugs and other marginalised communities worldwide.
It will only be through our stalwart resilience and the beating pulse of community that we will move forward despite the bleak outlook. Because we refuse to be cast back into a time before harm reduction, testing and treatment.
By working together – INPUD supporting the regional networks, the regions supporting country networks, and those organisations supporting local services – we will survive (and thrive) despite this shake-down of global citizens and humane healthcare priorities.
We must remember that we have become stronger, closer, more organised. That we are grown. That we aren’t a disjointed group of individuals, but a fiercely driven global network, with inspirational leaders, agile thinkers and talented strategists from our own community.
Together we stand, under INPUD’s banner, condemning the actions of the US, prepared and practiced in this fight for our voices, for our services and taking action for our very lives.
We also assemble with all marginalised communities affected by the careless action of the US Government, mindful of our intersectionality, supporting each other.
Because we have shown it to be true, over and over: when we stand together and express our needs, we overcome.
Solidarity is our most fundamental strength. As you stand with us, so we stand with you through this crisis and every crisis to come. We are determined to use every resource at our disposal so that our beautiful community’s right to quality of life, health, human rights and dignity is protected, preserved and pursued.
What you can do right now
Our first steps are to gather evidence to back our advocacy work and to present it to governments and other current and potential donors. For that, we need your help now.
We need to know what is going on in your area, whether your story is a specific stop-work for an agency or about the knock-on effect of loss of resources that is fuelling overdoses; decreasing harm reduction services with a lack of sterile injecting equipment or Medically Assisted Treatment; halting advocacy work; or enabling human rights violations.
We have prepared an on-line survey for all those with knowledge of organisations affected by the cuts. The survey is for you to complete if you are working at any level, including volunteering, in an affected service or if you use an affected service and can either bring information to us directly or ask service providers to fill in the survey to assist us. Please help us to get the survey urgently distributed and completed. You will find it here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/RNBSSTS
With evidence from the survey, we will present on the effect on our community to Member States and donors at the 68th UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs in Vienna this month. We will also share our findings widely with our partners and funding agencies. And of course we will pass all results onto you, as your representatives.
Time is of the essence. Please take a few minutes today and complete this survey to share how these devastating U.S. policy changes are affecting your organisation and the services provided to our community.
Today’s fight has barely begun. But we know that with you supporting our calls for action, we will endure.
Yours in solidarity and love,
INPUD