Announcing the ‘Amsterdam Declaration on Police Partnerships for Harm Reduction’

This Declaration was developed by the participants at the Consultation on Police and HIV, which took place on 4 October 2014, in Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

Amsterdam Declaration on Police Partnerships for Harm Reduction

Amsterdam Declaration PDF (includes signatories to the Declaration)

As people from all sectors engaged in the global response to HIV, and with the aim of facilitating HIV prevention and eliminating HIV-related stigma and discrimination, we the undersigned:
Affirm the Principles set out in the LEAHN Statement of Support by Law Enforcement Agents for Harm Reduction and Related Policies for HIV Prevention, and, mindful of the continuing relevance of those Principles, Recognise the importance of the need to establish, develop and sustain partnerships between police and other law enforcement agencies and people living with, and affected by, HIV, and those providing care, treatment and support for them, and Further affirm that these partnerships must be informed by a human rights-based approach, and a commitment to the principles of harm reduction. In particular, these partnerships should:

•   Identify and eliminate policing practices that create barriers to the effective delivery of HIV services;

•  Enable and support access to HIV prevention, treatment and care services;

• Reflect and be consistent with United Nations and World Health OrganizationGuidelines on the need for the revision of laws, policies and practices towarddecriminalisation of behaviours such as drug use/injecting, sex work, same-sex activity and non-conforming gender identity, and in this context explore and promote alternatives to arrest and prosecution of those who are members of key affected populations;

• Provide and facilitate adequately resourced, high quality, sustainable and ongoing education and training relevant to the work of the partners in preventing HIV and eliminating stigma and discrimination;

• Develop standards for, and enable the auditing of, initiatives and projects to ensure that people living with HIV and other key affected populations have access to the services and support they need;

• Gather evidence for, and contribute to, policy development and implementation at local, national, regional and international levels in the service of HIV prevention and the elimination of stigma and discrimination;

• Promote and ensure the meaningful participation of people living with HIV and other key affected populations in line with best practice.

We call on all those concerned with the intersection between law enforcement and HIV, and the widespread inappropriate use of criminal sanctions against people living with HIV and other key affected populations, and those concerned with HIV prevention and HIVrelated stigma and discrimination, to promote and support the work of partnerships established in line with the Principles set out in this Declaration, and to ensure that such partnerships are facilitated, supported and enabled to undertake their work successfully, both nationally and internationally.
This Declaration was developed by the participants at the Consultation on Police and HIV, which took place on 4 October 2014, in Amsterdam, The Netherlands.