The Reference Group to the United Nations on HIV and Injecting Drug Use was established in 2002 and provides independent advice to the United Nations system on matters related to injecting drug use and HIV. The Group consists of experts from around the world and includes researchers, clinicians and representatives from civil society organisations.

The operation of the Reference Group is coordinated by a Secretariat. The Secretariat undertakes research activities on behalf, and with guidance, input and the endorsement of the Reference Group. From March 2007, the Secretariat of the Reference Group was based at NDARC within the University of New South Wales.

Project Collaborators External

Dr Alex Wodak Alcohol and Drug Services, St Vincent’s Hospital
Dr Hammad AliKirby Institute, UNSW
Dr Bradley MathersKirby Institute, UNSW

Project Supporters

United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNDOC);
World Health Organisation (WHO);
Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS)

The overall objective of the Reference Group is to advise relevant UNAIDS (the United Nations Joint Program on HIV/AIDS) co-sponsors, especially the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the World Health Organization (WHO), and the UNAIDS Secretariat on injecting drug use, on effective approaches to HIV prevention and care among injecting drug users. The Reference Group comprises individuals selected for their expertise in the epidemiology of injecting drug use, HIV prevention or treatment. The National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre was appointed to undertake the role of Secretariat of the Reference Group for 2007 - 2010.

Design and Method

The primary tasks of the Secretariat include:

Coordination of the Reference Group
Management of key-indicator data holdings which are used to monitor global trends in injecting drug use and HIV as well as coverage of HIV prevention and care for injecting drug users
Provision of ad-hoc technical support to UNAIDS co-sponsor agencies
Production of the Reference Group’s bi-annual reports (global and regional trends in the epidemiology of injecting drug use and HIV, and estimates of HIV prevention and care service coverage for injecting drug users)
Production of thematic research papers on topics of current concern
Management of the Reference Group website.

Progress/Update

Since October 2010 the Secretariat of the Reference Group has been based at the Medical Research Council, South Africa.

Books

The Secretariat of the Reference Group to the United Nations on HIV and Injecting Drug Use, Consensus Statement of the Reference Group to the United Nations on HIV and Injecting Drug Use 2010, Sydney: National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, University of New South Wales.

Peer-reviewed publications

Bradley M Mathers, Louisa Degenhardt, Hammad Ali, Lucas Wiessing, Matthew Hickman, Richard P Mattick, Bronwyn Myers, Atul Ambekar and Steffanie A Strathdee for the Reference Group to the United Nations on HIV and Injecting Drug Use, HIV prevention, treatment, and care services for people who inject drugs: a systematic review of global, regional, and national coverage, The Lancet (2010) 375: 9719: 1014-1028, DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(10)60232-2

Country reports provide detailed information on the calculation of estimates and the references cited.

View the supplementary web appendix that accompanies this article.

Bradley M Mathers, Louisa Degenhardt, Benjamin Phillips, Lucas Wiessing, Matthew Hickman, Steffanie A Strathdee, Alex Wodak, Samiran Panda, Mark Tyndall, Abdalla Toufik and Richard P Mattick for the 2007 Reference Group to the UN on HIV and Injecting Drug Use, Global epidemiology of injecting drug use and HIV among people who inject drugs: a systematic review, The Lancet (2008), 372: 9651: 1733-1745, doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(08)61311-2

View the appendices that accompany this article.

Louisa Degenhardt, Bradley Mathers, Mauro Guarinieri, Samiran Panda, Benjamin Phillips, Steffanie A. Strathdee, Mark Tyndall, Lucas Wiessing, Alex Wodak and John Howard for the Reference Group to the United Nations on HIV and Injecting Drug Use, Meth/amphetamine use and associated HIV: Implications for global policy and public health, International Journal of Drug Policy (2010), 21:5: 347-358, doi:10.1016/j.drugpo.2009.11.007

Reference Group Thematic Paper Series

Roberts A, Mathers BM, Degenhardt L, on behalf of the Reference Group to the United Nations on HIV and Injecting Drug Use, Women who inject drugs: a review of their risks, experiences and needs, Reference Group Thematic Paper Series 2010, Sydney: National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, University of New South Wales.

Louisa Degenhardt, Briony Larance, Bradley Mathers, Tasnim Azim, Adeeba Kamarulzaman, Richard Mattick, Samiran Panda, Abdalla Toufik, Mark Tyndall, Lucas Wiessing and Alex Wodak on behalf of the Reference Group to the United Nations on HIV and injecting drug use, Benefits and risks of pharmaceutical opioids: Essential treatment and diverted medication. A global review of availability, extra-medical use, injection and the association with HIV, Reference Group Thematic Paper Series 2007, Sydney: National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, University of New South Wales.

Louisa Degenhardt, Bradley Mathers, Mauro Guarinieri, Samiran Panda, Benjamin Phillips, Steffanie Strathdee, Mark Tyndall, Lucas Wiessing, Alex Wodak, on behalf of the Reference Group to the United Nations on HIV and injecting drug use, The global epidemiology of methamphetamine injection: A review of the evidence on use and associations with HIV and other harm, Reference Group Thematic Paper Series 2007, Sydney: National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, University of New South Wales.

Presentations

Mathers BM, Degenhardt L, Ali H, Wiessing L, Hickman M, Mattick RP, Myers B, Ambekar A and Strathdee SA, for the Reference Group to the United Nations on HIV and Injecting Drug Use, How successful have global efforts to expand HIV prevention for IDUs been?: results of a global systematic review, International Harm Reduction Association's (IHRA) 21st International Conference, Liverpool, UK April 25-29 2010.