Alcohol and drugs included in Norway's HIV and AIDS position paper

The main focus of Norway’s HIV and AIDS policy is to prevent more people becoming infected by the virus. It follows two main lines.

Firstly, funding and knowledge are primarily invested in broad multilateral efforts that follow the UN guidelines for achieving universal access to prevention, treatment, care and support.

In addition, a limited number of priority themes are promoted where Norway can play a particularly valuable role through its policies, alliances and initiatives, and where Norway can act as a prime mover. These themes include gender based discrimination, sexuality (including homosexuality), prevention, and the need to bring greater openness to these areas.

Structural causes

In the document is is pointed out that Norway believes it is vital to examine the underlying structural causes of the HIV and AIDS epidemic, such as poverty, the suppression of women, sexual traditions, the abuse of alcohol and narcotic substances, as well as other harmful traditional and cultural factors. It is pointed out that alcohol abuse, violence and other forms of abuse increase the risk of infection. In this regard Norway will highlight the connections between HIV infection, abuse of alcohol and drugs and abuse of children and young people.

See more information about the position paper at the NORAD website