DUSHANBE, June 15, 2012, Asia-Plus  -- A roundtable to discuss issues of use of narcotics and spread of infections diseases in Tajikistan took place in Dushanbe on June 15.

Organized by the Drug Control Agency (DCA) under the President of Tajikistan jointly with AIDS Foundation East-West (AFEW), the event was reportedly dedicated to International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, which is marked on June 26.

A source at AFEW’s office in Dushanbe says the roundtable was held in the framework of the project, Bridging the Gaps: Health and Rights for Vulnerable Population Groups.  AFEW has started implementing this project this year.  The project is financed by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The meeting participants discussed the drug situation in Tajikistan in 2011 and HIV epidemiological situation among injecting drug users (IDUs), as well as the findings of the survey on needs of drug users, the source said.

AFEW is a Dutch, non-governmental, public health organization working in Eastern Europe and Central Asia (EECA) to reduce the impact of HIV among vulnerable populations.

Founded in the Netherlands and launched on December 1, 2001, AFEW is considered an international authority in the field of HIV prevention, treatment, care and support for people living with HIV (PLHIV) in EECA.  AFEW is the only non-governmental organization operating in EECA that was specifically created to address HIV in the region and advocates to make the epidemic a priority in the social and political discourse and to stimulate prompt and appropriate action.