Marking World AIDS Day, the Australian Agency for International Development and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) signed an approximately 380,000- US-dollar agreement here on Thursday providing support to the HIV and AIDS Harm Reduction Program for Injecting Drug Users in Nepal.

The agreement, is to be executed within the framework of the UN Management Support Agency agreement with the government of Nepal and as a part of the UN's response to providing management support for the implementation of the National HIV/AIDS Action Plan 2005- 2006, in which intravenous drug users are identified as a priority vulnerable group, said a statement jointly issued by the UNDP and the Australian Embassy.

The Harm Reduction Program aims to reduce vulnerability of HIV infection among the Injecting Drug Users in Nepal by providing comprehensive outreach activities such as counseling, behavioral change communication, peer mobilization, extensive awareness of HIV and harms related to drug use, primary health care, and needle and syringe exchange among the injecting drug users.

According to the statement, the activities will be conducted in 11 districts in Nepal reaching over 12,000 injecting drug users.

Source: Xinhua