VZCZCXRO3873
RR RUEHDBU RUEHSL
DE RUEHNT #1023/01 1701029
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
R 191031Z JUN 09
FM AMEMBASSY TASHKENT
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 1032
INFO CIS COLLECTIVE
NATO EU COLLECTIVE
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC
RHMFISS/DEPT OF JUSTICE WASHINGTON DC
RUEABND/DEA HQS WASHINGTON DC
RUEHAK/AMEMBASSY ANKARA 0070
RUEHNT/AMEMBASSY TASHKENT
RUEHVEN/USMISSION USOSCE 0245

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 TASHKENT 001023 
 
SIPDIS 
DEPARTMENT FOR INL ANDREW BUHLER AND THE OFFICE OF THE GLOBAL AIDS COORDINATOR 
ANKARA FOR DEA CHRIS MELINK 
ASTANA FOR ALMATY USAID 
AMEMBASSY BELGRADE PASS TO AMEMBASSY PODGORICA 
AMEMBASSY ATHENS PASS TO AMCONSUL THESSALONIKI 
AMEMBASSY MOSCOW PASS TO AMCONSUL YEKATERINBURG 
AMEMBASSY HELSINKI PASS TO AMCONSUL ST PETERSBURG 
AMEMBASSY MOSCOW PASS TO AMCONSUL VLADIVOSTOK 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 2019/06/19 
TAGS: PREL PHUM KHIV SNAR SZ DEA UZ
SUBJECT: UZBEKISTAN:  SWISS CONCLUDE DRUG HARM REDUCTION PROJECT AT 
UNCERTAIN JUNCTURE 
 
CLASSIFIED BY: Timothy P. Buckley, Second Secretary, Department of 
State, Political and Economic Section; REASON: 1.4(B), (D) 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary:  The Swiss Embassy in Tashkent marked the end of 
what it saw as a successful six-year drug harm reduction project, 
which included provision of clean needles and condoms to thousands 
of drug users in Uzbekistan with the goal of stopping the spread of 
disease, particularly HIV and viral hepatitis, before focusing on 
treatment for drug addiction.  However, the Government of 
Uzbekistan is not stepping forward with funds to continue the work, 
which could cause local NGO partners to suspend services.  UN 
officials also reported government backsliding on HIV programs, 
with authorities reverting to denial mode on domestic policy 
towards drug users.  We remain optimistic that a planned INL drug 
demand reduction program will go forward since it focuses on 
prevention rather than treatment, and the Swiss hope that the U.S. 
will be more open to needle exchange programs.  End summary. 
 
 
 
¶2. (C) On June 12, poloff attended a reception hosted by Swiss 
Ambassador Anne Bauty marking the closure of the Swiss-Uzbek 
project on reducing the harmful consequences of illicit drug use. 
It was a bittersweet event since, after six years of collaboration, 
the key local NGO partners and two client service centers will lose 
funding support.  Jakob Huber, representing the Swiss Ministry of 
Health, had been the point person since the project's inception in 
2003, and he told poloff that the Government of Uzbekistan seemed 
unlikely to ante up any funds to continue the work.  Huber also 
noted that the initial project was for a 3-year timeframe but that 
Switzerland extended it for an additional three years in the hopes 
the progress would encourage the government to carry on.  "They are 
actually backsliding," Huber (protect) lamented, opining that "the 
NGOs were essentially told they have been too successful in 
reaching people and they need to tone it down."  An NGO worker from 
"Ayol" (meaning "Woman" in Uzbek), which does a range of other 
work, confirmed that no additional funds were on the horizon and 
her organization would have to find other ways to make ends meet or 
suspend services. 
 
 
 
¶3. (SBU) Huber explained that Swiss drug policy has four pillars: 
prevention, therapy, law enforcement, and harm reduction, with the 
latter being the main focus in the Swiss-Uzbek project.  "They only 
reach a drop in the ocean with reliance on law enforcement," 
according to Huber, "and when we opened our centers in Tashkent and 
Samarkand we immediately began reaching 2,500 on a daily basis - 
far more than the Uzbek system reached in a month."  The immediate 
goal is to try to stop the spread of HIV and other sexually 
transmitted diseases among drug users by providing clean needles 
and condoms, with treatment to break the addictions to follow 
gradually.  Uzbekistan's National Center for Drug Control, under 
the leadership of former Director Kamol Dusmetov, recognized the 
importance of addressing the serious and growing societal threat 
posed by drug use and provided political support for the project 
even though the methodology was considered very sensitive in this 
society. 
 
 
 
¶4. (SBU) Poloff noted that the U.S. Embassy has previously 
supported drug demand reduction projects through the Bureau of 
International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) as well 
as USAID and that a new INL project was set to begin soon under the 
auspices of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). 
Huber stated that drug demand reduction is helpful but that it will 
not reach enough drug-users to stem the spread of diseases, which 
is especially needed given the volume of drugs emanating from 
Afghanistan and the infiltration throughout Uzbek society.  Huber 
urged the U.S. to consider supporting the type of needle exchange 
and condom distribution project that the Swiss advocate, which he 
said was inconsistent with past U.S. policies.  He reminded that 
"many prostitutes are also drug users, so you need to do something 
to stop them from spreading disease as well as from just among drug 
users."  Huber also said there are some "very progressive" programs 
 
TASHKENT 00001023  002 OF 002 
 
 
that he has visited in the U.S. that could be role models for U.S. 
assistance, but he understands they were not previously eligible 
for Federal funding support. 
 
 
 
No More Drug Addicts in Uzbekistan 
 
--------------------------------------------- 
 
 
 
¶5. (C) James Callahan, Head of the United Nations Office on Drugs 
and Crime (UNODC) Regional Office in Central Asia, told poloff on 
June 15 that Uzbekistan was backsliding on HIV prevention and had 
formally stopped its drug substitution therapy program.  UN 
Representative in Uzbekistan Anita Narody (please protect) noted in 
a June 15 e-mail message to other UN officials that "this is 
clearly very disturbing" and "has serious implications for the 
Global Fund."  Dr. Michael Tailhades (please protect) from the 
World Health Organization confirmed this in an e-mail response and 
added that Uzbek authorities instructed his organization to refer 
only to ex-drug addicts "as officially there are no more drug 
addicts in Uzbekistan."  Tailhades added that "I believe we are 
taking a step back that will definitely close the door to Global 
Fund application."  Callahan agreed that it was "certainly a step 
backward" but noted that it would not affect the planned INL-funded 
drug demand reduction program since it is not a treatment project. 
 
 
 
 
Comment: 
 
------------- 
 
 
 
¶6. (SBU) We submit Mr. Huber's recommendations as feedback from the 
field to guide future programming discussions and do not have 
sufficient insight to advocate for programs like those the Swiss 
Embassy has sponsored.  Nonetheless, it is impressive that in a 
restrictive environment that so many Uzbek drug users were willing 
to regularly visit the two safe houses rather than stay away out of 
fear that law enforcement agencies would arrest them.  Many Uzbeks 
will certainly miss the loss of a social service, yet the 
Government of Uzbekistan appears to have decided to simply let the 
activity cease rather than step in to pick up where the Swiss left 
off.  We also share the concerns of Huber as well as UN officials 
about the apparent backsliding on drug and HIV policy. 
NORLAND