Harm Reduction Drug Project Uzbekistan - Contact Netz

6.3.4 NGOs and their contribution to a process of democratisation
This project, with its organisation and basic orientation, operates in an area which
presents no small problem to the Uzbeks. From the beginning, the ideas of working
through NGOs and of outreach work were new and were radical and difficult for the
Uzbek ministries to accept. The objectives of working closely with the drug addicts
and keeping organisational costs as low as possible, require a disciplined approach
to tasks and the handling of finances which is not customary in Central Asia in any
area of work. Placing responsibility for the project in the hands of NGOs makes an
active contribution to a process of de-bureaucratisation and democratisation in
Uzbekistan today. Close and careful co-operation with ministry officials, and
between the NGOs and the ministries, is therefore even more important. Without
these so-called strategic levels - based in the Steering Committee - the project and
all those involved would soon find themselves sinking in the harsh realities of the
outside world. It is precisely this combination of field work with the target group and
management by the NGOs that has led to the success of Swiss drug policy and
efforts to combat drug abuse. It would be unthinkable today to expect government
officials to have the necessary direct contacts with drug addicts on the street and
where they live, not least because the addicts themselves do not trust government
agencies.
6.3.5 Drug policy and efforts to combat drug abuse: a difficult learning
process
We in Switzerland are also familiar with heated debates about how to deal with the
drug problem. Whatever the assessment of the situation, the drug policy and the
preferred approach, in this area it is natural to keep discussing the same basic
questions – “What should we do?“, “What direction should we take?“, “Would it not
be better to encourage abstinence?“. The Swiss four-pillar model, which has today
gained supporters among Uzbek professionals, administrators and policymakers, is
based on the conviction that only through an interdisciplinary and integrated
approach is it possible to tackle the drug problem thoroughly and effectively, and
to make it part of normal institutional practice. The greatest challenge for Central
Asia and Uzbekistan is for existing institutions (administration, healthcare system
etc.) to change direction, rethink their policies and learn new ways. This project
must and will, particularly because it is independent of institutions, set an example
in the areas of healthcare and law enforcement, showing what procedural changes
are necessary if we are to deal effectively with the burning problems of drug
addiction and HIV.
6.3.6 Risks and opportunities in relation to staff and the social context
Our experience shows that flexibility and perseverance, combined with specialist
work to increase awareness about drug policy, and to improve relationships, can
keep the project on course. As mentioned above however, every personnel change
in one of these areas of work, where so much depends on individuals, brings with it
the danger that what has been accomplished will be lost, or, at the very least, will
be seriously set back. Continuity of personnel, and long-term stability in the
carefully developed Uzbek-Swiss network are key elements in the success or
failure of this project.
As well as the drug policy, the social context in which the project has to operate in
Uzbekistan and Central Asia is another important factor in its effectiveness and in
achieving its objectives. It is clear that the overall situation has deteriorated in
recent years. Moreover, the terrorist attacks of the past few months have refocused
the attention of the Uzbeks and changed their priorities from what they were when
the project was launched.
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Importance of
NGOs and
outreach work
Challenge to
change existing
institutions
Stability of
personnel key
elements in the
success or
failure
Worsening
socio-political
context