Menahra 1st Regional Conference

	DAY 1: Monday 16th November	DAY 2: Tuesday 17th November				DAY 3: Wednesday 18th November
09.00	Registration	PLENARY: RIGHTS AND ADVOCACY				PARALLEL: NSP	PARALLEL: Peer-to-Peer: Lessons and Experiences in Activism		Film Festival	09.00
09.30	OPENING SESSION									09.30
10.00										10.00
10.30		*Break*				*Break*				10.30
11.00	*Break*	PARALLEL: Advocating for OST (In and Out of Prisons)		Film Festival		PARALLEL: Laying Foundations for HR		PARALLEL: Services for Women		11.00
11.30	PLENARY: INTRODUCTION TO HARM REDUCTION									11.30
12.00										12.00
12.30		*Lunch*				*Lunch*				12.30
13.00	*Lunch*									13.00
13.30		PARALLEL: Outreach and Peer Education	PARALLEL: Aids Alliance		PARALLEL: IDPC	PANEL DISCUSSON #3 Meet the Leaders (UN / GF / MENAHRA)?				13.30
14.00	PLENARY: HARM REDUCTION PRACTICE									14.00
14.30						*Break*				14.30
15.00						CLOSING SESSION				15.00
15.30	*Break*									15.30
16.00	PANEL DISCUSSION #1 Parliamentarians/Policy Makers/Religious Leaders									16.00
16.30										16.30
17.00										17.00

FIRST REGIONAL HARM REDUCTION CONFERENCE
CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS
(DEADLINE: 30th SEPTEMBER 2009)

MENAHRA is pleased to announce that this important regional event will take place on the 16th, 17th and 18th November 2009 in Beirut, Lebanon. The conference will help to define, explain and promote harm reduction strategies from across the Middle East and North Africa and promote harm reduction interventions to an audience of around 300 local and regional practitioners, advocates, academics and policy makers. In order to create a programme which truly represents best practice and current activities across the region, MENAHRA are keen to receive submissions.

What Can You Present?

This conference will showcase presentations from across the region describing the latest research and interventions. We want the conference to inspire delegates and introduce them to new ideas, so this is an ideal opportunity to present if you:

are involved in delivering innovative harm reduction services
have done some regional and relevant research
have been advocating for harm reduction in your country
wish to showcase or discuss your country’s harm reduction policies

Writing Your Submission

Your submission should be no more than 300 words long, and in English. Please try to include as much information as possible so that the Programme Committee can understand your work and what you would like to present. Please try to make your abstract as easy to read as possible – it might be included on the conference website for other people to read. Try to follow the format below and avoid using too many acronyms.

Suggested Format:

Aims – include the reason for your work and what it hopes to achieve
Background – provide some information about the setting (such as the geographical location, the target population, or the local drug use situation)
Method – describe in detail how you carried out your work, and why you chose to do it this way
Outcomes – provide a summary of your main results and achievements (or what you expect they will be)
Conclusion – describe why the results of your work are important for other delegates (for example, what could they learn from your presentation?)

Choosing a Title

The title of your submission is important because it will appear in the conference programme. Chose one that is as descriptive as possible, without being too long!

Get Feedback

Once you have written your submission, show it to some of your colleagues to get their thoughts. You might also want to show it to some family or friends outside of the field to see if they can understand it easily. Correcting mistakes at this stage gives your submission a better chance of being accepted.

How to Send a Submission

Once you have written and checked your submission, please send it to info@menahra-conference.org along with the following information:

Your Name
Your Country (and the country that the submission is about – if different)
Your Job Title and Organisation
Your Email Address and Phone Number
A brief (100 words) summary of your professional and/or academic experience

The deadline for submissions is 30th September 2009, but we would welcome submissions any time before this date as well. Please note that this deadline cannot be extended for any reason.

What Happens Next?

After the deadline, the Programme Committee will review all of the submissions and will decide which ones to accept and include in the conference programme. You will be contacted by 8th October 2009 to let you know whether or not your submission has been accepted.

For further information, please visit www.menahra-conference.org , or contact:

info@menahra-conference. org

Tel & Fax: +9611482428
+9611480714