 Thank you, Katie. So our next speaker is Patricia Haddad. Patricia is the program coordinator at the Middle Eastern and North African Harm Reduction Association. And she's also a board member at Harm Reduction International. So she'll be providing an overview of Harm Reduction in the Middle Eastern North Africa region and outlining key priorities for action from a regional perspective. Thank you, Judy. Good morning, everyone. I'm going to start providing a brief overview of the Middle East and North Africa region, as mentioned, and then move on to presenting our key priority issues related to the Harm Reduction response. The Middle East and North Africa is a diverse region with economic disparities between countries. It includes rich high-income countries, such as the Gulf States, as well as middle-to-low-income countries with very poor resources. The region can be described as volatile currently with a very highly unstable political environment. Throughout the past decade, a number of ongoing conflicts have erupted in countries such as Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, and Yemen. These conflicts have affected their surroundings, creating air-fugee influx, mainly to the middle and lower-income countries, a number of which are already struggling with their resources. In parallel, and although still characterized as a low-prevalence region, with an estimated 230,000 people living in HIV, the latest UN AIDS gap report has highlighted an increase of 4% in new HIV infections between 2010 and 2015. In countries such as Egypt, Lebanon, and Yemen, new infections have increased by as much as 30% to 40%. Moreover, out of an estimated 21,000 new infections in 2015, more than 95% were recorded among key populations and their sexual partners. 27% of these infections were among people who inject drugs. There is a wide range of estimates of people who inject drugs in the region from 335,000 to over 1.6 million, mainly due to the limited data that's available. We're working on having a new estimate by the end of the year, and we hope this somehow bridges a gap in this area. HIV prevalence among people who inject drugs in the region is also veritable, with countries such as Libya reporting the highest measured prevalence of 87%, while other countries such as Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, and Tunisia continually report low prevalence. In 2014, it was estimated that about half of people who inject drugs have contracted hepatitis C in the region. Updated data on prevalence of viral hepatitis is limited, however, new infections are continuously reported among people who inject drugs in countries through programs that are supported by our organization, Minaya. So where do we stand in harm reduction? Well, in the last decade, the MENA has witnessed noted progress in the field of harm reduction. Resources and efforts have been deployed to advocate for and implement harm reduction in the region, with Minaya leading on many initiatives. However, even with all of these efforts placed on both the national and regional levels, by various stakeholders and partners, we are still a long way from having a conducive environment for harm reduction, and a number of recent developments are creating obstacles and even reversing some of this progress that we have witnessed. To start off, there is a limited political commitment for harm reduction, and this was very apparent recently during the Engas process, where commitment and support by country representatives was absent. This is very problematic in terms of moving forward towards national ownership of harm reduction, programs at the political level, as well as availability of services at the grassroots level. For instance, out of 20 countries in the region, only seven explicitly mention harm reduction for people who inject drugs and their national strategies and policy documents. Services are also limited in terms of variety and geographical scope. Needle and syringe programs are available in 10 countries of the region, quite a number of which are unofficial or pilots with insufficient geographical coverage. OST is available only four, and countries still have a preference towards traditional abstinence programs. Even in countries such as Iran and Morocco that have implemented nationwide harm reduction strategies, coverage remains insufficient to meet the increasing needs. Nalaksohn is limited to hospitals in most countries of the region, rendering it almost inaccessible to people who use drugs due to fear of police and incarceration in cases of overdose. Recently, however, advocacy efforts in Lebanon led by civil society, a local NGO called Skun, have succeeded in getting the Ministry of Health to issue an official statement to all hospitals to refrain from reporting overdose cases to the police in an effort to encourage people to seek help in such cases. We hope to see this development replicated in other countries. Peer distribution programs for Nalaksohn are still not available, increasing risks of unnecessary deaths due to overdose. However, in following further advocacy from Menara to include this intervention, Lebanon will soon be the first country in the region to pilot a peer distribution program. This process has been initiated. I'm happy to report. And hopefully, the next time we meet, we will see more widespread programs of this sort. The limited services available are also increasingly difficult to access by women and refugees. Access to services by women remains very low in most countries due to stigma and discrimination. And women who inject drugs remain more vulnerable and at higher risk than their male counterparts. Availability of gender-sensitive services are limited to one country only. Access of services by refugees is also limited due to lack of widespread geographical availability, as well as lack of tailored services for this population. The region is one of very cultural norms and religious beliefs. Political authorities and stakeholders are often influenced by them, creating obstacles for widespread government support and funding of harm reduction services. Minal has initiated work and this issue with religious leaders as a step in collaborating with them. However, there remains much to be done. Both the criminalization of drug use in most countries of the region and the high stigma and discrimination are contributing to human rights violations against people who use drugs. A large number of people who use drugs are incarcerated in our region, mostly for drug use, but sometimes even for the mere possession of syringes. In countries where needle and syringe programs are unofficially available. Within prisons, needle and syringe programs are not available anymore, with Iran stopping its programs. On the other hand, and a more positive note, OST has recently been made available in some prisons in Lebanon and Morocco. There is limited region-specific updated data and evidence, including population-sized estimates and bio-behavioral research. There is also in parallel a growing need for research regarding drug use among refugee and displaced populations. There is a lack of data and information in this area, making it very difficult to plan and develop programs and services based on their needs. And lastly, but definitely not least, funding in the MENA is an issue, as the region is primarily not a priority to donors due to its overall low HIV prevalence and the number of countries within it that are classified as middle-to-high income. The general decrease in interruptions in HIV funding globally and the redirection of funding to address the humanitarian crisis have also greatly affected our region. The harm reduction response has mostly been reliable on international funding within MENA and the global fund in particular. However, this funding is also currently decreasing. Transitioning to national funding for our programs is very crucial. However, given the described contacts, it's foreseen that this will be a very long process. So, from this quick overview, it's apparent that our needs are many. However, the key priorities that I would like to focus on are building political commitment, reforming policies, strengthening communities, as well as vital funding towards maintaining and scaling up available surfaces. We need political commitment in order to move forward without it. Limited services, the already limited service, are jeopardized and our opportunities are missed. For instance, recent governmental restrictions on external funding in Egypt and Jordan led to the abruption of services to people who inject drugs in both countries. Moreover, funding towards piloting an OST program in Egypt following a long year and ODC feasibility study was secured by MENA in 2015 and then unfortunately lost due to delays in final governmental approval for this program. The approval stretch for a period of over one year and to date official approval has still not been released in order to proceed. Political commitment also facilitates the path of policy reform towards the decriminalization of drug use and integration of harm reduction in national strategies of all countries. Recent developments in this area include the MENA position statement on HIV made at the high level meeting and the incorporation of key population needs within the Arab aid strategy. These are opportunities that we hope to continue working on. These are opportunities that we need to build on. Continued advocacy towards these issues is crucial and in the MENA civil society is often at the forefront of such efforts. Therefore, ongoing support for regional networks, community networks, national networks and organizations fighting for these causes is needed. Enabling and strengthening community organizations to play a full and effective role alongside other actors in the field is crucial in the ongoing efforts to promote country and community ownership of the harm reduction cause. They are in the heart of the response. To continue these efforts and others, funding is an urgent priority. First, to maintain the already limited services and second, to scale up available services to meet our increasing needs. We need to also try to extend these services to make them available to refugees in our countries. And this is currently a very difficult issue that we are handling. There is a need also to build the case towards increased HIV funding for the region with a harm reduction response as a main element in programs to avoid further increases in these new HIV infections. Recent development in this area was incorporation of strengthening national capacities for HIV response in countries affected by the humanitarian crisis into the global recommendations of the PCB. So what will happen if we do not urgently address these issues? We're going to witness a halt of services for key populations in some countries and especially in harm reduction services. Increases in prevalence of HIV, hepatitis B and C and other related diseases among people who use drugs. Increases in deaths related to overdose. Increases in incarceration for drug use and related offenses. Increases in stigma and discrimination and therefore human rights violations towards people who use drugs. Delays in implementation and reform of policies after years of advocacy and efforts due to lack of follow-up. So last but not least, I would like to invite you to join us in spreading the word and supporting the Middle East and North Africa and advocating for increased funding for HIV and in particular for harm reduction. Share our hashtag, don't leave Mina behind and please visit our booth on the fourth floor. Thank you.