The Panama Action Plan (PAP) was adopted in April 1999 at the high level meeting of the EU-LAC (Latin America and Caribbean) Coordination and Cooperation Mechanism on drugs. Two months later it was endorsed by Heads of State at the EU-LAC summit in Rio.

It was intended that a study examining the actual and potential, both positive and negative, consequences of harm reduction policies and assesses the impact of harm reduction policies on social (crime rates etc.), health (infection rates, death rates etc.) and economic (productivity rates, income per capita growth etc.) indicators and so pave the way for a more positive attitude by developing countries towards devising and applying harm reduction policies. The general objective of the assignment was to establish the extent to which harm reduction methods contribute to an improvement of the health, social and economic standards in developing countries.

The analysis was academic, evidence based and ideologically neutral. Specifically the analysis:

• Provided an overview of the rationale for harm reduction, on the historical evolution of harm reduction practices, the extent to which they are compatible with international legislation and the various positions as regards the adoption of harm reduction policies
• Took stock of harm reduction policy efforts throughout the world, comparing the extent to which (and the reasons why) these efforts are more prevalent in some regions than in others
• Provided a review of the literature on harm reduction, particularly as it pertains to its effects on health and social parameters
• Drew on economic growth and development models to test the hypothesis that harm reduction makes a positive contribution to health and development and that harm reduction policies are unlikely to lead to higher abuse rates
• Quantified by using current data an evaluating econometric, simulation or other modelling the benefits or dis-benefits to be derived from harm reduction policies
• Articulated the optimum conditions and scale for successful implementation of harm reduction initiatives

The findings and recommendations from the study will feed into an international conference on the impact of harm reduction on development, which is being sponsored by the European Commission and UNESCO, possibly in 2008 in Brazil

The following outputs were achieved:

• A common document on the practical and negative consequences on harm reduction policies
• Detailed data collection and analysis of harm reduction initiatives worldwide

Services provided as sub-contractor to Transtec