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AIVL - Australian Injecting and Illicit Drug Users League Incorporated

Headquarters address
Organization's name:	AIVL - Australian Injecting and Illicit Drug Users League Incorporated
Organization's acronym:	AIVL
Former Name(s):	Australian Intravenous League
Address:	Havelock House 85 Northbourne Avenue Turner, Australian Capital Territory 2612 Australia
Phone:	+61262791600
Fax:	+61262791610
Email:	info@aivl.org.au
Web site:	www.aivl.org.au
Organization type:	Non-governmental organization
Languages:	English

Activities

Areas of expertise & Fields of activity:	Economic and Social: Criminal Justice Development Drug Control HIV/AIDS Human Rights Social Development Gender Issues and Advancement of Women: Human rights of women Policy advice Research Women and HIV/AIDS Social Development: Aging Indigenous issues Information and Communications Technologies Poverty Social policy Youth
Geographic scope:	National
Country of activity:	Australia
Millennium Development Goals:	Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases
Mission statement:	AIVL is the Australian national peak organisation representing the state and territory peer-based drug user organisations and issues of national relevance for people with lived experience of drug use. AIVL’s purpose is to advance the health and human rights of people who use/have used illicit drugs. This includes a primary focus on reducing the transmission and impact of blood borne viruses (BBVs) including HIV and hepatitis C, and those accessing drug treatment services, through the effective implementation of peer education, harm reduction, health promotion and policy and advocacy strategies at the national level. The organisation philosophy of AIVL is user-centred and supports the right of people who use illicit drugs to self-organise and form peer-based structures in order to reduce drug related harm. AIVL operates within a health promotion framework as articulated in the Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion (1986) which defines health promotion as the process of enabling people to increase control over and to improve their health. AIVL takes a non-judgmental approach to drug use. AIVL believes that people who use illicit drug have the right to be treated with dignity and respect, and be able to live their lives free from discrimination, stigma and health and human rights violations.
Year established (YYYY):	1989
Year of registration (YYYY):	1992
Organizational structure:	AIVL is a national peak organisation that is run by and for people who use drugs. Indeed AIVL is one of the oldest national networks of peer-based drug user organisations in the world having existed for over 25 years (in an unfunded and developmental sense and over 20 years as a registered, funded organisation). As a grassroots, not-for-profit organisation AIVL’s decision making structure is based on a ground-up, consensus-driven approach whereby people who use drugs from our local member organisations (see above) are elected to the AIVL Board of Management for a 12 month term at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the membership. The AGM provides an opportunity for the membership to participate directly in organisational decision making and to determine the policy positions and strategic priorities of the organisation. The AIVL Board is responsible for the overall governance of the organisation and is guided and supported by the AIVL Chief Executive Officer who has delegated authority for the day to day operational decisions of the organisation together with the staff team and volunteers. The AIVL Board also has the capacity to establish issue-based and ongoing working groups drawn from the membership (people who use illicit drugs) and other key stakeholders. These working groups also support the policy and strategic decision making of the organisation. All decisions on policy and strategic directions for the organisation is approved by the elected Board of Management prior to implementation. The process of identifying strategic priorities is also influenced by international, national and local government policy documents and strategies.
Number and type of members:	AIVL is a national peak organisation with a grassroots membership structure. AIVL’s members are the state and territory peer-based/grassroots drug user organisations (there are 8 states and territories in Australia so AIVL’s membership is 8 as we have a member organisation in each jurisdiction). Those organisations have individual members who are people who use drugs and their supporters that number in the tens of thousands.
Affiliation with NGO networks:	A member of Australian Federation of AIDS Organisations (AFAO)
Funding structure:	Fees for education and training services Fees for providing consulting or research services Donations and grants from domestic sources Grants from Governments Funds from other Non-Governmental Organizations Other sources
Funding structure other:	Small one-off untied educational grants from private sector companies that fit with our organisational values and goals

Additional Information

No additional information available.