The possession of drugs in Colombia has been decriminalised since 1994, but only if the amount in your possession is under the minimum dose (which is defined only for some substances, not all). For example, you can carry 20 grams of cannabis, one gram of cocaine or 'bazuco', or five grams of hashish.

However, there are drug-related administrative sanctions in the Police Code. Whilst there is no prison sentence for carrying or using drugs, there may be other sanctions such as confiscation of the substance, or fines. We therefore recommend carrying less than the minimum dose and not using in public spaces. 

Accessing substances on the streets is very dangerous, especially for foreigners, so do not take risks. Remember that substances in Colombia are low-cost and high-quality; heroin, for example, can easily cause an overdose, so please do not consume alone and always have naloxone to hand. If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to consult with the conference team of volunteers at HR25 or contact the team for more information beforehand by email.

We are committed to ensuring that our event provides and facilitates appropriate care for all delegates who may have special medical and healthcare needs, especially delegates who use drugs, or who are living with HIV, viral hepatitis or TB. We will publish more details about our wellbeing services closer to the event. If you have specific questions, please do email us. 

Registration for HR25 is now open! Registrations can be completed online via the HR25 registration portal.

Virtual registration will open in January 2025

Pricing is tiered according to your country's income category (high or low income, according to the World Bank). We are also offering discounted Early Bird rates for delegates who register before 31 January 2025. All prices are in GBP. You can find a full list of prices on the registration page.

Registration includes an invitation to the formal conference launch (27 April), access to all presentations, workshops, networking events and all other dedicated areas throughout the four-day event, tea, coffee and working lunch on all days, a conference bag and programme, and access to the conference app.

The delegate fee does not include any travel and accommodation costs, which have to be arranged and paid directly by delegates.

Registration payments will open in September 2024. If you’ve already registered, we’ll email you to let you know when payments open.

You can now submit your abstract through our online portal. The deadline to submit your abstract is 14 October 2024.

Absolutely! We will translate your abstract for the peer review process.

HR25 only accepts abstracts for individual papers within a panel. There is a tick box that allows you to suggest that your abstract should be considered with another.

HR25 prefers that one person presents each abstract. If there’s a good reason for two or more people to present one abstract, please get in touch. We are only able to print the lead author’s name in the conference programme and only one person will be considered for a scholarship.

We will let you know by the end of December 2024. We will email you, but you can always check your online account to see whether there’s been a decision.

The conference programme timings will be as follows:

Sunday 27 April 2025

13.00-16.00: Registration

16.00-18.00: Opening Session

Monday 28 April & Tuesday 29 April

09.00-17.30: Conference Sessions

Wednesday 30 April 2025

09.00-15.30: Conference Sessions

16.00-18.00: Closing Session

Scholarships are only granted to people whose abstracts are accepted. You can only submit a scholarship application as part of an abstract submission. You can read more about scholarships on our registration page.

You can apply for various levels of support, from a registration waiver to a full scholarship, which covers travel, accommodation, registration and per diem. Please only apply for the support that you really need.

We aim to let you know in January 2025. We will email you, but you can always check your online account to see whether there’s been a decision.

Simply log into your account and edit the primary email address listed under your contact details. All future correspondence will be sent to the new address.

Absolutely! We will have a virtual element to enable people who can't or don't want to travel to attend. Virtual registrations will open in January 2025.

Yes, our partners in Bogotá are working hard to arrange site visits to local services. More details will be available in February 2025.

Please email us to discuss your sponsorship package!

Thank you for your interest in volunteering. You can find more information and apply to volunteer on the 'volunteer' page.

HR25 will be held at the Ágora Bogotá Convention Center. You can find more information on our useful info page.

Journalists, photographers and videographers who are either employees of or on assignment for a recognised print, radio, broadcast or online consumer, medical or community-based media outlet are eligible to apply for complimentary media registration. Media registration will open in October 2024.

Please note that we cannot accept applications for media credentials from representatives of media outlets that are not directly involved in journalism. Communications support professionals attached to research, advocacy or policy organisations are not considered media and must register as a regular delegate.

We will begin the tender process for HR27 in January 2025. Please keep an eye out for the call for expressions of interest. Please note that if you are bidding as a convention bureau or similar, you will need to engage a local harm reduction partner.