World Health Day 2026: Standing with Science, Advancing the Right to Health and Ending Stigma

On April 7, World Health Day 2026 calls on the global community to unite under a powerful message: “Together for health. Stand with science.” At a time marked by misinformation, declining trust in institutions, and widening health inequalities, this theme is both urgent and necessary. For Dianova International, it reflects a long-standing commitment: advancing the right to health through evidence-based policies, ethical interventions, and a strong human rights framework—particularly in the field of drug policy.

This year’s theme is not only a call to defend science—it is a call to apply it. In a world where public discourse is increasingly shaped by misinformation and anti-intellectual narratives, ensuring that health policies are grounded in evidence, ethics, and lived experience has become a central challenge.

The Right to Health: A Fundamental but Unequal Reality

The right to health is a universally recognized human right. It extends beyond access to healthcare services to include the broader determinants that shape well-being: social inclusion, education, safe environments, and access to accurate information.

However, this right remains unevenly realized. Structural inequalities continue to exclude many populations from accessing quality care. Among those most affected are people who use drugs, who often face overlapping barriers rooted in stigma, criminalization, and social exclusion.

These barriers are not incidental—they are systemic. They manifest in policies, institutional practices, and everyday interactions, ultimately limiting access to prevention, treatment, and harm reduction services.

Standing with Science in a Time of Misinformation

The World Health Organization’s call to “stand with science” highlights a defining feature of the current global context: the erosion of trust in evidence.

In recent years, misinformation has spread rapidly across digital platforms, shaping public perceptions and influencing policy debates. In the field of drug use, this has translated into persistent myths, moral judgments, and resistance to evidence-based interventions such as harm reduction.

Standing with science means reaffirming that effective public health responses must be grounded in data, research, and interdisciplinary collaboration. It also means recognizing that science is not neutral in its application—it must be paired with ethical principles and a commitment to human rights.

Global initiatives such as the renewed Quadripartite Memorandum of Understanding on One Health reinforce this perspective, emphasizing the interconnected nature of health and the need for coordinated, science-based responses.

Stigma: A Structural Barrier to Health

One of the most significant barriers to health—particularly for people who use drugs—is stigma. It operates at multiple levels: social, institutional, and internalized, shaping both access to care and health outcomes.

Field-based evidence demonstrates that stigma discourages individuals from seeking information, engaging with services, or trusting healthcare providers. It can also lead to discriminatory practices within health systems, including denial of care or breaches of confidentiality.

Stigma is reinforced by language, policies, and cultural narratives that frame substance use as a moral failing rather than a health issue. This not only undermines individual well-being but also weakens public health systems as a whole.

Addressing stigma is therefore central to realizing the right to health.

From Disorder to Health Spectrum: A Paradigm Shift

A fundamental step toward reducing stigma and improving health outcomes is rethinking how substance use is conceptualized. Dianova International, alongside leading organizations such as CAPSA, advocates for moving beyond disorder-based frameworks toward a health spectrum approach.

Crucially, stigma can occur at any point along this spectrum, affecting access to information and care even for those who do not meet diagnostic criteria.

This paradigm shift enables:

• Earlier and more effective prevention
• More inclusive and flexible care models
• Integration of harm reduction, treatment, and social support
• Alignment with intersectional and human rights frameworks

It also reframes substance use as part of broader health and social realities, rather than as an isolated pathology.

CAPSA: Transforming Systems Through Language, Evidence, and Lived Experience

The work of CAPSA provides a powerful example of how science and lived experience can be combined to transform health systems.

A central element of CAPSA’s approach is the recognition that language shapes care. Terms such as “relapse” and “overdose” are not neutral; they reflect and reinforce stigma. CAPSA proposes replacing “relapse” with “recurrence of symptoms,” aligning substance use disorders with other chronic health conditions and reducing moral judgment.

Similarly, redefining “overdose” as a “substance use medical emergency” shifts the focus from blame to care, acknowledging the complexity of these events and promoting compassionate responses.

These changes have practical implications. They:

• Improve communication between healthcare providers and patients
• Encourage earlier engagement with services
• Reduce stigma within clinical settings
• Align practice with scientific evidence

Instituto RIA: Practical Tools for Transforming Care

While frameworks and advocacy are essential, real transformation occurs in practice. In this regard, the work of Instituto RIA offers a critical contribution: translating evidence and principles into practical tools for healthcare professionals.

Its materials—particularly the Technical Fieldwork Guide and the Toolkit for Addressing Methamphetamine and Fentanyl Use (Spanish)—are designed for frontline professionals working in complex, real-world environments.

Understanding Context and Complexity

The technical guide provides a comprehensive framework for understanding substance use in context. It combines scientific evidence with qualitative research, including interviews and focus groups with people who use drugs.

This approach allows professionals to:

• Understand patterns of use as dynamic and context-dependent
• Recognize the influence of social, economic, and policy environments
• Move beyond simplistic or moralistic interpretations

It also highlights the structural conditions shaping substance use, including criminalization, inequality, and market dynamics.

Practical Strategies for Engagement

The toolkit complements this by offering hands-on guidance for daily practice. It focuses on one of the most critical aspects of care: the interaction between professionals and service users.

It provides:

• Techniques for initiating respectful, non-judgmental conversations
• Strategies for outreach in community settings
• Guidance on building trust and ensuring confidentiality
• Practical advice on risk reduction and safer use

These tools emphasize that effective care begins with how professionals engage with people. Avoiding judgment, using respectful language, and demonstrating empathy are not optional—they are essential for access to care.

Reducing Stigma Through Practice

Instituto RIA’s materials place a strong emphasis on stigma reduction as a core competency. They show that stigma:

• Limits access to information and services
• Discourages help-seeking behavior
• Reinforces exclusion within health systems

By equipping professionals with practical tools to address stigma, these resources contribute to transforming both individual interactions and institutional cultures.

A Model of Good Practice

Taken together, Instituto RIA’s guides and toolkits represent a model of good practice in public health. They demonstrate how to:

• Translate evidence into actionable interventions
• Integrate harm reduction and human rights into care
• Adapt responses to local contexts and emerging challenges
• Bridge the gap between knowledge and practice

Training and Sensitizing Healthcare Professionals

Transforming health systems requires sustained investment in training and sensitization. The combined contributions of CAPSA, Instituto RIA, and Dianova highlight key principles for effective capacity building:

• Continuous learning: Training must be ongoing and adaptive
• Interdisciplinary approaches: Integrating mental health, substance use, and social determinants
• Practical skills: Communication, outreach, and risk reduction
• Critical reflection: Addressing biases and institutional practices

Evidence-Based and Ethical Interventions: What Works

Across different regions, civil society organizations have demonstrated that evidence-based, rights-centered interventions can significantly improve health outcomes.

Harm reduction programs, community outreach, and integrated care models have proven effective in reducing overdose deaths, preventing infectious diseases, and improving access to care.

These interventions are grounded in science and aligned with ethical principles:

• Respect for dignity and autonomy
• Non-discrimination and inclusion
• Commitment to evidence-based practice

They also reflect an intersectional understanding of health, recognizing that inequalities are shaped by multiple, overlapping factors.

Dianova’s Advocacy: Health, Human Rights, and Drug Policy

Dianova International works at the intersection of research, practice, and policy to promote drug policies that prioritize health and human rights.

Our advocacy focuses on:

• Promoting comprehensive care models
• Supporting harm reduction and evidence-based interventions
• Challenging punitive approaches and stigma
• Strengthening inclusive and equitable health systems

By engaging in international forums, Dianova contributes to shaping policies that reflect both scientific evidence and the lived realities of affected communities.

A Call to Action: Together for Health