Meet the Program Committee
Dr Khuat Thi Hai Oanh, Executive Director, Centre for Supporting Community Development Initiatives, Vietnam
Khuat Thi Hai Oanh is a medical doctor and the Founder and Executive Director of the Centre for Supporting Community Development Initiatives (SCDI), a Vietnamese NGO whose mission is to improve life of marginalized populations through community empowerment and creating enabling environment. SCDI serves sex workers, drug users, people living with HIV, their spouses and children as well as men who have sex with men and transgender people.
Oanh has been advocating for harm reduction and other effective, right-based treatment of drug users in Vietnam since 2003. She witnessed Vietnam legalizing harm reduction, and moving from mandatory rehabilitation to more voluntary treatment of drug users. In her other capacity, Oanh is the Chair of Vietnam Civil Society Partnership Platform on AIDS and Chair of Council of Representatives of the Asia Pacific Coalition of AIDS Service Organizations. In 2009, the World Economic Forum honored Oanh as a Young Global Leader. At the International AIDS Conference 2014, Oanh delivered a plenary presentation on harm reduction and drug policy. Oanh was selected as an Asia 21 Young Leader in 2011 by the Asia Society.
