At the heart of Rome stands Villa Maraini, the humanitarian center of the Italian Red Cross and one of the world’s leading models for addiction treatment, harm reduction, and mental-health recovery. Founded by Dr. Massimo Barra in 1976, Villa Maraini has become a lifeline for people living with substance-use disorders, combining clinical care, outreach, and advocacy within a compassionate and rights-based framework.

According to the Villa Maraini Annual Report 2024, the organization met every day more than 700 clients, delivered 365 days a year street-outreach services, providing almost 100.000 syringes, assisting 150 people in risk of overdose, and distributing almost 300 naloxone doses. VM hosted for 10.000 nights over 170 clients among those in alternative-to-detention and people in need for a shelter, and implemented more than 2,000 hours of volunteers training, data collection, and advocacy activities through the Italian Red Cross network and the International Federation of Red Cross/Red Crescent Societies. It also trained Iranian Red Crescent delegates on harm reduction in Rome, provided humanitarian drug-policy training to over 50 professionals in Tehran, and supported the Kenya Red Cross “Harm Reduction in Lamu” project, strengthening community capacity in Africa.

This session brings together Dr. Massimo Barra, Philippe José Garcia, and Mauro Patti to discuss how Villa Maraini’s global collaborations—from Europe to the Middle East and Africa—have transformed addiction care through empathy, evidence, and international partnership. Through a live, moderated dialogue, participants will explore how the Rome Consensus for Humanitarian Drug Policy connects clinical expertise with social responsibility, and how Villa Maraini’s measurable outcomes can guide mental-health and addiction professionals in building inclusive systems of care that leave no one behind.