• WHO Collaborating Centre supports water safety initiatives worldwide
GENEVA, Switzerland, & ANN ARBOR, MI, March 21, 2007 -- To continue its commitment to World Health Organization (WHO) programs, NSF International today announced a new agreement that will further expand its support of the WHO Collaborating Centres for Food Safety, Water Safety and Indoor Environment.
Building on an existing collaboration, NSF will now provide WHO with a full-time employee on a one-year secondment at WHO Headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. In the first year of this agreement, the NSF employee will work on assignment through WHO's water sanitation and health programs to assist in developing new WHO studies and recommendations.
Lena Hope, NSF Senior Certification Project Manager, has been selected by WHO to spend a year working as a project manager for WHO's Water Sanitation and Health Programs. Hope will be the first NSF staff member to participate in the new secondment program, which was created through an agreement that enables NSF to provide WHO with a full-time employee working from WHO's Headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. Beginning this week, Hope will provide technical guidance on public health recommendations for WHO studies and expert meetings.
As a WHO Collaborating Centre, NSF provides WHO and its Member States with expertise on food safety, drinking water safety and treatment technology, and indoor environment. A WHO Collaborating Centre is an organization designated by WHO to form an international collaborative network supporting WHO's mandate to improve overall international health.
"WHO is pleased to have Lena Hope onboard working with us as part of this assignment," said Jamie Bartram, Coordinator, Assessing and Managing Environmental Risks for WHO. "We have very specific goals to achieve with this first secondment, and we are looking forward both to a high-value outcome and to it serving as the model for many successful future annual secondments working with NSF International."
This program will continue each year and will focus on providing future opportunities in the areas of food and water safety, and indoor environments.
"Since 1999, NSF has worked closely with WHO to administer training and educational services to developing countries as part of our overall mission to protect and improve human health worldwide," said Bob Ferguson, NSF Vice President of Water Programs. "We are pleased to offer this additional international support, while continuing to expand our work with WHO."
Ms. Hope has worked as a project manager for NSF's Water Distribution Systems Program for over five years. Her responsibilities have included managing drinking water chemicals certification, representing NSF at key tradeshows and conferences, and client communications. She holds a bachelor's degree in environmental engineering from the University of Chemical Technology in Russia, Moscow.
The World Health Organization (www.who.org) is the United Nations specialized agency for health. It was established on 7 April 1948. WHO's objective, as set out in its Constitution, is the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of health. Health is defined in WHO's Constitution as a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. WHO is governed by 193 Member States through the World Health Assembly. The Health Assembly is composed of representatives from WHO's Member States.
NSF International (www.nsf.org), an independent, not-for-profit organization, helps protect you by certifying products and writing standards for food, water, air and consumer goods. Founded in 1944, NSF is committed to protecting public health and safety worldwide. NSF is a World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Food and Water Safety and Indoor Environment. Additional services include safety audits for the food and water industries, management systems registrations delivered through NSF International Strategic Registrations, Ltd., organic certification provided by Quality Assurance International and education through the NSF Center for Public Health Education.
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Also see: "NSF International, France's CARSO-LSEHL sign cooperative agreement"
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