Healthy People Living on a Healthy Planet: The Future We’re Working For

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the right to health for millions of people around the world is increasingly under threat. The WHO Council on the Economics of Health for All found that at least 140 countries recognize health as a human right in their constitution however there are not robust enough regulations to protect citizen health. Outdoor air pollution claims a life every five seconds. From disasters and diseases to conflict and the climate crisis, threats to our physical and environmental health abound.¹

To shed a light on these challenges, the theme for World Health Day 2024 is “my health, my right.”

This theme is a perfect complement to NSF, where the right to health is at the forefront of our daily work. In 2022, NSF was designated a WHO Collaborating Centre on Water Quality, Food Safety and Medical Device Safety. In this role, which NSF has held in differing capacities since 1996, we contribute to the strengthening of food and water safety and capacity building in developing countries.

NSF’s support to WHO and its 192 Member States includes:

• Drinking Water Quality: NSF tests Household Water Treatment (HWT) technologies according to the WHO performance standards and protocols.
• Toxicology: Our toxicologists provide technical support and toxicological chemical risk assessments to update and harmonize WHO’s drinking water quality guidelines.
• Food Safety: NSF offers food safety methodology improvement and risk assessments to WHO for food additives and contaminants per the Environmental Health Criteria EHC 240.
• Medical Device Safety: We provide medical device and in-vitro (IVD) regulation training and education to assist WHO in strengthening capacity in resource-limited locations.

At NSF, our mission is to improve human and planet health. For 80 years, we have worked relentlessly to carry out this mission by developing 160+ standards and protocols and providing world-class testing, inspection, certification, consulting and digital solutions to the food, water, health sciences and consumer goods industries.

NSF’s story began at the University of Michigan’s School of Public Health and since then, powered by our belief in public health for all, has expanded to Europe, Asia, Africa and Latin America.

On World Health Day, we join our colleagues at WHO and around the world to celebrate the progress we’ve made and to look forward in great anticipation to the changes still to come.

Source:

¹ World Health Day 2024 (who.int)