On behalf of the International Occupational Hygiene Association (IOHA), I would like to thank you for the kind invitation to this meeting and for the opportunity to make this statement.
WHO is aiming at "Health for All". Considering the world wide magnitude of occupational health problems, if "Health for All" is to be achieved, the health of workers has to be protected. In fact, we would like to congratulate WHO for having already established a "Global Strategy on Occupational Health for All", for which we hope the necessary resources will be allocated.
As very well stated in your report "Health for All in the 21st Century", the "highest attainable standard of health is a fundamental right". In this connection, occupational hygiene plays an essential role as it aims at ensuring this very right to the working populations, through the anticipation, recognition, evaluation and control of health hazards in the work environment. The objective of occupational hygiene is to protect workers' health and well-being, while also safeguarding surrounding communities and the general environment.
Unplanned and poorly controlled industrialization, hazardous occupations and unsafe work practices, transboundary movement of hazardous materials, all constitute appreciable and negative health determinants, which can however be controlled. As mentioned in the "Health for All" Report, "the purpose of human development is to permit people to lead economically productive and socially satisfying lives". The prevention and control of hazards arising from work processes may appreciably contribute to having not only economic, but also social and sustainable development.
Our Association was founded in 1987 with the objective of promoting the development of occupational hygiene and its practice, at the highest professional and ethical level, worldwide, thus spreading its benefits to all working populations.
IOHA has now 22 affiliated professional associations from 20 countries, involving more than 20,000 occupational hygiene professionals, who constitute a substantial part of the world resource in this field. It is therefore in a position to contribute to the establishment of worldwide partnerships for the protection and promotion of workers' health.
The science and practice of occupational hygiene is well developed in some countries, much less in others, therefore there is much to be gained by sharing knowledge and experiences in this field. Joint efforts by NGO's such as IOHA, and international organizations such as WHO can greatly contribute to the "globalization" of the available information. With a view to promoting the dissemination and exchange of information in our field, IOHA seeks to create an international network of occupational hygienists, which becomes increasingly feasible with the technological advances in telecommunications everywhere in the world. Moreover, IOHA publishes a newsletter which is distributed to more than 20,000 members worldwide and is also posted in the World Wide Web.
Another key aspect is the need for appropriate human resources; this has been a concern of IOHA and international efforts towards ensuring professional competence in occupational hygiene have been made, particularly concerning training activities and certification, indispensable for a recognized and visible profession. Another relevant activity is the IOHA Mentor Programme which links up occupational hygienists from countries where our field is respectively more and less developed, aiming at learning relationships tailored to real needs.
During the 1990's, IOHA has become an international platform for occupational hygiene through the organization of International Scientific Conferences, namely in Brussels, in Hong Kong and in Switzerland, and will start the next millennium with a Scientific Conference in Australia. IOHA has participated in occupational health and safety meetings in every region of the world.
In view of such similar goals and ideals, IOHA very much appreciates to be an NGO in official relations with WHO thus being able to closely collaborate in relevant activities and projects. Besides having participated in all relevant WHO meetings for several years, such as the 12th Session of the Joint ILO/WHO Committee on Occupational Health , in 1995, and the ones in 1996 and 1997 on "Strengthening Occupational Health in the Baltic Sea Countries", IOHA has actively contributed to publications and documents which had an impact in the development and practice of our profession, for example: "Occupational Hygiene in Europe: Development of the Profession" (WHO, 1992), and, "Prevention and Control Exchange (PACE) - a document for decision-makers" (WHO, 1995) - in this connection I would also like to mention IOHA's further involvement in the implementation of the PACE Initiative, particularly concerning the component dealing with Small-scale Enterprises and the activity on Dust Control.
The Executive Board of our Association has recently developed a new strategic plan giving high priority to our collaboration with WHO, with a view to contributing to the achievement of Health for All in the 21st Century.