World Health Organization (WHO)

KWR is a WHO Collaborating Centre on Water Quality and Health

KWR has been a Collaborating Centre (CC) on Water Quality and Health of the World Health Organization WHO since 2013. As a CC, KWR engages in a range of activities in the service of global public health.

KWR is a Collaborating Centre (CC) on Water Quality and Health of the World Health Organization, a specialised organisation of the United Nations. This designation was renewed for the second time in late 2021. Working under the WHO umbrella, CCs can initiate their own research. WHO is a major player in the field of international health policy. Through CCs, WHO gains access to the high-quality institutional capacity it needs to do its work and attain its objectives. Among other things, KWR provides specialist advice based on more than fifty years of research in water quality and health.

CCs enter into long-term alliances with WHO. Worldwide, thirteen CCs in the field of water and sanitation collect data for WHO reports, organise meetings or develop guidelines. KWR sees its CC status as a recognition by the international community that we are a high-quality scientific and technical leader in our field with a significant number of highly qualified staff. Our advanced laboratory facilities and strong working relationship with water companies and institutes at home and abroad also play a role in the designation as CC. Working as a CC opens up excellent opportunities to collaborate with other CCs internationally on information sharing, the pooling of resources and the development of technical alliances.

Results from 2013 to 2022

KWR’s work as a Collaborating Centre of the WHO in recent years has included:

Objectives for the years to come

The working plan of the KWR Collaborating Centre in the years to come includes:

  • The assessment upon request of various types of rapid E. coli testing kits for water quality
  • Providing technical input about drinking-water quality for the revision of the WHO Guidelines for Drinking-Water Quality
  • Training about the monitoring of water quality for a range of national institutes
  • Technical support for the revision of the WHO guidelines relating to the environmental aspects of WASH (water, sanitation and hygiene) and antibiotic resistance, sewage surveillance for SARS-COV-2 and reuse
  • The dissemination of WHO guidelines to the water and sanitation sector through international and regional forums and channels
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