NIPH launches activities related to air pollution
Kosovo’s National Institute for Public Health and NIRAS, the implementing partner for the Environmental Data Collection project, have started the first series of workshops on the importance of air quality, its health impact, and behavioral change. The project is supported by Millennium Foundation Kosovo (MFK), as an activity of the threshold program financed by the Millennium Challenge Corporation.
Activities encompass drafting of national health advisories, implementation of the multilayered media campaign as well as series of capacity building seminars and workshops, designed for cross-sectoral government staff, the media, and civil society to understand air quality and its impact on the quality of life, as well as to help implement data-based policies and remedial actions in reducing air pollution.
On the opening of the workshop, Petrit Selimi, MFK CEO, highlighted the need for more intensive cooperation between the public sector, civil society and private sector in both producing reliable data on air quality and the direct causes of air pollution, as well as to use data for appropriate governmental long-term planning in ensuring better air quality for citizens.
Director of NIPH, Naser Ramadani, stated that such activities should have been initiated long time ago considering the concerning level of air pollution in Kosovo, respectively in Prishtina. On behalf of the entire NIPH staff, Mr. Ramadani promised to be highly committed and engaged in the field of public health and in any issues affecting the citizens’ health.
Environmental Health Expert, Henk J. Th. Bloemen, who will be embedded for two years with NIPH as part of the MFK-supported project, ensured the participants that these workshops would highly contribute to understanding the need for wider interaction and coordination between various institutions, other bodies, NGO’s and media, when drafting reports and specific policy recommendations.
This is the first series of an intensive round of activities, part of the Millennium Challenge Corporation -funded project entitled “Supply of project management, air quality information management, behavioral change and communication services.”