The WHO Regional Office for Europe is one of six regional offices of the World Health Organization (WHO), a specialized agency of the United Nations with primary responsibility for international health matters and public health. It supports the 52 Member States in the WHO European Region in developing health policies, health systems and public health programmes to improve health, reduce inequities and strengthen international solidarity for health. Specifically, the Regional Office supports countries in: a) developing their own health policies, health systems and public health programmes; b) preventing and overcoming threats to health; c) anticipating future challenges; and d) advocating public health. The European Centre for Environment and Health (ECEH) is part of WHO/Europe and comprises two divisions, one in Rome and one in Bonn. ECEH Rome focuses on developing evidence-based strategies and tools to protect health from the harmful effects of environmental hazards. ECEH Rome actively participates in the European environment and health process, marked by a series of ministerial conferences. Most recently, the Fourth Ministerial Conference on Environment and Health, held in Budapest in 2004, was dedicated to the theme "The future for our children". At the Conference, European health and environment ministers committed themselves to ensuring healthy environments for children.

Marco Martuzzi is an epidemiologist with experience in environmental and occupational studies. He has worked at the Italian Institute of Health, the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, the Imperial College School of Medicine, before moving to WHO, first at the International Agency for Research on Cancer (Lyon) and over the last five years at the European Centre for Environment and Health, Rome Division. His recent areas of work is on the health effects and the health impact of several environmental factors including air pollution, asbestos, waste, electromagnetic fields and socio-economic determinants. He has experience in methods and applications of descriptive and geographical studies in non-communicable disease epidemiology, which were the subject of his PhD obtained from the University of London in 1996.

WHO is responsible for WP 1.5, Cross-cutting issues, and participates in WP 3.6, Wastes. It will also contribute to WP5.2 (Internal training).