1. NAME OF THE ASSOCIATION.

1.1 The name of the Association is: National Association of Environmental Health in South Africa (the “Association”), shortly known as NAEHSA,

The National Association of Environmental Health in South Africa (NAEHSA) is the premier Environmental Health Professional organisation in South Africa which advocates environmental health issues and represents the professional interests of all Environmental Health Practitioners. NAEHSA is committed to the professional development and status of its members and the enhancement of Environmental Health Standards and services to the community through advocacy, promotion, education and leadership.

2. Values

• Professionalism
• Integrity and Ethics
• Transparency
• Accountability
• Responsiveness
• Sustainability and Stewardship

3. LIVING THE VALUES

3.1 NAEHSA is committed to ensuring that all its activities are undertaken consistent with the objectives of the Constitution and with its values:

• Professionalism: To perform its tasks and derive outcomes to the best of our ability, with optimum use of resources and with a focus on continuous improvement, productivity and professional development;
• Integrity and Ethics: To deal with each other, our members and stakeholders on the basis of trust, understanding and respect for differing\ views and interests. NAEHSA find solutions that best reconcile diverse interests and provide optimum value to its members and stakeholders in the interests of enhancing environmental health;
• Transparency: NAEHSA is open and honest in its dealings with each other, members and stakeholders;
  
• Accountability: NAEHSA serve the needs of its members in a professional, responsible and accountable manner;
• Responsiveness: Engages with its members and stakeholders to enable members and stakeholders to play a participative role in policy development and decision making process; and
• Sustainability and Stewardship: Acknowledges its responsibility for resources, the environment and ensuring our natural resources are sustainably managed for our own quality of life and for future generations.

4. OBJECTIVES.

The Association is a non-profit, non-political, non-trade union, non-sexist, non-racial but democraticprofessional organisation established by professionals to advocate for EH profession, inform & protect the communities and to enhance environmental health service in communities as way of ploughing back to needy communities. Three primary objectives are identified herein with a host of secondary/subsidiary objectives as follows:

4.1. To promote, market and ensure active participation of communities, business, institution of higher learning and civil society in Environmental Health issues.

• To have a unique memorandum of understanding in place which provides access to the most senior decision makers in the public health policy and practice field;
• Set standards; accredit courses and qualifications for the education of members and EHPs.
• To market the profession of Environmental Health locally and internationallythrough health promoting activities, electronic and print media;
• Support civil society environmental health initiatives that seeks to promote the right to a healthy and safe environment for all;
• Encourage and support sound business practices that promote the right to a healthy and safe environment for all;
• Advocate for multi-skilling and professional development of Environmental Health Practitioners through curriculum development and improvement;
• Promote strong unity amongst members for the benefit of the public, irrespective of race, colour, sex, religion, creed, political aspiration and/or affiliation.
• Responding to members’ enquiries on EH issues;
• Sharing knowledge and insight to promote high standards of professional practice and new ways of working.
• Putting the environment at the centre of everything we do

4.2. To promote professionalization and sound ethical conduct of Environmental Health Professionals

• Collaborate with research institutions for coordination and improvement of Environmental Health Research;
• Promote adherence of Environmental Health Professionals to Ethical conduct of the Health Professions Council of South Africa; and the Association;
• Forge partnership with private, Governmental and Non-Governmental Organisations/Non-Profit organisations, regional and international professional bodies that seeks to promote Environmental Health Practice;
• Promote and support Environmental Health exchange programme that seeks to improve the delivery of Environmental Health Service.
• To improve and support the implementation of Environmental Health Scope of Practice.
• Protect and promote the interests and status of all members registered with the Association;
• Information-gathering and research to provide information, evidence and policy advice to local and national government, environmental and public health practitioners in the public and private sectors.

4.3. To promote and improve national, regional and international relations on matters affecting Environmental Health.

• Collaborate with various Ministries and interested partners in –promoting along and healthy life for all South Africans;
• Facilitate and share resources on cross-border coordination of Environmental Health services with neighbouring countries to improve efforts to prevent cross-border transmission of diseases;Advocate for the development and implementation of binding regional and multinational agreements on Environmental Health and related fields;
• Design, facilitate and support the implementation of national, regional and multinational projects of Environmental Health nature;
• Advocating for recognition of Environmental Health profession in all spheres of Government, civil society, industry and multinational organisations;
• To advocate for proper implementation of Environmental Health Services within all spheres of operation and provide legal support/intervention to the practitioners where required;
• Create structures (countrywide) that would promote and enable involvement and participation in the affairs of the Association by members at all levels.
• Create structures (countrywide) that would promote and enable involvement and participation in the affairs of the Associationby members at all levels; and
• Stimulate discussion about how environmental health contributes to the supportive, safe, healthier and sustainable environments.

We continuously improve our environmental performance and implement a systematic approach to setting and achieving environmental objectives and targets and to demonstrating that they have been achieved.