INTRODUCTION
Center for Public Health and Environmental Development is an environmental NGO established in the year 2004, by and through the contribution, coordination from a group of activist and experienced people from medical, environment and public health sectors. CEPHED's focus is to serve Nepalese people and communities in the field of public health and environment. CEPHED has adopted the vision of bridging people with the science and technology for healthy leaving and environmental safety and taken a mission to act as bridging forum between people with science and technology to make access new scientific knowledge, technology and safety measures of environment and public health sector through research, coordination, capacity building and policy dialogue, etc
CEPHED is UNEP Accredited Organization since Feburary 2023 and also accredited to MEAs.
CEPHED is working with and also willing to work with group and organizations around the country with an understanding that this will help to bring the experience from the ground to the concerned authorities notice that leads to more meaningful and sustainable solutions.
From the very beginning of its establishment, CEPHED has been engaged mainly on research, awareness raising, capacity building, policy influence especially in the area of chemical management, pesticide, obsolete pesticide, healthcare waste, POPs, heavy metals like mercury, lead and cadmium, toxic children toys, lead in paints, lead in household and school dust, lead in artificial jewellery, Lead in Lipsticks, mercury in cosmetic-skin whitening creams, mercury in hospital environment, mercury in aquatic animal(fish), mercury in human bodies (Dental Doctors, Nurses, Fisher folks and Female with child bearing age) etc.
Additionally, CEPHED has been actively engaged in research, production of Information, Education and Communication (IEC) materials both in printed and electronic format widely disseminating all over the country. The research results and findings have been shared with all stakeholders especially government, business communities and general public with special focus on vulnerable community and people especially children, pregnant women and occupationally vulnerable communities such as waste handler, medical professionals etc. at large scale thorough all possible means such as meeting, interaction, presentation, newspaper, radio and television programme and also through organizing series of local, district, regional and national level awareness and capacity building training programmes on these issues.
With its growing interest and engagement with various environmental issues of national and international importance, it became an active participating organization of several global networks working in the area of public health, environment and toxic free future. CEPHED is member organization of Toxic Link, International POPs Elimination Network (IPEN), Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternati
ves (GAIA), Environment Law Alliance Worldwide (Elaw), Healthcare Without Harm (HCWH), Collaborative on Health and the Environment (CHE) and Zero Mercury Working Group (ZMWG)/EEB, World Alliance for Mercury Free Dentistry (WAMFD), Asian Center for Environmental Health etc.
CEPHED has been doing research, raising awareness and at the same time setting pilot model projects on Environment Sound Management of Health Care Waste (ESM of HCWM), Mercury Free Health Care Services, Mercury Free Dentistry and PCB Free Metal Fabrication etc. CEPHED has set up several mercury free health care services and mercury free dentistry from different pilot projects. The second intervention made by CEPHED towards curbing the release of POPs (Dioxins, Furans) is the development of environmentally sound management of health care waste and promotion of the use of dry welding machine for metal fabricating throughout country as model programme.
CEPHED has been awarded with "2011 Stockholm Convention's PEN Award" by UN POPs Convent Secretariat recognising the organization's outstanding work on raising awareness on PCBs, their health effects and ways to prevent their release.
Back home, CEPHED has Honored with the "National Award 2011" from Grill Traders Association, Nepal.
CEPHED has been also received "Environment Conservation Award 2012" from the Government of Nepal, Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment (MOSTE) for its continuous works on protection of environment and public health.
The Certificate of HONORABLE MENTION from The Green Star Award 2013 for action to prevent and respond to joint challenges posed by environmental and humanitarian emergencies.