Complementary Capacity for Service
Human beings are distinguished by a special and complementary capacity for service, which, when properly exercised, can renew the quality of the environment and promote the wellbeing of all peoples. This capacity was referred to by the late Roy Emerson, first President of the International Federation of Environmental Health, in his address to the Inaugural World Congress of Environmental Health in Sydney, Australia in 1988. There he spoke in a global context of the fact that we are all neighbours now and that there is no finer thing than a good neighbour, and of the role of the Congress and Federation in dealing with problems and reconciling differences. His successor, Ron Spratt, in his address, followed through by highlighting our collective responsibilities and by challenging the Federation to take up the vital role of stimulating individual countries to fulfill their responsibilities in the promotion of global environmental health objectives.