Sight and Life Magazine 1/2011

92 WHAT'S NEW4ne Collaboration JoinsHealth Assembly14ldThe Cochrane Collaboration was recently accepted as aNon-Governmental Organization in Official Relations with theWorld Health Organization (WHO). In formalizing the relationshipwith the WHO, the Collaboration has been awarded aseat as an observer at the World Health Assembly, allowingthe Cochrane Collaboration to provide input on WHO healthresolutions and formalizing the communications betweenthe two bodies.The partnership will allow the Cochrane Collaboration tosignificantly influence the way research evidence is createdand used by the WHO, by improving the collection of reliablehealth information and promoting intersectoral collaborationand high-quality research to produce the necessary evidenceto ensure policies in all sectors contribute to improvinghealth and health equity.Current plans for continued partnership between theCochrane Collaboration and the World Health Organizationinclude the development of the WHO e-Library of Evidencefor Nutrition Actions (eLENA). Cochrane contributors haveidentified relevant Cochrane Reviews and are updating orconducting new Cochrane Reviews in response to the WHO’spriorities. This process will facilitate the development ofsound, evidence-informed guidelines on nutrition issuesrelevant to WHO Member States and other partners.For more information on the Cochrane Collaboration, visitwww.cochrane.orgns New York AcademyNutrition Council15nces’From left to right: Manfred Eggersdorfer, Michael Burney,Jim Hamilton, Bruce Cogill, Grace Xu, Hugh Welsh, Jim Elliottand Jon PetersDSM, of which Sight and Life is the humanitarian initiative,officially joined the Leadership Council of the New York Academyof Sciences’ Global Nutrition Science Research Initiativeduring the Academy’s gala dinner. DSM is the only food ingredientcompany to be among the more than 20 organizationscoming from government, academia and the non-profit andprivate sectors that comprise the Council.This landmark move will bring together the best scientificresearch and development competences available on nutritionto address global hidden hunger in rich and poor countriesalike. In collaboration with the World Health Organization,this initiative will shape the global nutrition scienceresearch agenda and facilitate a multi-sector action plan. Theobjective is for this body of research to be used to help donorcountries, development organizations, and governmentsto design and implement more effective nutrition programs.“I am excited and honored to be part of such an ambitious andone-of-a-kind initiative and [to have] the opportunity to workwith such a prestigious group of experts,” commented