The Consumer Safety Institute, which I represent here as member of the Board, congratulates the Members of the Dutch Pediatric Association for its outstanding achievements in the past 100 years. We are confidently looking forward to its programming for the next era, and cordially support its initiative to highlight the injury-problem as one of the major health issues at present, in particular for young children and adolescents.The Consumer Safety Institute in Amsterdam was established in 1983 by the Ministry of Health and is a Government-sponsored body. Its main mission is to reduce the number and severity of home and leisure accidents in close collaboration with the Ministry of Health, which is responsible for the general policy for safety and legislation on product safety. The budget of the Consumer Safety Institute is, at present Dfl 7.5 million per year, the main part being a financial contribution provided by the Ministry of Health. The Ministry of Health expects the Institute to create a supportive environment for policy implementation. The main activities of the Institute are: statistical and epidemiological research into injuries due to home and leisure accidents; technical studies to enable the drafting of safety standards for consumer products; and educational and informational activities to increase awareness among risk groups.The Consumer Safety Institute is holding the secretariat of the European Consumer Safety Association, a voluntary organization that joins seventy institutes and bodies that have a keen interest in product safety and consumer safety in Europe. The Institute acts also as a collaborating centre for the World Health Organization's (WHO) Injury Prevention Programme.