CIS is the knowledge management arm of the Programme on Safety and Health at Work and the Environment (SafeWork). Its goal is to ensure that workers and everyone concerned with their protection have access to the facts they need to prevent occupational injuries and diseases. CIS continuously monitors world literature on occupational safety and health through its contacts with publishers and with 140 focal points ("CIS Centres") at the national or regional level. Summaries and citations of the most useful publications, as well as products based on the collected information, are disseminated electronically and in print. The network of CIS Centres contributes to the exchange of information among persons responsible for the establishment and implementation of national policies and programmes. CIS was founded in 1959 as a joint endeavour of the ILO, the International Social Security Association (ISSA), the European Coal and Steel Community and the occupational safety and health authorities of 11 European countries. The original 11-member network of National Centres has grown to cover 100 countries all over the world. In many countries, Collaborating Centres complement the National Centres and the CIS network also comprises 2 Regional Centres: the Arab Occupational Health and Safety Institute of the Arab Labour Organization in Damascus (Syria) became a CIS Centre in 2004 and the African Regional Labour Administration Centre in Harare (Zimbabwe), in 2006. With the evolution of European institutions, CIS now enjoys the support of the European Commission. The menus to the left provide access to the full range of CIS databases and publications. They also link to details about the programme and budget of the CIS, its network of Centres and a number of occupational safety and health information sources inside and outside the ILO.