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Media advisory

UNICEF reports that 1.5 million young children die every year due to lack of safe water and sanitation

Who:   Ms. Ann M. Veneman, UNICEF Executive Director
           Ms. Maria Mutagamba, Minister of State for Water,
           Lands and Environment, Uganda

What:   Launch of Progress for Children – A Report Card
            on Water and Sanitation

When:   12:30pm EST, Thursday, 28 September 2006

Where:  Room 226, United Nations, New York, NY 10017, USA

Why:           

This UNICEF report reveals the results of efforts since 1990 to expand access to safe water and basic sanitation worldwide.
Its conclusions are mixed: while impressive progress has been made in expanding water coverage, millions are still without safe water. When it comes to sanitation, the report finds that the situation is even worse.
The report describes the toll on children: the numbers who die as a result of diarrhoea; the impact of water-borne illnesses on their long-term health; the loss of schooling. It concludes that children are paying the price for the lack of clean water and proper sanitation.

Note to broadcasters:  video footage of water and sanitation projects worldwide is available free of charge from The Newsmarket at http://www.thenewsmarket.com or by visiting www.unicef.org.

For further information and interviews please contact:

Jessica Malter, UNICEF Media: (+1) 212 326 7412, jmalter@unicef.org
Kathryn Donovan, UNICEF Media, (+1) 212 326 7452, kdonovan@unicef.org