Safe water still a dream for almost one billion people
KUALA LUMPUR, 18 August 2009 – Access to safe drinking water, adequate sanitation and improved hygiene are crucial for children and their families to survive. Yet almost one billion people still go without due to a rising water demand and unreliable availability. Climate change, the global economic crisis along with an increase in emergencies have added to the problem. According to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), poor sanitation, unsafe water and unhygienic practices cause millions of children in the developing world to suffer needlessly from disease. “Every day approximately 4,500 children die before their fifth birthday due to unsafe water, sanitation and hygiene,” said UNICEF Representative to Malaysia, Mr. Youssouf Oomar, who is also Special Representative to Brunei. “Diarrhoea, a result of unclean water and poor hygiene, is the second biggest killer”. No hygiene without water Simple, affordable and effective interventions such as handwashing with soap and water help reduce the incidence of diarrheal morbidity by up to 47 per cent. Good hygiene however is less likely to be practiced in households when water is not readily available. For school-aged children water supply, sanitation and hygiene facilities in schools have a profound impact on school attendance and retention. An easily accessible water source close to the home will free up girls from the often laborious, and time consuming task of fetching water thus allowing them to take their rightful place in the classroom. “Governments must integrate water into their development agenda recognising that a policy of common good must appreciate the rural/urban, rich/poor divide,” stressed Mr. Youssouf. “Every child is entitled to safe water to protect his or her right to survival and development as enshrined in the Convention on the Rights of the Child.” World Water Week This year’s annual World Water Week from 16-22 August will serve as a forum for global leaders and experts to share innovative solutions on water-related issues and its impact on poverty, health, education, gender equality and the environment. Organised by the Stockholm International Water Institute, the week is themed "Responding to Global Changes: Accessing Water for the Common Good – With a Special Focus on Transboundary Waters.” UNICEF is hosting and participating in several seminars, workshops and side events including: (i) Unite for children – Water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) in Schools, (ii) Diarrhoea: What's WASH Got to Do with it?, (iii) Safe Water Services in Post-conflict and Post-disaster Contexts (iv) Sanitation Promotion 101: What are the Various Promotional Approaches We Use? The United Nations declared 2005-2015 the International Decade for Action ‘Water for Life’ realising that achieving the millennium development targets for water and sanitation have wide-ranging benefits including yielding greater socio-economic returns via improved health, a productive workforce, and educated children.
World Water Week 2009 Celebrating 20 years of children's rights  Millennium Development Goals   Clean hands save lives World Water Day
Transboundary water: Photo Essay
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