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Speeches

Earth Day: Healthy Planet for Children

New York, 22 April 2000

Dear Ms. Annan, Ms. Edwards, Ms. Al-Mughairy, distinguished ladies and gentlemen and children present on this important occasion.

It gives me great pleasure to speak on behalf of UNICEF today. Earth Day is a marvellous opportunity for us to reflect on how we can ensure that our planet remains healthy for our children.

We have been told (by the Global Environment Outlook 2000) that the climate is getting warmer, fresh water is becoming more scarce, mammal, bird and plant species are continuing to disappear, rainforests are shrinking, and air pollution is choking many cities.

Let us take a brief moment to assess the current situation:

600 million people are living in shantytowns;
100 million are homeless;
1.3 billion live on less than $1 a day;
1.1 billion do not have safe drinking water;
3 billion do not have even a simplest toilet to use, not to mention lack of other sanitation services like waste collection.
Nearly two million children every year die from water-borne diseases. Another two million die of acute respiratory infections resulting from air pollution. Meanwhile, the majority of the 300-400 million people who die from malaria each year are children.

Environmental conditions have a particular impact on girls. Where clean water is not easily accessible, it is almost always the girls who are given the task of walking to the water source and collecting water for the community. In some parts of Africa, for example, it may take up to six hours for one trip to the water source. Considering that some families need a few trips a day, schooling for these girls is no longer a viable option.

Children have a right to the highest quality of health and environmental sanitation, as enshrined in the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Preventable diseases related to poor sanitation can be easily conquered by cost effective methods such as the promotion of good hygiene practices, including hand washing and the safe disposal of faeces.

What is required, however, is a new mindset which views adequate sanitation as more than a health issue. It is about tackling underlying issues of poverty reduction. It is about human dignity.

UNICEF is focused and dedicated to the immediate environment of children, including their homes, schools and communities -- the places they spend the most time.

We help families in poor countries to gain access to clean, safe water and sanitation. We promote simple but effective solutions like immunization and hygiene behaviours to help protect children from diseases and germs. We support nations in offering every child quality education and nutrition. We encourage children and youth to become environmentally conscious. We also partner with other organizations in support of sustainable development.

Most importantly, UNICEF speaks out when children’s rights are being violated. This is why we feel strongly that the environmental movement should place the child at the centre of its activities. It is UNICEF’s view that the child is the crucible of sustainable human development. The environment as a whole and the environment in which children grow and develop are inextricably linked.

Let us all work towards a common goal for the better future of our children, as they too deserve to live in a clean and sustainable Earth.