UNICEF's commitment towards Hand-washing in Europe and Central Asia
The year’s theme of the Global Hand-washing Day, “Our Future is at Hand – Let’s Move Forward Together” calls for coordinated action as we actively work toward universal hand hygiene.
October 15 is Global Handwashing Day (GHD), a global advocacy day dedicated to increasing awareness and understanding about the importance of handwashing with soap as an effective and affordable way to prevent diseases and save lives. This year’s theme of the Global Hand-washing Day, “Our Future is at Hand – Let’s Move Forward Together” calls for coordinated action as we actively work toward universal hand hygiene.
In Europe and Central Asia Region (ECA), UNICEF in collaboration with WHO and other implementing partners held a regional webinar and supported country-level activities that further amplified hand washing as a no-regrets investment towards containing COVID-19 and achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) by 2030.
The webinar was attended by governments, development agencies, financers, implementing organizations among others, and had presentations and round table discussions with a call on governments to make high-level policy commitments to hand hygiene; messages from the Global State of Handhygiene report; highlights on strengthening local supply chains to deliver sustainable, affordable hand hygiene solutions; lessons learned from assessment of hand hygiene in healthcare facilities; and discussions on a model for estimating hand hygiene costs.
The GHD provided an opportunity for governments in Moldova and Tajikistan to showcase their commitments to Hand Hygiene through pre-recorded videos by government representatives. The Ministry of Health and Social Protection and the Ministry of Education and Science in Tajikistan committed universal access to hand hygiene facilities in schools, public places, and healthcare institutions by 2030 respectively.
In Moldova, the People’s advocate for children reiterated the commitment to promote better hygiene in Moldova’s educational institutions. The recordings were shared during the global webinar and more commitments from governments and corporations to hand hygiene from around the world were also made.
These compliments messaging from the state of Hand hygiene report that governments should show leadership and make hand hygiene a public policy issue.
