Climate resilience and water , sanitation and hygiene
Working with partners and communities, UNICEF responds to the needs of affected children and families by ensuring access to safe drinking water, hygiene promotion, education, basic social services, and a safe protective environment.
Challenges
Both countries have been affected by climate change, emergency situations, epidemies and natural disasters. Flooding and limited potable water in rural locations have a significant impact on the lives of children and their families —from lack of attendance in school, low birth weights, diarrhea and other water-borne diseases.
Access to hygiene products for girls remains a challenge. Cultural and economic practices are the biggest inhibitors to full access.
Solutions
The long-term vision of change is that the capacities of structures and partners at the national and decentralized levels are strengthened to improve the development and implementation of child-sensitive climate and disaster risk reduction policies and programmes, and to provide equitable and sustainable access to low-carbon and climate-resilient WASH services.
UNICEF will support authorities and communities to identify and manage early warning systems to reduce the risks associated with disasters and climate change, and will help to strengthen partners’ capacities for preparedness and humanitarian response at the national and subnational levels.
With development partners, UNICEF will provide technical assistance and financial resources to support the Government and communities in scaling up WASH services. It will provide technical support for strengthening policies, strategies and regulations for the integration of climate change into national and decentralized WASH programmes.
UNICEF will promote scalable strategies for behaviour and social norms change to generate household and community demand for WASH services, and support strengthening of community capacities to operate and maintain climate-resilient WASH services.
