DEKRA

The testing, inspection and certification organization DEKRA and UNICEF, the United Nations Children's Fund, are joining forces to help provide children in Ethiopia and India with clean drinking water and make their communities more resilient to the impact of climate change.

In the two countries, which are particularly affected by climate change, the aim of the partnership is to reach approximately 860,000 children and their families with access to a sustainable supply of clean and affordable drinking water.

DEKRA will support UNICEF to do this with a commitment of EURO 5m over the next five years.

Clean water for better living conditions

Access to clean drinking water is essential for children's health and survival – but over 450 million children worldwide live in regions with high levels of water insecurity. Roughly every two minutes, a child dies from a disease caused by contaminated water. [1]

This new partnership contributes to UNICEF’s ‘Water Security for All’ initiative, which aims to improve the living conditions of particularly vulnerable population groups through innovative, climate-resilient “WASH” programs (water, sanitation and hygiene programmes.)

“Children are the least responsible for the world’s water and climate crisis, yet they shoulder the greatest burden of its impact,” said Kitty van der Heijden, UNICEF Deputy Executive Director, Partnerships. “Investing in water security is one of the most powerful opportunities of today, for children, for economies, and for the future of the planet. While mitigation is essential for long-term climate stability, it is not enough. Adaptation tackles the impacts already happening now, and businesses have a vital role to play in helping to close this gap, as DEKRA is demonstrating through its critical support.”

Partnership with impact – locally and globally

Funding from the partnership will be used for solar-powered water pumps, the establishment of technical competence centers to enable learning, knowledge sharing and exchange on solar energy technologies, and also the integration of innovative technology into groundwater treatment programmes.

The programme activities not only help communities adapt to climate change, but also promote education, health and local development opportunities. The impact of the partnership is measured and reported using sustainable development indicators based on the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

“At DEKRA, safety has been our mission for 100 years – but, in today’s changing world, we need to embrace a broader definition of safety, which includes protection from the impacts of accelerating climate change", said Stan Zurkiewicz, DEKRA CEO. "This is exactly where our cooperation with UNICEF begins. Together, we are creating safety where it is needed most. In doing so, we are helping to protect the future of children in a changing world and open up new opportunities for them.”

[1] triple-threat-wash-EN.pdf

UNICEF does not endorse any company, brand, product or service. 

Last updated June 2025