Distinguished Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen.
I would like to welcome you warmly to the Workshop on the Prevention of Childhood Drowning in South-East Asian Countries.
About 56 000 children under 15 years of age die from drowning every year in the Western Pacific Region. This makes drowning one of the leading causes of childhood deaths in the Region. For every fatal drowning, there are many more non-fatal cases of drowning, serious enough to require hospitalization.
Disability is a tragic consequence of near-fatal drowning among children.
As you are aware, Millennium Development Goal 4 calls for a two thirds reduction in under-5 mortality by 2015. Governments have made great progress in preventing communicable diseases and improving child nutrition.
Nevertheless, we need to enhance our efforts to prevent injuries‑‑‑including drowning‑‑‑in children. Injuries significantly affect child development as well.
The Convention on the Rights of the Child, ratified by almost all governments, states that all children have a right to a safe environment and to protection from injury and violence. Safeguarding these rights is a challenge, but it can be achieved through concerted effort.
The 2008 World Report on Child Injury Prevention called for renewed efforts in child injury prevention by Member States as a means of improving child survival.
Implementing this recommendation, particularly in low- and middle-income countries where the problem of drowning is most pressing, will require enhanced capacity. This need will be addressed in this workshop, with the latest knowledge and the sharing of technical experience and lessons learnt. A central issue is the need to strengthen the quality of data on childhood drowning.
Given the complexity of childhood drowning, prevention requires a holistic approach, based on the circumstances and particular pattern observed in each country.
Strategies such as the building of safe bridges; the installation of a safe water supply; building barriers at pools, ponds and other bodies of water; the covering of wells; and the use of floating devices are effective in reducing drowning among children.
The challenge comes in incorporating these ideas into new and existing housing environments. We need to develop innovative community-based projects that are cost-effective and sustainable.
WHO looks forward to cooperation with Member States and partners such as UNICEF, the International Life Saving Federation, Safe Kids Worldwide, and the Alliance for Safe Children to achieve our common goal of preventing drowning among children.
I urge you to participate actively in the discussions and look forward to the outcomes of the workshop. I hope that you will have a fruitful and enjoyable stay in Manila.
Thank you.