Photo credit: Indonesian National Search and Rescue Agency (BASARNAS)

25 July 2023, Cairo - Today is World Drowning Prevention Day, which is celebrated on the 25 July every year. 

The slogan of this year’s World Drowning Prevention Day is “Anyone can drown, no one should”. To mark the day, WHO continues to focus on raising awareness on drowning as a public health issue, reminding people of what everyone should do to prevent drowning. 

World Drowning Prevention Day was declared on the 28 April 2021 in a United Nations General Assembly resolution. This global event serves as an opportunity to highlight the tragic and profound impact of drowning on families and communities and to offer life-saving solutions to prevent it. 

Over the past decade, drowning has caused over 2.5 million deaths across the world. In the WHO’s Eastern Mediterranean Region, more than 15 000 people drown each year. Over 50% of these deaths occur among children under the age of 15 years, while more than a third of all drowning deaths occur among children under 5 years old. Drowning is one of the 10 leading causes of death among those aged 5–14 years and one of the five leading causes of death among male adolescents in the Region. The human and socioeconomic toll is unacceptable and can be prevented. 

This year, the Day gains more prominence given the endorsement by a landmark World Health Assembly resolution on Accelerating action on global drowning prevention. Through this resolution, WHO has committed to a series of initiatives to advance global drowning prevention efforts by 2029.

One of these key initiatives is the ongoing development of the first global status report on drowning prevention, with the active participation of countries from across the world, including from the Eastern Mediterranean Region. The report will provide critical information for policy-makers and programme managers to guide implementation of low-cost, scalable and effective drowning prevention interventions. Country-specific information can be further used to identify national priorities for drowning prevention and enable tailored country support from WHO.

Another important initiative is the establishment of the Global Alliance for Drowning Prevention, mandated by the same World Health Assembly resolution. The Alliance is a network of partners who will work together to coordinate, strengthen, enhance and expand efforts to prevent drowning deaths.

WHO has also released an investment case for drowning prevention. It shows that by 2050, increased global investment in just two drowning prevention measures for children – provision of day care for pre-school children and teaching basic swimming skills to school-age children – could save the lives of over 774 000 children, prevent close to 1 million non-fatal child drownings, and avert severe and life-limiting injuries for 178 000 non-fatal drowning victims. It could also prevent potential economic losses of over US$ 400 billion in high-burden low- and middle-income countries, and provide cumulative benefits valued at around US$ 9 for each US$ 1 invested.

Celebrating World Drowning Prevention Day should not be a one-day event but an ongoing endeavour to maintain the growing momentum and raise awareness on drowning prevention for everyone, everywhere.