Drowning prevention in the Eastern Mediterranean Region. Facts from the first Global status report on drowning prevention, 2024
Globally, at least 3 million people have lost their lives to drowning over the past decade. An estimated 300 000 of these drowning deaths occurred in 2021 alone and 43% of these were children aged 14 years or younger. In 2021, drowning prevention became more prominent on the global agenda when the United Nations General Assembly adopted its first ever resolution on drowning prevention, A/75/L.76, setting a global framework for related efforts in all countries. The resolution reinforced the linkage of drowning prevention with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), in particular with target 3.2, to “By 2023, end preventable deaths of newborns and children under 5 years of age”. An important contribution can be made by ensuring safe child access to day care and preschool services in communities near waterbodies, which relates to SDG target 4.2 on equal access to quality pre-primary education and SDG target 5.4 on unpaid care work.
