Triple Threat Report – United Nations Children’s Fund
Recently UNICEF has released a report titled United Nations Children’s Fund “Triple Threat”.
The report examines the ‘triple burden’ of water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) related hazards faced by children.
WASH is a collective term used to describe access to safe drinking water, access to improved sanitation facilities and maintaining basic levels of sanitation.
Triple burden/threat is defined as the following:
- Less than 50 percent availability of basic water or sanitation services.
- Unsafe WASH practices responsible for most deaths of children under 5 in top 20 countries.
- Being in the top 25 percent of countries at highest risk of climate and environmental hazards under UNICEF’s Children’s Climate Risk Index (CCRI).
Key findings of report:
- 600 million children globally still face a lack of safely managed drinking water. Additionally, 689 million are deprived of basic sanitation-related services.
- 4 lakh children under the age of 5 die every year due to unsafe wash.
- The burden of triple threat is highest among the 10 countries in sub-Saharan Africa.
Key Recommendations:
- Current investments need to be scaled up to meet the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) related to WASH by 2030.
- Resilience needs to be strengthened in the WASH sector and communities.
- Effective and accountable coordination and capacity to deliver water and sanitation services should be promoted.
Source – UNICEF
