The United Nations (UN) General Assembly adopted a historic resolution on global drowning prevention on 28 April 2021. The resolution recognises the scale and impact of drowning prevention globally, and calls for coordinated multisectoral action to prevent drowning, a leading cause of injury-related death and disability worldwide.
A key element of the resolution is that it establishes a new UN-recognised World Drowning Prevention Day. All stakeholders, including governments, non- governmental organisations and their partners, are invited and encouraged to contribute to, and engage in, this global day of activity.
UN Declaration 75-273 on Drowning Prevention
The first ever World Drowning Prevention Day (WDPD) will be celebrated this year on 25 July 2021 with activity being co-ordinated by the World Health Organisation (WHO).
The ILS strongly supports the resolution and will be doing all it can to promote the WDPD. It will be providing all its members with the latest information, and a statement and message from the ILS President, Graham Ford AM, that can be shared by members on their website and social media outlets. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B7IQdm2wlJI)
The attached message has been approved for issue by the ILS. We urge you to send this to all the local and national press agencies in your country for publication on or before 25 July, and display on your website and social media pages: ILS Press Statement on World Drowning Prevention Day 2021.
This will help promote the facts about and raise awareness of drowning, and what national governments, lifesaving organisations and those in the field of drowning prevention can do to help improve water safety with the aim of reducing preventable deaths.
The simple message, and the one that all are encouraged to use is that
