"UNICEF's Role in Addressing the Global Water Crisis: Efforts and Impact on Children's Health"
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- 5 hours ago
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Author: Erika Basso
On 22 March, World Water Day, UNICEF recalls that climate change is felt primarily through water change.Â
Millions of children are at risk. Growing water scarcity affects children’s health.
 Every day, more than 700 children under the age of 5 die from diarrhea due to unsafe water and sanitation and poor hygiene. When children get diarrhea, they are unable to absorb the nutrients they need to grow. Over time, this can lead to delayed growth and may have an irreversible impact on the physical and mental development of children. Around 144 million children under 5 years of age worldwide are stunted.
Water Crisis
About 74% of the natural disasters between 2001 and 2018 were water-related, ranging from droughts to floods. Due to climate change, the frequency and intensity of such events is expected to increase.
Some 450 million children live in areas of high or extremely high water vulnerability. This means that 1 in 5 children around the world does not have enough water to meet their daily needs.
By 2040, almost one in four children will live in areas of extreme water stress.
Children in 37 "hotspot" countries face particularly dire circumstances in terms of absolute numbers, percentage of children affected, and where global resources, support and urgent actions need to be committed. This list includes Afghanistan, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Haiti, Kenya, Niger, Nigeria, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Sudan, Tanzania and Yemen.
Climate change exacerbates water stress - areas with extremely limited water resources - leading to increased competition for water, and even conflict.Rising sea levels are making fresh water salty, compromising the water resources on which millions of people depend.
Extreme weather events and changes in water cycle patterns are making access to drinking water more difficult, especially for the most vulnerable children.
Efforts and Impact on Children's Health
The climate crisis is a critical child rights issue, disproportionately impacting children who have contributed the least to its causes.Current research indicates that today’s children will experience far more extreme weather events than previous generations, underscoring the urgent need for climate action to safeguard their health and well-being.
Climate change poses severe threats to children’s health—particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs)—by increasing the prevalence of diseases, malnutrition, and mental health challenges, while compromising access to clean water, sanitation, and healthcare. The most vulnerable—children living in poverty, those who are displaced, and those with disabilities—face the highest risks.
Global frameworks such as the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and international climate agreements recognize the link between child rights and climate change. However, translating these commitments into effective national policies remains a major challenge. Funding for climate-resilient health systems is insufficient, leaving millions of children at heightened risk during climate-related emergencies.
Programmes in developing areas and countries industrialized
UNICEF ( The United Nations Children’s Fund and Adolescence) operates globally in more than 190 countries and territories in the world, with intervention programmes implemented through more than 150 Country Offices (Country Offices) active in the in developing countries, coordinated and supported by 7 Regional Offices (Regional Offices). Within the overall structure, the Regional Offices support Country Offices in 7 geographical areas:
-Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Operations: West and Central Africa, Africa
-Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Eastern and Southern, Middle East and North Africa, Asia
-Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â South, East Asia and the Pacific, Latin
-Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Caribbean, Europe and Central Asia.
In the industrialized countries, UNICEF operates through its New York City Central, several specialized offices and through Communication, advocacy and fundraising activities implemented by 33 National Committees for UNICEF, including the UNICEF Italy, for example.
Both for development programmes and in emergencies, UNICEF works through key areas of intervention for the survival, growth and development of children:
-Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Health, Nutrition, Water and Hygiene, Child Protection,
-Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Education, development of policies for social inclusion,
-Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Emergency programmes, for gender equality and
-Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Communication for Development activities across the sectors.
All programmes are implemented by UNICEF in an integrated manner and in close contact with the institutional counterparts of the countries beneficiaries, the other UN Agencies, the partner organisations and civil society in the beneficiary countries, with the active participation of both local communities and families, as well as children and adolescents themselves.
Conclusion
Further efforts are needed to quantify the impact of climate change on children’s health at global, regional, and local levels. This requires improved monitoring of children’s environmental health and the development of targeted indicators to track progress. To effectively protect children, climate change preparedness must be fully integrated into public health strategies and programs.
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