Addressing the event, Ambassador Nguyen Phuong Nga, head of Vietnam’s Permanent Mission to the UN, stressed that drowning claims 360,000 lives a year across the globe, higher than malnutrition or maternal mortality. However, this topic has never been discussed at the UN. She noted that Africa has the highest drowning rate, but the highest child drowning rate is in the Asia-Pacific region.

Ambassador Nga said it’s time for countries to be united to prevent drowning. She called on UN member states, UN agencies, and relevant organisations to join efforts to minimise drowning in the world, thereby helping to attain the goals in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and leave no one behind.