Following a meeting of the World Health Assembly in Geneva, attended by the Princess Charlene of Monaco Foundation, a landmark global drowning prevention resolution has been enacted. It is the first in the history of the World Health Organisation.  

Drowning has caused 2.5 million deaths in the past decade and is one of the main causes of death amongst children. For 10 years, the Princess Charlene of Monaco Foundation (PCMF) has sought to reverse these statistics through its international Learn to Swim and Water Safety programmes, which provide theoretical and practical training to children and adults, and raise public awareness of water hazards. 

At the end of May, the Foundation headed to Geneva to participate in the talks and discussions surrounding the proposition of a new global drowning prevention resolution, which had been put forwards by the governments of Bangladesh and Ireland, within the World Health Assembly (WHA), the decision-making body of the World Health Organisation (WHO).  

Called “Accelerating Action on Global Drowning Prevention”, it builds on the progress of the April 2021 United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) Resolution on Global Drowning Prevention, which aims to reduce drowning incidents that may lead to death or long-term injury. 

It also calls on the WHO to support and move ahead with multi-sector action on drowning prevention, including the creation of a Global Alliance on Drowning Prevention and the completion of a global status report on cases and causes of drowning. 

The PCMF made its presence felt in Geneva at an event hosted by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution, which was held just days being the passing of the new resolution and brought together numerous supporters of the initiative.  

Sign up for the Monaco Life newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.  

Photo credit: Royal National Lifeboat Institution