UNICEF Executive Board Special Focus Session on WASH (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene)
Statement delivered by H.E. Rein Tammsaar, Permanent Representative of Estonia on behalf of the member states from Eastern European Group – Estonia, Bulgaria, Czechia and Slovenia
New York, 5 September 2025
1.Opening / Framing
- We thank the President of the Bureau, the Permanent Representative of Tajikistan, for convening this timely special focus session, and UNICEF for its leadership on WASH.
- I have the honor to deliver this statement on behalf of the member states from Eastern European Group — Bulgaria, Czechia, Estonia and Slovenia.
- We speak with one voice to affirm that protecting every child’s right to safe water, sanitation and hygiene is foundational to health, learning, dignity and resilience. I was reminded of this during a recent field visit to Tunisia, where I saw with my own eyes how access to safe water and sanitation transforms children’s futures.
2. EEG Member States Priorities and a Regional Reality (Ukraine)
- We prioritize resilient WASH systems, youth participation, better data, and stronger cooperation with communities and the private sector.
- Wars and conflicts are a tragic reminder of how they destroy the foundations of children’s futures — starting with water and sanitation. WASH interventions are essential enablers when it comes to nutrition, education and child protection, particularly in humanitarian settings. From Gaza to Sudan, children are paying the highest price as destruction of essential infrastructure leaves millions without safe water, sanitation, or basic health services.
- Our own region offers a stark reminder. In Ukraine, entire water and sanitation system has been pushed to the brink by the deliberate and systematic attacks on infrastructure and energy infrastructure. More than 39,700 kilometers of water networks have been damaged and reconstruction is estimated at 11.3 billion dollars over the next decade. As a consequence, UNICEF figures show that around 1.7 million children lack safe water and 2,6 million lack proper sanitation in Ukraine.
- Attacks on WASH infrastructure have long-term effects on public health. In many protracted crises, children under five are more than 20 times more likely to die from diarrheal disease linked to unsafe WASH than from direct violence. Protecting WASH systems is therefore literally life-saving. UNICEF’s work in restoring water systems and engaging young people in sustainable energy projects is vital in this context.
- The human rights to water and to sanitation do not end with the outburst of armed conflict; they must be respected under all circumstances.
3. Commitment and Call to Action
- We reaffirm strong support for UNICEF’s global leadership on climate‑resilient WASH and for country‑level partnerships that translate commitment into results for children.
- We urge Member States and partners to elevate WASH politically at the highest levels; protect water and sanitation systems in conflicts and disasters; prioritize WASH in health-care facilities, schools and communities; foster climate education and innovation hubs for child-centered initiatives; involve local governments and communities in co-financing projects; and develop microfinance schemes or revolving funds for renewable energy and water systems.
- We also call for closing the global financing gap through smarter public spending, innovative blended finance and private-sector engagement, while ensuring that solutions are inclusive, sustainable, conflict-sensitive and climate-resilient. New Strategic Plan, hopefully adopted today, should help us achieve these goals in the coming years.
- Inclusive WASH services must ensure accessibility for all children, including those with disabilities and from marginalized communities. WASH must remain a central pillar of our climate and development policies, our humanitarian action, and our peacebuilding efforts.
- Every child deserves safe water, sanitation and hygiene — not as an aspiration for tomorrow, but as a guarantee today.