Statement by H.E. Dr. Workneh Gebeyehu, IGAD Executive Secretary, on the Day of the African Child 2026
Ensuring universal access to water, sanitation and hygiene for every child in Africa
In remembrance of the courageous students who participated in the Soweto Uprising of 1976 in South Africa, the Day of the African Child (DAC) has been commemorated annually on June 16 since 1991. This historic event aligns with the African Union’s (AU) vision to honour the resilience and agency of African children while highlighting ongoing challenges concerning the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (ACRWC).
In 2025, the IGAD Secretariat hosted its first-ever celebration of the Day of the African Child, following the adoption of the first IGAD Child Policy Framework. This year’s commemoration is renewed under the theme “Ensuring Universal Access to Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene for Every Child in Africa”. The theme choice reflects the continent’s broader commitments to recognising the sustainability of water resources and proper sanitation as central to the economic, social, and environmental resilience of communities. By focusing on water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) during this year’s celebration of the DAC, African leaders emphasise the importance of sustainable water availability and sanitation systems to promote socio-economic development and ensure the rights and well-being of African children.
WASH plays a pivotal role in children’s survival, development, and well-being, impacting the realisation of a wide range of child rights. Ultimately, WASH is about human dignity, a foundational principle of human rights. The right to WASH is directly connected to children’s rights to health and nutrition, protection against violence and exploitation, education, equality and non-discrimination, and a healthy environment. The survival and proper development of our children depend on it.
Celebrating the DAC under the WASH theme provides an opportunity to discuss the various challenges children face across the continent, particularly in the IGAD region, due to water insecurity and limited access to clean and safe sanitation and hygiene. Despite member states’ commitment to and progress in improving WASH accessibility and quality in the IGAD region, significant challenges remain for a considerable portion of the population. For instance, 7% of the IGAD population relies on drinking water from rivers, dams, lakes, ponds, streams, or canals; 14% dispose of human waste in fields, forests, or open bodies of water; and 34% lack handwashing facilities at home.
Climate and environmental vulnerabilities, including recurrent drought, negatively impact water resources, leading to food insecurity and the displacement of communities. WASH issues are also linked to health crises and emergencies, where millions of children are often exposed to disease outbreaks, particularly among refugee and displaced populations. Moreover, WASH problems are often gendered, as inadequate WASH infrastructure disproportionately burdens women and girls, exposing them to gender-based violence and limiting their access to schools and educational opportunities.
WASH becomes particularly problematic in humanitarian and emergency contexts, especially following natural disasters or conflicts. In Sudan, the civil war has resulted in a severe WASH crisis for millions of children, exposing them to disease, malnutrition, and dehydration. In 2025, more than 7 million children were left without safe drinking water.
To address these challenges and improve the lives of communities and children across the region, the IGAD Secretariat, with the support of its partners, has initiated various policy and programmatic interventions. At the programmatic level, IGAD focuses on improving WASH for communities and children through initiatives related to drought and climate resilience, sustainable livelihoods, cross-border resilience programs, and health and community resilience programs. Many of these initiatives specifically benefit children and vulnerable populations by enhancing access to safe water, improving resilience to drought, securing food, enhancing health outcomes, promoting hygiene, and reducing disease transmission. Consequently, children’s nutrition, health, and educational outcomes are significantly improved. The reduction of protection risks for girls collecting water, family displacement, and school absenteeism associated with water insecurity leads to positive protection outcomes for children.
Beyond broad climate management and resilience programs conducted through the IGAD Climate Prediction and Application Centre (ICPAC) and the IGAD Drought Disaster Resilience and Sustainability Initiative (IDDRSI), WASH-related projects targeting vulnerable communities have strengthened resilience efforts.
The Groundwater Access Facility (GAFA) aims to develop groundwater access as a response to drought and water scarcity, enhancing climate resilience across the eight member states of IGAD, particularly in vulnerable border areas. The project, implemented by the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF) in partnership with UNDPP, has already enabled thousands in Ethiopia’s Somali Region to access safe drinking water, where severe climate vulnerability and water stress threaten communities’ lives and livelihoods. Similarly, the Horn of Africa Groundwater for Resilience Programme will benefit children and their communities by improving sustainable access to and management of groundwater in drought-affected borderlands.
At the policy level, we have a strong foundation to lead effective child-centered WASH (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene) interventions. The IGAD Regional Water Policy (2015) emphasises the necessity for children and youth to have access to clean water, sanitation, and hygiene in schools and communities. The IGAD Youth Policy (2023) also recognises the significance of WASH-related issues across various priority areas, including health, climate resilience, environment, education, livelihoods, and youth well-being.
The IGAD Child Policy (2024) is a flagship instrument that includes a dedicated WASH pillar. This policy mandates member states to ensure equitable, safe, gender-responsive, disability-inclusive, and culturally appropriate WASH services for all children, particularly for girls, children with disabilities, and vulnerable children affected by poverty, displacement, emergencies, and irregular migration. The child-centered WASH approach outlined in the policy requires strong governance, universal access to inclusive services, disease prevention, menstrual hygiene management, climate-resilient infrastructure, and sustained community behaviour change, ensuring that no child is left behind, including those in displacement and migration situations.
Furthermore, the Child Policy emphasises the need to empower children as agents of change through school-based WASH education, building the capacity of societal actors, and strengthening advocacy for children’s rights to safe water, sanitation, and hygiene. Member states have developed indicators to measure their progress in implementing governance frameworks, reducing the incidence of waterborne diseases among children, establishing and maintaining inclusive WASH facilities (sensitive to gender and disability), and promoting good WASH practices among children, families, and communities.
However, despite the existence of comprehensive governance frameworks, implementation remains the weakest link. Words and good intentions alone cannot guarantee safe water for the children of our region. Long-term substantial financial investment, along with strong coordination among governments, service providers, the private sector, and development partners, is essential to improve child-friendly and resilient infrastructure. Supporting resource mobilisation and coordination efforts is key to bringing tangible change to the lives of millions of children in the IGAD region who lack clean, accessible, inclusive, and safe WASH facilities.
There is a poignant Ethiopian proverb that states, “The son of the Nile thirsts for water,” which compellingly summarises the harsh reality our children face. Our continent, including parts of the IGAD region, possesses tremendous wealth and untapped potential in terms of freshwater reserves, including vast underground aquifers, great lakes, and rivers. Yet, our children and their communities continue to suffer from economic water stress due to poor governance, underinvestment, and a lack of human capital. We must collaborate to find African-led sustainable solutions through investment in data, governance, and resilient infrastructure.
IGAD is committed to continuing its support for member states in strengthening water governance and access to climate-resilient infrastructure, improving child health through better WASH practices, ensuring inclusive WASH facilities in all contexts, including humanitarian settings, and promoting behaviour change and community awareness.
