Devex: Opinion: Water and sanitation are unexpected life savers for children in war zones
Alexander Carnwath, senior humanitarian policy adviser with UNICEF U.K.

“…[R]ecent UNICEF research shows that in protracted conflicts, children under 5 are more than 20 times more likely to die from diarrheal disease linked to unsafe water and sanitation than violence directly linked to conflict and war. Lack of adequate clean water, sanitation, and hygiene is a huge and under-recognized threat to the lives and long-term well-being of children in war zones. … The growing number of protracted conflicts and recurring humanitarian crises has given new impetus to discussions of the humanitarian-development-peace nexus … In a new report, UNICEF identifies some key areas of focus. These span a range of different issues, from how WASH can help prevent conflict to how humanitarian and development WASH actors can ensure they reach the most vulnerable. … Funding is, of course, an important consideration in all of this, and the amount of money allocated to WASH humanitarian programming in 2019 is less than 25% of what is currently needed…” (9/17).