Encouragesall Member States, on a voluntary basis, to consider taking the following actions, in accordance with national circumstances:
a
Appoint a national focal point for drowning prevention;
b
Develop a national drowning prevention plan, containing a set of measurable targets according to their needs and priorities, including as part of wider national health plans, policies and programmes;
c
Develop drowning prevention programming in line with World Health Organization recommended interventions, namely, barriers, supervision, swim skills, rescue and resuscitation training, boating regulation and managing flood risk and resilience;
d
Ensure enactment and effective enforcement of water safety laws, across all relevant sectors, in particular in the areas of health, education, transportation and disaster risk reduction, where appropriate, and consider establishing appropriate and proportionate regulations where they do not yet exist;
e
Include drowning within civil registration and vital statistics registers and aggregate all drowning mortality data into national estimates;
f
Promote drowning prevention public awareness and behaviour-change campaigns;
g
Encourageintegration of drowning prevention within existing disaster risk reduction programmes, especially in communities at risk of flooding and coastal inundation, including through international, regional and bilateral cooperation;
h
Support international cooperation by sharing lessons learned, experiences and best practices, within and among regions;
i
Promote research and development of innovative drowning prevention tools and technology, and to promote capacity-building through international cooperation, in particular for developing countries;
j
Consider the introduction of water safety, swimming and first aid lessons as part of school curricula, consistent with the Member State’s governance framework for education;
2
Invitesthe World Health Organization to assist Member States, upon their request, in their drowning prevention efforts and to coordinate actions within the United Nations system among relevant United Nations entities, including the United Nations Children’s Fund, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs of the Secretariat, the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction and the United Nations Development Programme;
3
Decides to proclaim 25 July as World Drowning Prevention Day;
4
Invitesall Member States, relevant organizations of the United Nations system and other global, regional and subregional organizations, as well as other relevant stakeholders, including civil society, the private sector, academia and individuals, to observe World Drowning Prevention Day annually in an appropriate manner and in accordance with national priorities, through education, knowledge-sharing and other activities, in order to raise awareness of the importance of drowning prevention and the need for urgent coordinated multisectoral action to improve water safety, with the aim of reducing preventable deaths;
5
Stresses that the cost of all activities that may arise from the observance of World Drowning Prevention Day should be met from voluntary contributions, in accordance with national capacity;
6
Invitesthe World Health Organization to facilitate the observance of World Drowning Prevention Day, in collaboration with other relevant organizations, mindful of the provisions contained in the annex to Economic and Social Council resolution 1980/67;
7
Requeststhe Secretary-General to bring the present resolution to the attention of all Member States, the organizations of the United Nations system and civil society organizations for appropriate observance.
