WASH for children : investing in water, sanitation and hygiene in East Asia and the Pacific

Home to almost a third of the world’s population, the East Asia and Pacific region encompasses a huge area, and is enormously diverse. It includes large, populous China with 1.3 billion people, as well as small nations like Timor-Leste, with a population of less than one million. The region is represented by relatively wealthy countries, but also by countries where grinding poverty is still widespread. The quality of children’s lives in the region also varies enormously. In some parts of the region, children have relatively good access to the support and services necessary to ensure their survival and development, but in many other areas much remains to be done.
This report explains why water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) is so critical to the health and well-being of these children. It outlines the challenges facing countries and communities for meeting and surpassing the Millennium Development Goal targets for drinking water and basic sanitation. And it describes some of the innovative ways in which UNICEF is contributing to the achievement of WASH goals in the region. The overriding message is simple: it pays to invest in WASH.
Although the scope of UNICEF’s work varies from country to country, the priority is to ensure that investments in WASH make a difference, not only for a large number of children, but especially for the poorest and most marginalized communities. And in emergency situations, UNICEF strives to meet its commitments for children by ensuring predictable and effective responses in water, sanitation and hygiene.