New York — As delivered
“Excellencies, distinguished delegates, and colleagues, good morning.
“For millions of girls around the world, the global water crisis is not abstract. It is the reason they wake before dawn to collect water, the reason they miss school when they are menstruating the reason their safety, their health, and their futures, are put at risk.
“This is why the global water crisis is, at its core, a crisis for children, and especially for girls.
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“As we mark World Water Day, we reaffirm a simple truth: water and gender equality are closely linked.
“Water is the foundation of health, education, nutrition, protection, and opportunity for every child. When water systems fail, progress fails. And it is girls who pay the highest price.
“Girls who spend hours each day collecting water instead of learning. Girls who drop out of school when there are no safe toilets or menstrual health support. Girls who face heightened risks to their safety and dignity when basic services are absent.
“And when unsafe water spreads disease, like malaria and cholera, it is children who fall sick, and women and girls who carry the burden of care.
“Yet despite being on the frontlines, as caregivers, health workers, and community leaders, women and girls are often absent from the rooms where decisions about water are made.
“This is not only unjust. It is holding back progress. And now is the time for change.
“Excellencies we know what works.
“When water and sanitation services are designed with girls in mind, safe toilets, water close to home, menstrual health support, reliable services in schools, and medical facilities, the impact is immediate and transformative.
“Girls stay in school. Health workers stay safe. And families gain time, income, and stability.
“But the world is not on track. Climate change is intensifying water scarcity. Conflict is destroying essential services. Inequality is deepening. And once again, it is children, especially girls, who bear the brunt.
“At UNICEF, we work with governments and partners to deliver climate-resilient water services that protect children, prevent disease, and ease the daily burden on women and girls, including in fragile and conflict-affected settings.
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“Most importantly, we work alongside girls and women themselves supporting their leadership and helping to dismantle the barriers that hold them back.
“With the support of the Netherlands and other partners, we are strengthening fair WASH programming.
“Last year alone, UNICEF reached 8.9 million women and adolescent girls with menstrual health and hygiene services helping to ensure they can continue their education and live with dignity.
“Looking ahead to the 2026 UN Water Conference, UNICEF will help lead the global conversation through the Interactive Dialogue on Water for People. This will be grounded in one very simple idea: that water is for everyone, including those who are often left behind.
“Through our contributions to global evidence, including the United Nations World Water Development Report, we are helping to ensure that children’s needs and equality shape water policy and financing.
“But we must go further.
“We must place girls, their needs, their voices, their leadership, at the center of water decisions. We must invest in WASH systems that support their needs. And we must recognize water for what it truly is: a driver of health, education, protection, and economic opportunity.
“Because when water flows for girls, their futures flow with it.
“And when girls thrive, communities and societies thrive.
“The global water crisis is solvable. But only if we solve it for children, and for girls first.
“Thank you very much.”
