Join us on Friday, July 24, 2026, at 11:00 a.m. (EDT or Washington, DC time) for the webinar "World Drowning Prevention Day 2026: Unite to Turn the Tide." The virtual event will highlight WHO/PAHO initiatives and ongoing work on drowning prevention. Countries and partners will share experiences, lessons learned, and promising practices.
How to participate
DTE: 24 July 2025
TIME: 11:00 a.m. (EDT)
Interpretation services will be available in Spanish and English
REGISTER HERE: https://paho-org.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_PLuxW_WbSquAKSgR1BB79w#/registration
Agenda
11:00 a.m. Welcome and opening of the webinar, Alessandra Senisse, PAHO Consultant on Drowning Prevention
11:05 a.m. Introduction: World Drowning Prevention Day 2026, Ricardo Pérez-Núñez, Regional Advisor, Road Safety and Prevention of Unintentional Injuries, PAHO
11:15 a.m. Presentation, Caroline Lukaszyk, Technical Officer, Unintentional Injury Prevention, WHO
11:30 a.m. Accelerating Drowning Prevention in the Caribbean: A Regional Collaborative Initiative, Steve Beerman, Deputy Commonwealth President, Royal Life Saving Society
11:45 a.m. Video: country experience
11:50 a.m. Development Process of the National Drowning Prevention Strategy, Lorena Catalina Álvarez, Engineer, Ministry of Health and Social Protection, Colombia
12:05 p.m. Development of the First Aquatic Rescue Training Workshop, Luis Alberto Ortega, Primary Health Care Physician, Ministry of Public Health, Ecuador
12:20 p.m. Discussion and Closing Remarks
Context
Drowning remains a major yet preventable public health issue worldwide. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), approximately 300,000 people die from drowning every year, equivalent to nearly 30 deaths every hour. Children are disproportionately affected, and 92% of drowning deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries.
In the Region of the Americas, nearly 17,000 people died from drowning in 2021. Drowning disproportionately affects males and remains the seventh leading cause of death among children aged 5–14 years in the Region. Recent regional assessments conducted across 26 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean identified important gaps in governance, surveillance, legislation, and implementation of evidence-based drowning prevention interventions. Only 23% of participating countries reported having a national drowning prevention strategy, and only 54% collect drowning-related data at the national level.
World Drowning Prevention Day, observed annually on 25 July following United Nations General Assembly Resolution A/RES/75/273, provides an opportunity to raise awareness about the impact of drowning and promote actions that can prevent deaths and injuries.
The 2026 campaign theme, “Unite to Turn the Tide,” highlights the importance of collective action and recognizes the individuals, communities, professionals, and organizations whose actions contribute to saving lives and preventing drowning.
Related links
Time in other cities
- 8:00 a.m. – Los Angeles, Vancouver.
- 9:00 a.m. – Belmopan, Guatemala City, Managua, Mexico City, San José (CR), San Salvador, Tegucigalpa.
- 10:00 a.m. – Bogotá, Panama City, Kingston, Lima, Quito.
- 11:00 a.m. – Bridgetown, Caracas, Georgetown, Havana, La Paz, Port of Spain, Port-au-Prince, Nassau, Ottawa, San Juan, Santiago, Santo Domingo, Washington D.C.
- 12:00 p.m. – Asunción, Buenos Aires, Brasilia, Montevideo, Paramaribo.
- 5:00 p.m. – Geneva, Madrid.
For other cities, please check the local time on this link.