CDSA and RNLI Team Up to Promote the World Drowning Prevention Day
CDSA and RNLI Team Up to Promote the World Drowning Prevention Day
The China Diving and Salvage Association (CDSA) and Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) in the UK have agreed to work together to promote drowning prevention by initiating awareness-raising advocacy to mark the UN World Drowning Prevention Day that falls on July 25 annually.
The initiative is a part of activities outlined in the strategic cooperation agreement between the two organizations. The key aims of the agreement include facilitating the exchange and sharing of information on SAR culture, technology, equipment design and operation, mutual training and technical support, among which promoting the UN World Drowning Prevention Day in China is one the underlined areas of collaboration, mainly including public awareness-raising activities.
CDSA President Song Jiahui (left) present the badge to RNLI CEO Mark Dowie during the visit to RNLI headquarter in Poole, UK in June 2023.
“CDSA is pleased to reach the strategic cooperation agreement with RNLI, a charity renowned for its dedication and expertise in saving lives at sea for nearly 200 years,” said Captain Song Jiahui, President of CDSA. “As the representatives of the SAR culture in China and the UK, both work to promote the UN World Drowning Prevention Day in China is a vital step forward that will pave the path to further cooperation to boost the SAR culture and awareness on a wider horizon.”
The World Drowning Prevention Day, declared in April 2021 by UN General Assembly, is held annually on 25 July. This global advocacy event serves as an opportunity to highlight the tragic and profound impact of drowning on families and communities and to offer life-saving solutions to prevent it.
According to the UN, there are an estimated 236,000 annual drowning deaths worldwide. Drowning is the third leading cause of unintentional injury death worldwide, accounting for 7% of all injury-related deaths.
CDSA delegation posed for a picture with RNLI at the headquarters in June 2023.
In China, incomplete statistics shows that around 59,000 people die from drowning each year, among which over 95% are under the age of 18 years old. Teenager drowning has been one of the focal issues the Chinese government has been determined to address on its social welfare agenda. In September 2021, the State Council published the Outline on the Development of Chinese Children (2021-2030), in which identifying and eliminating drowning hazards to realize a continuous decrease in child drowning mortality rate is stated as one of the 10 primary goals to ensure children’s safety. In addition, the ministries of Education, Public Security, Civil Affairs, Water Resources and Agriculture and Rural Affairs jointly issued a special notice in July 2022, urging the fulfillment of drowning prevention for primary and secondary school students, particularly those in countryside.
“Public safety and emergency rescue is one of the focal areas we work closely with relevant stakeholders,” said Song. “By working with RNLI, our engagement in the enhancement of public awareness and practical expertise will receive a further boost, which serves an important way to fulfill our social responsibility.”
As the only non-profit industrial association in diving and salvage sector in China, CDSA has been actively engaged in promoting public safety and emergency rescue through advocacy and capacity building for its member organizations and individual professionals. In January 2020, the association held its first training for divers on public safety and emergency rescue in Zhuhai, Fujian province.
Rapport exchange between CDSA delegation and RNLI at the headquarters in June 2023.
Mark Dowie, CEO of RNLI, expressed his affirmation of the mutual cooperation on life saving. “RNLI is willing to work with CDSA to promote the awareness of drowning prevention and SAR culture, and, ultimately, fulfill the sacred mission of saving lives,” he said.
Founded in 1824, RNLI is a charity in the UK that relied primarily on donation and volunteer crew to save people at sea. Since then, over 144,000 lives have been saved, and RNLI has been working internationally on drowning prevention for 10 years employing its lifesaving experience within the UK and Ireland.
To learn more about RNLI’s effort to prevent drowning, please visit: https://rnli.org/what-we-do/international/world-drowning-prevention-day.
To learn more about the UN World Drowning Prevention Day, please visit: https://www.who.int/campaigns/world-drowning-prevention-day.