UNICEF China

UNICEF China and its government partners work to improve the lives of the most vulnerable children. Every child has the right to survive, develop, be protected and participate in family and society. UNICEF collaborates with many partners to help make those rights a reality in China.

We work by developing demonstration models and approaches in rural poor and urban marginalized communities. Once an approach has been shown to be effective, we support the government to replicate and expand the approach with its own budget.

We also play an important role in advancing research and assembling scientific evidence about children in collaboration with Chinese universities, research centres and policy-making institutions. We support the government to use this data, along with the findings from our pilot programs, to develop evidence-based policies and laws.

In the recent past, many important achievements for children in China have been based on innovative models and pioneering research supported by UNICEF. For more than thirty years, our programme of cooperation with the Government of China has helped to improve the lives of children and women in all provinces.

We also partner with the private sector by providing ideas and opportunities for improving the lives of children in China. Children’s rights and welfare are integral to a corporation’s social responsibility to the communities in which it works. We are helping the private sector to develop child’s rights business principles, engage on protecting child rights, and mobilize to make children’s lives better.

Our work focuses on seven areas:

• health and nutrition;
• education ;
• child protection;
• water and sanitation;
• HIV and AIDS;
• social policy; and
• emergency preparedness and response.
  

In the past decade, China has made impressive gains in improving the lives of children and women. For example, the maternal mortality rate has dropped dramatically. In addition, primary school enrollment approaches 100%.

These positive developments do not always reach the poorest children and communities, however. Rural, inland children, including those in ethnic minority communities in remote areas, may not share equally in this progress. Today, the single most important focus of our work is to reduce those disparities and help bring about equity for children.

Finally, as a global child rights organization, UNICEF also helps to give a voice to and advocate for children, so that their rights are given the highest priority by all sectors of society.

As China’s development moves ahead rapidly we are increasingly focused on engaging all citizens in China in the mission of promoting and protecting children’s rights.