For Every Child, Every Right

CHINA is home to the world’s second largest child population. The welfare of the country’s children has improved markedly over the past 40 years.

-  ZHOU LIN

The partnership between the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the government of China spans more than 40 years. During this period, UNICEF has left many footprints in China, and is currently working in 247 counties across 29 provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities, including remote, rural, and inland communities. Improvements have been made in realizing the rights of children in areas such as health, nutrition, water, sanitation and hygiene, education, child protection, and social policy, with a focus on reducing urban-rural, regional and gender disparities. There is much to be gained by sharing this development experience with other countries.

The Right to Go to School Safely

To help make the return to school safe and healthy for all children, UNICEF, the Ministry of Education (MOE), and the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention worked on a Safe School Return Campaign. For UNICEF, it is part of its work to not only respond to the pandemic, but also reimagine a better world for children in the post-COVID-19 era. The campaign was designed to respond to the needs of children, parents, and teachers. Toward the end of March, UNICEF had surveyed 18,266 students, 27,452 parents, and 4,948 teachers to gauge their understanding of COVID-19 and how it can be prevented, as well as their attitudes and concerns about the resumption of the school year. The materials that were developed as part of the Safe School Return Campaign have been translated into other languages for use beyond China.