Before 1980
UNICEF and China have a long-term cooperative relationship. In 1947, China became the first country in Asia to receive assistance from UNICEF. That same year we launched our first emergency assistance project for children.
Between 1948 and 1951, our work in China was mainly to provide relief food for children and improve maternal and infant health care, sanitation conditions and medical first aid capabilities by training medical personnel. This training program later influenced the establishment of a rural health care system in China commonly known as "barefoot doctors."
In the early years we provided support to all children affected by the war. This is the first example of UNICEF’s signature humanitarian principle of non-discrimination and sets the stage for how we work in the future.
Our cooperation with China was restored in 1979. Since then, we have contributed to the following significant progress in China’s children’s rights.
In the 1980s
We supported the Chinese Ministry of Health in accelerating the comprehensive vaccination of children under the age of six. Many vaccines require refrigeration storage, and at that time, remote areas of China generally lacked refrigeration equipment. Therefore, we helped the Ministry of Health establish a vaccine cold storage and transportation system, a "cold chain system." This network continues to grow and covers almost 90% of the country's population. This has greatly improved the quality of immunization programs, resulting in significant reductions in child mortality from measles, polio, tuberculosis, diphtheria, tetanus and whooping cough.
We have also begun working directly with local government units in poor rural areas, including minority areas. We launched our first water and sanitation project in 1987 in Yunnan Province, where child mortality was high due to a lack of clean drinking water. We helped build water supply pipelines, install rainwater collection tanks, and build demonstration toilets. Within a year, the incidence of diarrhea among children under five fell from 45 to 4.5.
In the 1990s
We worked closely with the Ministry of Health to reduce the incidence of iodine deficiency diseases such as goiter, cretinism and physical and mental developmental disorders. We support the government's promotion of iodized salt consumption to reduce iodine deficiency. Today, more than 90% of Chinese households consume iodized salt, an important achievement in the follow-up work to the 1990 World Summit for Children.
We were the first international organization to partner with governments on AIDS programs. As early as 1996, we supported the government in carrying out epidemic surveillance, care, prevention, community education and publicity for young people, and have continued to this day. Our ongoing "Working Together with Children and Teenagers to Fight AIDS" campaign has mobilized thousands of youth ambassadors across the country.
21st Century
Together with the Chinese government, we have launched a number of major pilot projects, taking the lead in health and nutrition, education, child protection, HIV/AIDS, water and sanitation, and Areas such as disaster response and preparedness pioneer best practices with proven success. These pilot projects were promoted on a larger scale and had a certain impact on national projects and policy formulation.
Some examples include: The Maternal and Child Health Pilot Project, which provides comprehensive maternal and child health services and information and has contributed to a significant reduction in maternal mortality. The child-friendly school pilot project makes schools safer, better managed, more interactive and participatory. Shijiazhuang City Migrant Children Pilot Project helps migrant children enjoy health care and education. The Early Childhood Development Pilot Project enables children aged three to six to receive high-quality community-based preschool education, providing them with a positive and stimulating learning environment. The Children’s Friendly Home Project in Wenchuan earthquake-stricken areas provides a safe place for children to play and study after the earthquake. Child Welfare Demonstration Project, which is promoting the establishment of China's child welfare system and supporting the provision of family and community-based services and resources to help disadvantaged children who were previously unable to receive assistance.
In 2010, the "Strengthening Disaster Reduction Policies to Pay Attention to Women and Children Project" was established with the participation and assistance of the National Disaster Reduction Center of the Ministry of Civil Affairs and funding from the United Nations Children's Fund.
Emergency Rescue
Wenchuan Earthquake: After the Wenchuan earthquake on May 12, 2008, UNICEF was one of the first international organizations to enter the disaster area to participate in the Chinese government’s rescue operations. one. As of the end of November 2008, UNICEF had provided material and technical assistance worth more than US$17 million to earthquake-affected areas.
In the early emergency relief stage after the earthquake, UNICEF delivered a large amount of urgently needed aid materials, infrastructure and technical training to disaster-stricken areas such as Sichuan, Gansu and Shaanxi. On May 20, the first batch of 16 tons of relief materials provided by UNICEF arrived in the disaster-stricken areas of Sichuan, including tents, quilts, and school supplies. On May 30, UNICEF shipped 86 tons of medical supplies with a total value of US$890,000 to the hardest-hit areas, providing basic medical support for approximately 1.4 million people for three months. UNICEF has provided water purifiers, water purification tablets, water reservoirs, mobile toilets, etc. to the disaster areas, and trained more than 5,000 local water conservancy and sanitation department workers to help improve local water and sanitation conditions. The United Nations Children's Fund, the World Health Organization, the International Red Cross and other countries jointly launched the "Measles Initiative" activity to provide measles vaccines to more than 7.3 million children in earthquake-stricken areas. In addition, UNICEF also provided prefabricated classrooms, school tents, clothing, game bags, sports bags, stationery, teacher supplies, school bags, books, etc. to students in disaster areas. On November 22, UNICEF and the All-China Women's Federation jointly launched the "Sichuan Disaster Area Child Protection Project" to combat child violence and prevent the trafficking of women and children in the earthquake-stricken areas of Sichuan.
In the post-disaster reconstruction stage, UNICEF proposed the principle of "Build Back Better", which is to rebuild a better life for children affected by the earthquake than before the earthquake. In order to provide long-term psychological assistance and intervention to children in disaster-stricken areas, UNICEF has established 40 "Child Friendly Spaces" in resettlement sites in earthquake-stricken areas in Sichuan. It assisted in the construction of more than 100 prefabricated classrooms in remote mountainous areas of Gansu affected by the earthquake, and provided school supplies, teaching tools, sports game packs, etc. to more than 250,000 children in the disaster areas. UNICEF is also rebuilding water supply systems and sanitation facilities for schools and hospitals in disaster areas, and providing training on maternal and child health for county and township medical workers.
In line with the Chinese government's three-year reconstruction plan, UNICEF's assistance to earthquake-stricken areas will continue until 2011. In the next few months, UNICEF will popularize the concept and practice of "child-friendly schools" in schools in earthquake-stricken areas, provide students with high-quality education, emphasize student participation, and help schools prepare for disaster prevention and reduction. UNICEF will also continue to provide psychological assistance to children in disaster areas and protect children from violence, exploitation and trafficking. In addition, UNICEF will continue to provide nutritional products, vaccinations, etc. to children in disaster areas, build permanent water supply facilities and sanitary toilets in disaster areas, raise awareness of personal hygiene and help develop habits.