The Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation Monday signed a Master Plan of Operation for the 2001-2005 period with the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), thus renewing their cooperation since 1981.
According to an official at the Beijing bureau of UNICEF, the project aims at solving new problems, including preventing and controlling HIV/AIDS, safeguarding the rights of children especially young girls and cracking down on criminal activities like the kidnapping of women and children.
Besides, issues concerning the migrant population and the disparities between urban and rural areas are also listed in the plan.
UNICEF will finance a total of US$60.349 million and further collect US$45 million from other funding resources.
The National Programs of Action (NPA) for children and women established in 1992 as follow-up to the 1990 World Summit for Children has benefited China greatly. By the end of 2000, 20 of
the 24 goals of the NPA had been achieved. The number of malnourished children under five years old in the country was 14 million fewer than in 1990. During the 1995-99 period, the number of adult illiterates was reduced by 42 million, and that of clean water users increased by 242 million and iodized salt users by 122 million. In the past 10 years, China had eradicated polio and increased its primary school enrollment by 32 million.
During the past 20-year cooperation, the Women and Children Work Committee under the State Council of China and some agencies under the UN Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF) have also made contributions.
(People’s Daily 01/23/2001)
