The United Nations agencies UNICEF, UNDP, and UNFPA have launched a joint programme to support the development of child-friendly, climate-resilient, and prosperous rural communities in four regions of Western China. The initiative, titled “Building Child-Friendly, Climate-Resilient, and Prosperous Rural Communities in the Western Region of China,” has secured US $5.5 million in funding and will be implemented in collaboration with the Ministry of Commerce and local government counterparts, including Qinghai Provincial departments and county administrations.
The programme aims to address critical development gaps, with UNICEF focusing on climate resilience, inclusive public services, green livelihoods, and health equity for women, youth, children, and ethnic minority communities. UNDP will support green skills and economic development, strengthen local financing mechanisms, and facilitate knowledge exchange. UNFPA will work to enhance the life skills and knowledge of adolescents and youth while promoting inclusive care systems for older persons, fostering intergenerational solidarity and community resilience.
UNICEF emphasized that every child should grow up in communities equipped to handle climate change impacts, scaling up prior successful sanitation projects in Qinghai to strengthen child-friendly and climate-smart social infrastructure. UNDP highlighted that improving services, livelihoods, and financing mechanisms will create a model of rural transformation that is inclusive, resilient, and tailored to local needs. UNFPA noted the programme’s role in empowering young people, supporting older persons, and enhancing health, education, and care services across generations.
The programme launch included visits to Hainan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Gonghe County Agricultural Production Demonstration Park, and Longyangxia Hydropower and Solar Thermal sites, showcasing positive interventions in one of China’s most ecologically fragile and socioeconomically vulnerable regions. These areas face ongoing challenges, including underdeveloped infrastructure, climate-adaptive water and sanitation systems, adolescent health education, green skills development, and localized financing mechanisms.
The programme targets broad outcomes such as reducing poverty, expanding sustainable economic opportunities, and improving access to childcare, education, healthcare, and social assistance services. It also seeks to develop sustainable livelihoods through green industries, enhance local capacity to mobilize and manage financial resources, and build climate-resilient infrastructure in schools, healthcare facilities, and community centers.
Addressing climate change is a priority, particularly for children, with over 110 million children in China experiencing water scarcity. The programme aligns with China’s national development priorities, including the Rural Revitalization Strategy, the 14th Five-Year Plan’s Regional Development Strategy, and Sustainable Development Goal Demonstration Zones, aiming to benefit vulnerable populations such as ethnic minority women and girls, children, adolescents, and the elderly.
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