In the lead up to World Population Day, UNFPA, the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency and Yishan Consultancy organized a salon on the contribution of Chinese philanthropy to sustainable development.

The theme of World Population Day this year is “A world of 8 billion: Towards a resilient future for all - Harnessing opportunities and ensuring rights and choices for all”. It calls for increased investment in human capital for inclusive, productive societies that uphold universal human and reproductive rightsl.

Echoing the theme, the salon focused on a life course approach to sexual and reproductive health and rights and touched upon topics of sexuality education, maternal and child health and healthy ageing in the context of China. 

Representatives from Chinese charity foundations in the field, including Ms. Zou Weiquan, Secretary General of Guangdong Rural Women’s Development Foundation, Mr. Wu Bin, Deputy Secretary General of Guangzhou Yuer Philanthropy Foundation, Mr. Long Liping, Chairman of JM Charity Foundation, Mr. Wu Hua, Secretary General of JM Charity Foundation, Mr. Hu Xingmin, Chairman of Guangdong Deqi Charity Foundation, Ms. Hao Xiaochan, Representative from Shaanxi Rongua Charity Foundation and Vice President of Roffar, and Ms. Ma Yue, Chairman of Shenzhen Star Alliance Charity Foundation shared their organisations’ work in support of women, children and older people. 

Recognizing the strong need for high quality, age-appropriate sexuality education for rural children, Guangdong Rural Women’s Development Foundation developed a series of products for local children in line with the UN’s international technical guidance on sexuality education. In addition to traditional school training manuals and brochures, the Foundation created board games which children can play to learn more beyond school settings.

Guangzhou Yuer Philanthropy Foundation gathered resources from entrepreneurs and philanthropists across the country, donating maternal and child health supplies to vulnerable women. Taking advantage of mobile technology, it encouraged people in need to apply for the commodities for free through an online app. Relevant knowledge products were distributed together with the donation for health promotion.

With a rapidly ageing population in China, where nearly one in five are over 60, more philanthropic foundations are joining forces in support of older people, from research to service provision.

Shaanxi Ronghua Charity Foundation supported the establishment of the Research Institute on Health across the Full Lifecycle in Xi’an, to learn and address the unmet need of health services for both older people and children. 

The national plan for development of the elderly care services system during the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2022-2025) encourages institutes to develop elderly care financial products appropriate to the elderly population. As a response, JM Charity Foundation in collaboration with the national research institute conducted research on charitable trust for the elderly, addressing the lack of trust of social services.

Digital technology offers an opportunity to improve older people’s health and wellbeing. Guangdong Deqi Charity Foundation shared its practices in developing AI healthcare products for  older people. 

In terms of charitable donations, Mr. Tao Ze, Founder and President of Yishan shared that during 2015 to 2020, Chinese charitable organizations and foundations received donations for healthy ageing and reproductive health in the amount of CNY3.017 billion with a single donation of more than CNY1 million . “With its power to attract high levels of social investment, Chinese philanthropy is making a significant and ever-increasing contribution to social development,” said Mr. Tao Ze.

“In an ideal world, 8 billion people means 8 billion opportunities for healthier societies. To achieve that world – and our ambitious 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development – we must understand our population trends and needs, and support the rights and choices of all people. For this, we welcome and appreciate the contributions from all philanthropic organizations,” commented Dr. Justine Coulson, Representative of UNFPA in China.
 

For more on World Population Day 2022, please visit: 
https://www.unfpa.org/events/world-population-day

For more information, please contact:
Shujun Liu, Communications Analyst, UNFPA China, sliu@unfpa.org