Dr. Justine Coulson, the new Resident Representative of UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund in China, presented her credentials to the Deputy Director-General of the Department of International Economics, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China, Mr. Huang Yiyang in Beijing on 25 November.

During the meeting, Mr. Huang welcomed Dr. Coulson assuming office with UNFPA China. He said China is keen to learn global good practices from other countries and the United Nations to advance the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. As dramatic social and economic changes have taken place in China over the past four decades, Mr. Huang said the country counts on UNFPA’s continued strong support in facilitating knowledge exchange and information sharing between China and other countries.

Dr. Coulson expressed her gratitude to the Government of China for the decades of cooperation with UNFPA. She thanked the country for its support in improving maternal health and providing contraceptives to other developing countries through the South-South and international cooperation initiatives with UNFPA.

UNFPA has signed a new five-year (2021-2025) country programme with the Government of China this year. It is aligned with the country’s development priorities set out in the 14th Five-Year Plan, and contributes to the implementation of the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework in China for the same period. Dr. Coulson said UNFPA will continue to work closely with China under the new country programme to accelerate the implementation of the 2030 Agenda to leave no one behind. 

Dr. Coulson joined UNFPA in 2016. Before her appointment to China, she served as the Deputy Regional Director for the UNFPA Regional Office in East and Southern Africa.