2024 policies signal a promising future for children

This year has seen the framing of a range of new policies for children in China, which hold the promise of significant advances across a range of children's issues. This is especially important for those children who have been left behind — such as those with disabilities or affected by migration — despite China's rapid modernization in recent decades.

A series of recent initiatives, including the National Action Plan for Migrant Children, the Preschool Education Law, and the Employment-First Strategy demonstrate a strong commitment to improving the lives of children and young people across the country. UNICEF welcomes these measures. The Chinese government's move of taking comprehensive action on children and family issues is commendable. These are also issues that UNICEF has advocated on.

The National Action Plan for Migrant Children, for example, is a landmark policy that addresses the specific needs of a particularly vulnerable group. In 2020, 138 million children in China — nearly half the country's child population — were affected by migration. Of these, 67 million were left behind by migrating parents, particularly in rural areas, while 71 million moved to cities with their parents, who migrated in search of work.