Chinese cities hold activities to mark World Children's Day

CHENGDU, Nov. 20 -- China's Ministry of Education and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) co-hosted an event in Chengdu, southwest China's Sichuan Province, on Wednesday to mark World Children's Day and reaffirm their commitment to realizing children's rights.

The event, held at the Less and More School of Tianfu New Area, was on the theme of listening to children's inner voices and brightening their future.

The 2024 World Children's Day highlights children's mental health. Over 600 schools in 55 cities and counties across China marked the day with a variety of activities aimed at raising public awareness of children's mental health.

"Every child has the right to grow up in a loving, nurturing and safe environment," said UNICEF Representative to China Amakobe Sande. More than one in seven children and adolescents aged 10 to 19 are living with a diagnosed mental health condition globally, she said.

With the right interventions, care and support, many of these conditions can be successfully prevented or treated, said Sande.

Zhou Li, an official with the Ministry of Education, said the ministry is working with the National Health Commission and other relevant departments to advance mental health initiatives for students.

In recent years, a series of policies, coupled with a special campaign in 2023, have helped schools nationwide implement mental health education and enhance their mental health programs, noted Zhou.

"To take action on children's mental health, we can build a better future for all," said Sande.

The activities related to World Children's Day this year spanned nearly a month, aiming to raise public awareness of children's mental health, encouraging listening to children's voices, including their mental health challenges in schools, and exploring effective solutions.

Additionally, on World Children's Day, UNICEF released this year's State of the World's Children Report, exploring three megatrends that will profoundly impact children's lives between now and 2050: demographics shifts, the climate and environmental crises, and frontier technologies.

World Children's Day commemorates the adoption of the Convention on the Rights of the Child on Nov. 20, 1989. China ratified the convention in 1992.