National Consultation on ‘Building Cognitive Capital for Children’ for Sustainable Development, jointly hosted by United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC) was held on May 16th in Beijing. Madame Li Xiaolin, President of CPAFFC and Mr. Anthony Lake, UNICEF Executive Director attended the consultation and delivered welcome addresses. Martin Burt, International Public Policy Expert and Prof. Dong Qi, President of Beijing Normal University and famous neurologist, gave keynote speeches on cognitive capital for children from different perspectives. Over 180 people from several government departments, relevant academic institutes and research centers and non-governmental organizations attended the consultation.

Madame Li Xiaolin pointed out in her welcome address that Chinese government had been placing much emphasis on children’s survival, protection and development and actively participated in the global and regional cooperation and exchanges in these fields, while carrying on works on children within China. Ever since the establishment of the United Nations Every Woman Every Child China Partnership Network in 2015, we had set up a comprehensive cross-sector platform for international collaboration and coordinated the member organizations to participate in the international cooperations in the fields of children’s health and development. UNICEF, as the practitioner in China of Every Woman Every Child affiliated to United Nations, had provided vigorous support to our association. After the implementation of the two-child policy, this consultation was held at the right time to help the young parents to establish the appropriate philosophy for child rearing and early education and resolve questions and confusions in this area so that the whole population could benefit from it.

Madam Li Xiaolin delivers welcome address

Mr. Anthony Lake, UNICEF Executive Director, emphasized that the first 1000 days after the birth of a baby was the most crucial time period for his whole life. Therefore, investment in the child’s early education could influence the future quality of human resource and social and economic development at large. In the long run, children’s early education investment could yield abundant returns in social, economic and environmental aspects, as well as greatly reduce the negative effects caused by lack of education, health issues and criminal behavior towards family and society. Through this consultation, UNICEF, jointly with CPAFFC, would like to raise the awareness towards cognitive capital for children among all sectors of society, from policy-making level to common people, and exert a positive effects for our future generations.

 Mr. Anthony Burt, UNICEF Executive Director delivers welcome address

Attendees held penal discussions on various sub-topics as well.

Group photo