救助儿童会

“Child Health and Social Responsibility” was the topic of the Seventh Shanghai International Forum for Children, which took an in-depth look at the physical and mental health of children and the role of government and corporations.

Experts from over 20 countries and 12 provinces and cities within China presented 35 speeches over the course of the forum which was co-hosted by The Shanghai Women’s and Children’s Working Committee, Shanghai Women’s Federation, Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, the Xin Min Evening News and Eastern China Normal University. Presenting at the opening ceremony were Zhao Wen, Vice Mayor of Shanghai, Deng Li, Director of the All China Women’s Federation, David Mcloughlin, Deputy Representative of UNICEF China Office and host organisation representatives.

The Shanghai International Forum for Children was established by the Shanghai Women’s Federation in 1999 and is held every two years. This year the forum coincided with the international launch of Save the Children’s “Newborn and Child Survival Campaign” and the first leg of the campaign in China. The purpose of the campaign is to help realise Goal Four of the United Nations Millennium Development Goals, to reduce by 2015, the mortality rate among children under five by two thirds. China is one of the six most important players in this global campaign.

Save the Children, a major supporter of the Shanghai International Forum for Children, sent a large group of delegates to attend the three day conference. In an opening ceremony address, Wyndham James, Save the Children China Program Country Director, praised in one hand the great progress China has made in reducing the infant mortality rate in China. James also highlighted the differences in the mortality rates among regions in China and pointed out the urgent attention needed for both children living in remote areas and migrant worker children in the cities.

Barbara Bale, Director of Newborn and Child Survival Campaign of Save the Children China Programmes was invited to co-chair a session on Child Well-being and Medical Security Systems and present a wrap-up of the session at the closing ceremony.

Director of Strategy for Save the Children Asia Regional Office, Ben Phillips, gave further details on the public mobilization strategy of the Newborn and Child Survival Campaign. Like many of the delegates at the forum, Phillips wore a campaign badge with the slogan “May every child grows up healthy and sound”.

On the last day of the forum, representatives from three private enterprises:  Wang Lin, Social and Environmental Manager of Ikea Asia, Bu Jun, Director of Marketing at Johnson & Johnson China, and Su Zhi Jie, General Manager of the Ovaltine Food and Beverage Company, shared their strategies for the promotion of child health and the work of their organisations in partnership with Save the Children.

The highlight of the forum, however, was the Children’s Forum, a session led by the children and actively attended by over 100 child representatives. 30 year five and six students from three Shanghai schools for migrant children gave short performanced on how they see health and environmental problems within the community. The children also interviewed adult members of the audience on their opinions on social issues. The forum gave the attendees an insight into how children view the topic of child health and reinforced why adults should take up greater responsibility in the promotion child health.

A declaration to strengthen social responsibility was announced at the closing ceremony, calling for an increase in the social responsibility awareness of corporations and the provision of safe and healthy foods, medicines, clothing, toys and other consumables for children. The declaration made particular mention of the need to provide equal and effective health services for vulnerable children, to integrate vulnerable children into society and to establish supportive systems for street kids, children of migrant workers and children with disabilities.

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