Our Priorities

Every child has the right to survival, protection and development. Preparing and responding effectively to emergencies is essential for enabling children to exercise those rights.

China has substantial capacity to prepare for and respond to emergencies and disasters. UNICEF works with the Chinese government to assist in responding to the needs of children affected by disasters and to support improved, child-friendly emergency preparedness.

©UNICEF/China/2010/Jerry Liu Children's needs shall be priotized in the aftermath of disasters.

Our emergency programme helps children affected by disasters across China, including droughts, landslides and earthquakes. Our work includes:

• assessing the emergency situation to determine the recovery needs of children,
• helping to meet children's immediate needs in the aftermath of a disaster by providing housing tents and quilts, school tents and classroom supplies, health kits and medical equipment, and safe drinking water,
• promoting sustainable, child-focused recovery and reconstruction efforts, and
• reducing children's future vulnerability to disasters by supporting school safety training for teachers and principals, and by collaborating with schools to conduct safety mapping and evacuation drills.

You can help children in emergencies. Take action by developing an emergency response plan for your home and family, and discuss it with your child to ensure that he or she knows what to do in the event of an emergency. Or find out how you can support UNICEF today.