China issues guidelines to advance child-friendly development

China has rolled out guidelines to advance child-friendly development across society, aiming to better protect minors' lawful rights and interests and promote children's healthy, all-round growth, the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) said on Tuesday.

The guidelines, jointly issued by the NDRC and the Office of National Working Committee on Children and Women under the State Council, draw on experience from pilot child-friendly city programs and call for the full-scale advancement of child-friendly development, with coordinated measures covering social policy, public services, rights protection, growth spaces and development environments.

It calls for continued efforts to improve the supply of public services, implement free access and preferential policies for children, and introduce practical measures in areas such as schooling, medical care, travel, sports and recreation.

The guidelines stress the need to strengthen safety protections for children by deepening coordinated protections involving families, schools, society, the internet, government and the judiciary, improving protection mechanisms, and reinforcing risk prevention and mitigation.

It calls for regular and sustained progress in child-friendly development. The two departments said they will step up policy coordination and support local governments in better integrating policies, funds and projects to comprehensively improve work related to children.