International Organizations in China: A Visit to the UNFPA Representative Office
Time: May 06, 2021In order to enhance the understanding of the work of United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the work related to gender equality, on April 29, the brand practice course “International Organizations in China” of the School of Global Governance of Renmin University of China (RUC) held a practical visit to the UNFPA China Representative Office in conjunction with the school’s ongoing “International Organization Competency Training Program”. A group consisting of Professor Liu Shuang from the School of Social Research, Hu Qifan, project manager at the School of Global Governance, and five students of School of Global Governance visited the UNFPA Representative Office in China. They were received by Ren Yanan, the project officer responsible for social gender issues at the UNFPA Representative Office in China.
Ren Yanan welcomed the faculty and students from the School of Global Governanceof RUC and provided a detailed introduction toUNFPA covering its organizational structure, work overview, cooperation with China, and gender equality initiatives.
She highlighted that UNFPA’s work is based on the International Conference on Population and Development Programme of Action of 1994 and emphasized its role as the largest international multilateral organization providing funding support in the fields of population and reproductive health. UNFPA aims to achieve universal access to sexual and reproductive health, promote reproductive rights, reduce maternal mortality, and accelerate progress towards the UN’s 2030 Sustainable Development Goals. Currently, UNFPA’s cooperation with the Chinese government has smoothly entered its ninth phase (2021-2025), during which UNFPA will continue to focus on advancing China’s efforts to address gender imbalance in birth sex ratios, establishing partnerships with various parties, and enhancing China’s South-South and global cooperation.
During the subsequent Q&A session, Ren answered detailed questions from students regarding male participation, social gender equality, forms and content of cooperation between international organizations and the Chinese government, China’s influence in international organizations, and talent development and internship opportunities in international organizations.
After the discussion, accompanied Ren, the group visited the working area of the UNFPA Representative Office in China, experiencing firsthand the working environment and atmosphere and engaging in brief exchanges with the officials present.