Jordan Times
Thursday, September 6, 2007
Queen commends China’s efforts
to address issues of migrant communities
AMMAN (JT) - Her Majesty Queen Rania on Wednesday underscored the vital need for
the global community to add their will to the resources and action on the ground
to enable the world to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by the
year 2015.
Her Majesty made the remarks at a press conference following her visit to a
migrant community at the Shibalidian Township in Chaoyang District, Beijing,
where she witnessed first-hand the situation of migrant women and children.
The Queen toured the Shibalidian Hospital and the Shibalidian Village Clinic,
both part of programme operated by UNICEF in coordination with the World Health
Organisation (WHO), in support of the Chinese government to ensure universal
access to an essential package of maternal and child health services, and to
promote appropriate infant and young child feeding.
UNICEF is also working to improve childhood vaccination coverage among migrant
communities in two provinces, including the Chaoyang District.
“I was very impressed with everything that I saw here today… by all the efforts
made by the Chinese government, both here in Beijing and elsewhere in China at
large, to address the issues of migrant communities,” said Queen Rania, who was
named UNICEF’s first Eminent Advocate for Children this year.
“What we see here is an example of good practice and proactiveness in addressing
the issues, particularly those of the mothers and children… it’s really a
prescription of hope for many of these people who have lost out to some of the
basic building blocks of a healthy life as a result of their social mobility,”
she added.
In her statement, the Queen also highlighted the importance of “multi-task” and
“multi-stakeholder” partnerships in achieving results, commending the
collaboration between the Chinese government, UNICEF, WHO and other
organisations.
During her tour of the hospital, the Queen administered the oral polio vaccine
to a Chinese child in the vaccination room, where she also met with patients and
their families, before proceeding to the Shibalidian Village Clinic, where she
observed the work of the clinic staff in immunisation.
Queen Rania, a board member of the GAVI (Global Alliance for Vaccines and
Immunisation) Fund, has, on numerous occasions, stressed the vital role of
vaccines and immunisation efforts in protecting children against deadly
diseases.
Following her tour of the sites, Queen Rania commended the “compassion and the
professionalism and the dedication of the staff”, and thanked “every doctor,
every nurse and every staff member for all that they have been doing for these
people and all they have done in restoring their health, their dignity, in
helping them build their lives and really regaining their spirit”.
Also on Wednesday, the Queen and Beijing Mayor Wang Qishang explored channels of
strengthening the bilateral cooperation between Amman and Beijing, within the
larger framework of the 30-year-old friendship that exists between the two
countries.
An example of such collaboration is the 2003-2006 Executive Programme for
Cultural and Scientific Cooperation, designed to strengthen relations between
the two countries in the fields of education, science, social development,
health, information, tourism, youth and sports.
Queen Rania also congratulated the mayor and Beijing Municipality on the city’s
successful modernisation and expansion, noting that many positive changes have
taken place since her last trip to China in 1999 with His Majesty King Abdullah.
During the meeting, the mayor briefed the Queen on the latest developments on
the growth of the city and the preparations under way for the 2008 Olympic
Games, including state-of-the-art sports facilities and a new airport that can
accommodate up to 70 million people.
The mayor also referred to various projects to preserve the country’s historic
landmarks, while Queen Rania highlighted Jordan’s commitment to preserving its
historical sites, noting that both countries have sites that are part of the New
Seven Wonders of the World, referring to Petra and the Wall of China.
Later in the day, Queen Rania, accompanied by HRH Princess Iman, visited the
Beijing Planning Exhibition Hall.
Known as the pride of the Beijing Municipal Government, it charts out the key
transformations that have taken place in the capital from 1949 to the present
day, as well as preparations for the Olympic Games.