Chapter 2 Formulation and Implementation of the Sustainable Development Strategy Section 5 Public Education and Participation in Sustainable Development I. Education 2.29 One of China's major efforts in promoting sustainable development is the capacity building for decision-makers, improving their management skills at implementing the sustainable development strategy, and enhancing public awareness. Since the UNCED and particularly after the publication of China's Agenda 21, all levels of the Chinese Government have organised numerous training courses in various forms. These were intended to change the out-dated traditional development concepts of the decision-makers and the management of development, and to enrich their understandings of sustainable development. By the end of 1996 these sustainable development training courses had been conducted in over half of the provinces. The Chinese Government attaches great importance to education on sustainable development. Under its auspices, several universities have set up new faculties, departments or colleges of environment protection, and preparations are also being made for the establishment of other academic organisations (such as research centres, societies, and research institutes) which will specialise in the research of sustainable development. Moreover, environment sections have been added to textbooks for primary and middle schools with the aim of enhancing the young people's environmental awareness. The Chinese media has greatly supported training and education for sustainable development. The People's Daily, CCTV, and Central People's Radio have given broad coverage and introductions to the concept of sustainability and Agenda 21. Beijing TV produced "China's Agenda 21 Is Not A Dream" (a 30-episode series) and "Sustainable Development: A New Start for China". These offer a systematic introduction to China's Agenda 21 and the concept of sustainable development. The Central People's Broadcasting Station aired the series "The Path of China's Sustainable Development". Recent years have witnessed the extensive coverage of environmental protection activities by the media, massive publication of books and periodicals on sustainable development by publishing agencies, and numerous important meetings on sustainability by the government at all levels. To increase public awareness of natural resources, the environmental situation, recycling, and solid and hazardous waste treatment, the State Economic and Trade Commission, the Environment and Resources Committee of the National People's Congress, and the Publicity Department of CPC's Central Committee co-organised a publicity campaign on the topics of sustainable utilisation of natural resources, promotion of the transformation of economic development growth model from extensive to intensive, and promotion of sustainable development in 1996. This activity is of great concern to the entire nation. All of the news agencies were mobilised to promote this campaign and thus increase public awareness on these topics. This campaign will be continuously conducted during the Ninth Five-Year Plan period. Additionally, during the Eighth Five-Year Plan period, the State Economic and Trade Commission, the State Planning Commission, the State Science and Technology Commission, and other ministries conducted week-long campaigns on the topic of energy conservation across the whole country every October. The Ministry of Natural Resources organises relevant sectors to hold the "World Water Day" and "China's Water Week" every year. II. Promoting the Participation of Social Organisations and General Public 2.30 Women's participation in sustainable development activities In 1992, the Chinese Government promulgated the "Law of the People's Republic of China Concerning the Guarantee of the Rights and Interests of Women". The State Council established the "Women and Children Work Committee" in 1993 and publicised the "Outline for Women's Development in China (1995-2000)". Chinese women have taken an active part in the adoption of sustainable practices with concrete results. In 1989, a large-scale mobilisation was initiated among the rural women of various nationalities, encouraging them to study science and technology, and compete with each other in their achievements and contributions. Training courses on practical technology, part of the illiteracy-elimination programme, have benefited 96 million women trainees and helped 20.03 million women become literate. Moreover, women federations at all levels have been searching for new ways to lift the poverty-stricken out of their plight. The women's federations have adopted a number of methods to alleviate poverty, e.g. the establishment of agricultural poverty-alleviating cooperatives where the majority of members are women and the provision of priority loans to poor women. These diversified and flexible methods have won extensive support and have brought about great success in poverty alleviation for women. The women's federations also contributed substantially to protecting the rights and interests and creating job opportunities for women in the urban areas. They have also organised various training courses for re-employment so that female workers temporarily out of work may learn new skills and find new jobs. This increase in women employment and job diversity promotes social stability. The Chinese women's organisations have also been working hard to protect the environment and have made substantial contributions. The popularisation of the fuel-conserving stove in the countryside was driven by the women federations, and the method of separate treatment of urban wastes was advocated by the women officials in the neighbourhood committees. Another example of women's contribution to the coordinated development of economy and environment is the fact that each year 120 million Chinese women take part in the "March 8th Green Project" - a voluntary reforestation scheme. As a result of this action, more than 60 thousand small orchards, mulberry fields and other green bases were built and are operated by women in the rural areas. The rural women have also actively participated in the construction of water conservation facilities, the comprehensive management of small drainage areas, the collection of organic fertilisers as substitutes for chemical equivalents, and the dissemination of new farming technologies. In addition, their positive actions in response to the government's family planning policy are gradual easing the country's population burden. All of above demonstrate that woman are playing an indispensable role in the realisation of China's sustainable social and economic development. 2.31 Youth organisations are encouraged to participate in the sustainable development drive. The China Youth Fund launched and implemented the "Hope Project" which was designed to mobilise the entire society to help the young dropouts in the poverty-stricken regions. From 1989 to 1995, the Project helped 1.25 million teenage dropouts back to school. By the end of June 1996, 2500 "Hope" primary schools had opened. Starting in 1995, the China Youth Association had organised an annual campaign to provide scientific and technical service to rural areas. Over 500,000 university students and 1 million high school students volunteered their time and services to participate in this programme. The urban young people offered vocational training which serves to disseminate scientific understanding and the concept of sustainable development. Youth recreation centres are being used to hold on-the-job training classes that play an important supporting role in promoting national vocational education. In this way, the youth of China are joining in the creation of a beautiful social and cultural environment. In addition, starting in 1994, the China Youth Association began to practise a "Green Preparatory Certificate System", namely, granting both professional qualification certificates and green certificates to the high school students in rural areas. By launching the "On-the-job Training and Technical Competition" campaign (a part of the Green Certificate programme) among the young workers, the Chinese youth organisations have encouraged young workers to create a wide range of inventions that conserve resources, reduce energy consumption, and prevent pollution so as to promote technological progress and cleaner production. The campaign involved 50 million young participants in the 1983-1993 period and resulted in 15 million technical inventions. The "Afforestation by the Youth and Making a Green Country" project - a forty year long afforestation project organised by Chinese youth organisations - has already contributed greatly to the shelter belt systems along the Yellow River, upper and middle reaches of the Yangtze River, and the Taihang Mountain area. After UNCED, the 130 million members of China's Young Pioneers incorporated environmental awareness into their education plan. They also launched a "Cross-Century Chinese Teenage Eaglet Movement", and established a medal prize for environmental protection and an honorary title of "Young Guard of Environment". Hence, not only children, but their families and the society as well, are mobilised for environmental undertakings. This Movement is of profound and far-reaching significance for China's sustainable development. 2.32 Chinese scientists and technologists have taken an active part in the implementation of the strategy of sustainable development. The Chinese Science and Technology Society has more than 10,000 branches at the provincial and prefectural levels, about 50,000 township offices, and 2,000 community groups. The numerous people in this circle are all working diligently and conscientiously to gear their endeavours to economic construction and social progress, propagate advanced technologies where applicable to the local conditions, advocate civilised, healthy and scientific ways of living, eliminate the feudal superstitions and ignorance, and advertise the concept of sustainable development. The National Association of Rural Special Technology Society, founded in October of 1995, is a conglomerate of over 130,000 societies at the county and township level which have been practising technical training in the countryside. From 1990 to 1995, more than 150 million farmers were trained and over 2 million farmers were qualified as technicians. Two strategic tasks of capacity building for sustainable development are to increase the cultural level and upgrade the nation's scientific understanding by more energetic dissemination of knowledge. December of 1994 witnessed the initiation of a joint-meeting system for nation-wide scientific popularisation and various forms of activities in this field, such as "The Winter of Scientific Popularisation" in eleven northern provinces during the winter slack season and the "One Industry for Each Town, One Product for Each Village" in the south. From 1992 to 1996, the training programme for applied technology, which was oriented towards the rural officials, set a record of 40 million person-hours. There are altogether 1210 correspondence courses and radio schools specifically for farmers. The scientific and technology societies, in the "Technology to the Countryside" project, introduced 100 selected applied farming technologies to farmers with the aim of helping them out of poverty and ignorance. 2.33 The Labour Union's participation in sustainable development The Labour Union of China has actively participated in the national legislation on sustainable development and, in the process of formulating legislation suggestions, has carried out an independent social survey on social security, social welfare, unemployment insurance, labour contracts, etc. In 1995, the Union put forward more than 240 proposals on legislation, the majority of which were accepted by the legislative body at different levels. Since the enactment of the Labour Law in 1994, the Labour Union has signed collective contracts with 48,000 enterprises on behalf of labour groups. To the present, the total number of China's contract workers is 106 million, equal to 96% of the country's entire urban work force. The Labour Union of China has contributed its due share to the establishment of the social security mechanism, including the setting up of the pension, unemployment, and medical insurance systems. The Union has also tried, in various ways, to improve the working conditions of the workers in terms of their safety, protection, and health. On social security matters, a "Poverty Alleviation Fund" was created by the Union to help those cornered by poverty. In 1995, more than 5 million poor households received financial aid from the Fund, which totalled RMB 700 million yuan. In order to defend the rights and interests of the workers and to ensure proper and sanitary working conditions, the unions at different levels have set up systems to supervise and monitor labour protection, e.g. adding the post of supervisor in the municipal unions and above. To date, there are 520,000 workers' committees in enterprises supervising labour protection and performing periodic examinations of working safety and sanitary production through various methods. 2.34 Farmers' participation in sustainable development Farmers are the main agents of land control and, at the same time, the main beneficiaries of investment in land quality. In the water and soil control projects from 1991 to 1996, farmers provided 70% of the total input and completed work on the prevention of soil erosion in 211,300 square kilometres. This ratio between the governmental and farmers input prevailed in other land control projects. Farmer participation is essential for the cost reduction of the country's environmental control projects. Their input enables the Central Government to work on many projects with limited investment - an accomplishment that has been admired all around the world. Chinese farmers have developed many new methods in their practice of redressing the agricultural ecological environment, such as "eco-farming" and "comprehensive control of small drainage areas". Besides this, they have also been actively studying and practising new applied technologies in their efforts towards sustainable development. This is illustrated by the fact that farmers logged over 30 million attendances at training courses on various applied technologies. The flourishing of township and village enterprises is another major contribution of the Chinese farmers towards the national industrialisation. This sector provides 120 million non-farming job opportunities in the rural areas and has created substantial wealth. These enterprises constitute a strong pillar of China's rural economy, an important part of the national economy, and the majority of the medium- and small-sized enterprises. Box 2-7 Niu Yuqin - A Model Peasant of Afforestation and Desert Control Niu Yuqin lives on the fringe of the Mausu Desert on the southern Inner Mongolia Plateau. In 1983, she and her husband signed a contract for 1,333 hectares of barren sand land. At that time, she was not as rich as she is now, but Niu managed to borrow some money to buy saplings. Everyday, she got up before dawn, put the saplings (which weigh more than 50 kilos) on her shoulders and walked 20 kilometres to plant trees. Over the next 14 years, she kept on planting trees and growing grass despite tremendous hardships. Sometimes, the sand storms would blow down all the trees she had just planted, but she was never dejected and would work all day long to set the trees upright again. Neither did the death of her husband in 1988 dampen her spirit or hamper her effort on afforestation. Through the years, Niu's trees and grasses have covered a land of over 1,466 hectares. Niu Yuqin, now a famous model peasant in China, was granted the "Doctor Rao Award" by the Asia-Pacific Office of UNFAO for her outstanding achievements in desertification control. Text Browser Utilities: [ACCA21 Home Page, National Report on Sustainable Development Home Page, Back, Next] For more information about ACCA21 contact: web@acca21.org.cn Address: 109 Wanquanhe Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100089, People's Republic of China Telephone: +86-10-82636193, +86-10-82634400 Ext.2401 Fax: +86-10-82636192