BEIJING, October 25. /Dunyo IA/.   Chinese media have provided extensive coverage of the World Summit on “Investing in Children’s Well-being: Towards Sustainable and Equitable Development for Future Generations”, held in Samarkand, reports Dunyo IA correspondent.

Event was covered by “Xinhua” Information Agency, “Renmin Ribao” (People's Daily) newspaper, broadcasters “CCTV”, “CGTN” and “Phoenix TV”, as well as publications including “TaKungPao” (Hong Kong edition), “Victwo”, “Lookwe”, “Psearcher”, “Target”, “Travel & Leisure” and others. Coverage also appeared on digital platforms such as “WeChat”, “Yidian Zixun”, “Toutiao”, “Sohu”, “Baijiahao” and “Ifeng”.

Reports noted that the summit, held in Samarkand on October 21–22^nd, brought together first ladies, government officials from foreign countries, representatives of international organizations, experts, business leaders, civil society representatives and media professionals from more than 100 countries. Discussions addressed children’s health, social protection, education, safety and family support as interconnected priorities. An exhibition was also organized to showcase Uzbekistan’s reforms through the eyes of children.

Summit was organised at Uzbekistan’s initiative in cooperation with the United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Representative on Violence against Children, UNICEF, the World Health Organization and the World Bank. Its central theme was assessing changes in children’s lives as the combined impact of healthcare, education, social protection and the family environment.

According to summit materials, the number of types of social services available in Uzbekistan has increased from 26 to 140, child poverty has fallen from 21.5% to 5.4%, and preschool enrolment has risen from 27.7% to 78%.

As part of the summit, “IMKON” Centre in Samarkand was officially opened in a ceremony attended by first ladies and high-level guests. It has become a new addition to the IMKON network, which also includes centres in Nukus, Qibray, Karshi and Zarafshan. In 2025, these centres delivered more than 546,000 procedures and sessions, while around 4,000 children received outpatient rehabilitation. The Second International Congress on Childhood Cancer was also held as part of the programme.

One of the summit’s key outcomes was the adoption of the Samarkand Declaration on Investing in Children’s Wellbeing. In the declaration, participants reaffirmed their commitment to the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the principle of the best interests of the child. They noted that children account for one-third of the world’s population and that investing in their wellbeing yields benefits in healthcare, education, labour productivity, social cohesion and peacebuilding.

In conclusion, media coverage emphasizes that investing in children’s wellbeing means protecting every child’s fundamental rights today, rather than treating this as a distant goal. Only through joint efforts can children grow up healthy, loved, safe and treated with dignity.