Social protection is a growing concern in modern China. The rapid transformation of the Chinese economy and society has brought many benefits for China's people, but it has also seen the disappearance of many social safety nets and supportive institutions. Vulnerability and disadvantage have taken on new forms and new faces.

Social security schemes are especially sparse in the rural areas and highly variable in their coverage and benefits from one locality to another. Massive migration, unemployment and the emergence of a large informal working sector have left many urban workers and their families without social security. The UN is helping the Government to extend the newly reformed social security coverage beyond mainly urban formal-sector employees to cover the remaining 70 percent of the population, including the rural population. At the same time, action is being taken to widen service provisions and to improve the situation of migrant workers, especially the young.

The UN Country Team supports the Government in enforcing the Labour Law and safeguarding workers' rights, especially among the most vulnerable workers. Technical and policy support is being provided to improve occupational safety and health. In addition, the UN carries out research and advocacy to shed new light on issues such as working conditions for domestic workers.

The Government is taking action to tackle the growing problem of human trafficking, especially in women and children. The UN continues to play a key role in this, through advocacy, field research, and programmes. One main strategy is to increase opportunities for safe, formal migration by linking rural areas and cities where more labour is needed. The UN helps China to protect the rights of vulnerable groups such as the disabled and minorities. The UN also provides ongoing support for national legislation and policies that provide for the protection of minors, juvenile justice and street children, and combats child neglect, abuse and exploitation.

The growing number of older persons means that more demands are put on the Government in terms of old age security and support. In the absence of a functioning welfare system, many old persons, particularly older women, are over-represented among the poor. The UN works with the Government to pilot models that aim at increasing the support for the old.

The UN's work in China in this area is coordinated by its Theme Group on Poverty and Inequality.