A New UN Project to Improve Policies and Raise Awareness of Mine Safety at the Community Level

A New UN Project to Improve Policies and Raise Awareness of Mine Safety at the Community Level

March 27, 2007

-- Building a Safer Future for Coal Miners and Their
Families


    BEIJING, March 27 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- Coal miners
and their families in five provinces will soon receive
enhanced education and training while mine policies and
regulations will be improved as part of a four-year United
Nations project aimed at strengthening the safety capacity
of the coal industry in China.

    (Logo:
http://www.xprn.com.cn/xprn/sa/20061107113358-34.jpg )

    Entitled "Strengthening Coal Mine Safety Capacity
in China," the US$ 14.42 million project was launched
today in Beijing. It is designed to improve current
standards and regulations of mine safety and bolster their
enforcement.  

    With a special focus on small-scale town and village
mines, where the fatality rate is almost twice the national
average, the project will also set up pilot training centers
for over 1,000 miners and their families in an effort to
raise awareness of mining dangers and safety issues in
Anhui, Guizhou, Henan, Liaoning, and Shanxi. 

    "Being a coal miner in China is one of the world's
most dangerous jobs," said Khalid Malik, UN Resident
Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative in China, at
the launch. "In addition to improving standards and
mining methods, this project will work individually with
miners and their families in finding solutions to safety
challenges." 

    Spouses and other family members are in a unique
position to provide daily support to miners in accident
prevention and awareness, the initiative will, therefore,
prepare families to cope with difficulties in mine
accidents.

    In addition to safety training and policy support,
other project areas include pilot demonstrations in key
aspects of coal mine safety and the transfer of new
technologies for coal mine methane capture.

    Peng Jianxun, Vice Administrator of the State
Administration of Coal Mine Safety, said at the ceremony
that this year, the government agencies will continue to
strive for better coal mine gas control and process illegal
mine closures. They will also strengthen efforts to bring
coal mine safety management within international standards.


    "This project therefore provides a good
opportunity for China to draw on international experience
and best practices in advanced management concepts and
methods for mine safety, "he said.  

    China is now the world's largest coal producer and
consumer, with more than five million coal miners estimated
employed in the industry. The coal sector underlies China's
economic and social development, providing 70% of the
nation's energy supply. However, the rapid growth of
China's economy has also contributed to a high level of
fatalities from coal mine accidents.  While the coal output
of China accounts for one third of the total world output,
the number of deaths and accidents in mines amounts to 80%
of the world total.

    The project is a joint effort between United Nations
Development Programme (UNDP) in China, the State
Administration of Work Safety (SAWS) and the China
International Center for Economic and Technical Exchange
(CICETE) under the Ministry of Commerce.

    About UNDP

    UNDP fosters human development to empower women and men
to build better lives in China. As the UN's development
network, UNDP draws on a world of experience to assist
China in developing its own solutions to the country's
development challenges. Through partnerships and
innovation, UNDP works to achieve the Millennium
Development Goals and an equitable Xiao Kang society by
reducing poverty, strengthening the rule of law, promoting
environmental sustainability, and fighting HIV/AIDS.
http://www.undp.org.cn  


    For more information, please contact: 

     Ms. Zhang Wei
     Communications Officer
     UNDP China
     Tel:   [phone]
     Email: [e-mail]