Delivering as One, a UN in China conversation presented by Resident Coordinator Siddharth Chatterjee: Episode 10 with Justine Coulson, UNFPA Representative to China

In the tenth episode of the UN in China podcast, UN Resident Coordinator in China Siddharth Chatterjee sits down with Justine Coulson, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Representative to China.

Ms. Coulson, a British national, was born and raised in the northern English county of Yorkshire. As a self-described child of the 1970s, her childhood was typical, with women in her community, such as her mother, often staying at home in unpaid care and domestic work roles. When her father returned from assignments at sea as part of the Merchant Navy, he often brought home trinkets and souvenirs from various parts of the world that would later serve to inspire her interest in travel and cultures and societies unlike her own. This, combined with a strong commitment from an early age to gender equality and women’s empowerment, would shape her future career track. After facing an informative setback in her initial plans to pursue journalism, she decided to take up Latin American Studies, followed by a Ph.D. with fieldwork in Ecuador which launched her into a career in International Development.

“Sexual (and) reproductive health is not just a women’s issue, it is an issue that has a huge impact on all aspects of social and economic development,”

Ms. Coulson highlights that she has not followed a linear career path in the UN system, having started her career elsewhere in academia, specifically as a Gender Adviser in a team focusing on urban research in informal settlements across Asia and Africa. She would later work in economic policy for the international non-governmental organization Save the Children before returning to academia. Her path in international development, specifically focusing on sexual and reproductive health, was solidified after joining MSI Reproductive Choices, with whom she worked for 10 years in regions such as East Africa and South Asia. She ultimately joined the UN system in 2016 through the Leadership Pool Initiative as the Deputy Regional Director for East and Southern Africa, before assuming her current role to join the UN family in China in 2021.

In this episode, Ms. Coulson raises how the working priorities for UNFPA in China have shifted since establishing its presence as part of the UN family in 1979 during the beginning of opening-up and reform. In the past, UNFPA in China worked to support provincial hospitals in building maternal care capacities. Nowadays, given improved capacity, UNFPA works in a more targeted manner, notably through projects in areas like midwifery education and training in provinces such as Qinghai and Shanxi, to improve sexual and reproductive health and rights among vulnerable populations, including ethnic minorities and other left-behind groups.

During the conversation, Ms. Coulson highlights UNFPA’s work in China with adolescents and youth, in advancing comprehensive sexuality education and promoting youth leadership, and their work in gender equality and women’s empowerment, in preventing and responding to gender-based violence and addressing the root causes of persistent practices such as gender-biased sex selection. She also emphasizes that population dynamics are not just an issue for UNFPA but a challenge for the entire UN system to address. In the face of emerging trends such as low fertility and rapid ageing, she makes it clear that the advancement of rights and choices for all, including in sexual and reproductive health, through evidence-based policies and programmes will be essential for China as it addresses its demographic transition.

Together with the Resident Coordinator, the two discuss other challenges and opportunities in the years ahead, particularly in the area of shifting national and global population trends, as well as UNFPA’s work in China to leave no one behind and contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, as part of the UN system in China.

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Justine Coulson

Justine Coulson is the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Representative to China and Country Director for UNFPA in Mongolia. She joined UNFPA in 2016 as the Deputy Regional Director for East and Southern Africa. Prior to this, she spent over 10 years with MSI Reproductive Choices in a number of country leadership positions and as the Regional Director for Asia.

Ms. Coulson began her career in international development as the Social Development and Gender Adviser in the Global Urban Research Unit at the University of Newcastle, UK before moving to the Economic Policy Unit at Save the Children, UK. She has worked in Asia, Latin America and Africa across a broad portfolio of development issues, always with a focus on addressing inequality and upholding the rights of women and girls.

She holds a Ph.D. in Gender and International Development from the University of Newcastle, UK and a Bachelor of Arts in Latin American Studies from the University of Liverpool, UK.

Siddharth Chatterjee

Siddharth Chatterjee took office as the United Nations Resident Coordinator in China on 16 January 2021 and is the designated representative of - and reports to - the UN Secretary-General. He presented his letter of credence to the President of China on 14 April 2021.

Mr. Chatterjee has more than 25 years of experience in international cooperation, sustainable development, humanitarian coordination and peace and security in the United Nations and the Red Cross movement. He has served in many fragile and war-torn countries all over the world.

A 3 times TEDx speaker, he is a regular opinion contributor on humanitarian and development issues for a range of journals which includes Newsweek, Los Angeles Times, Reuters, Huffington Post, Forbes, CNN, Al Jazeera, the Guardian and as of late has also published in mainstream Chinese journals.

Mr. Chatterjee holds a master’s degree in public policy from Princeton University in the United States of America.