Liu Jian, Director of Chinese State Council Leading Group Office of Poverty Alleviation and Development Address on Opening Ceremony of International Conference, Poverty Reduction Strategy in the New Millennium: Emerging Issues, Experiences and Lessons

Liu Jian, Director of Chinese State Council Leading Group Office of Poverty Alleviation and Development
May 23, 2006

Distinguished Mr. Van Brown, Ladies and Gentlemen:
　　First of all, on behalf of Chinese State Council Leading Group Office of Poverty Alleviation and Development, let me extend our warm welcome to the arrival of all attending representatives, experts and scholars coming from overseas.
　　Famine and poverty is a major problem troubling many developing countries in the world. It threatens not only the existence and dignity of mankind but also peace and development of human society.
　　Since the 1990s, the international community has reached many significant common understandings with regards to joint efforts on poverty eradication. On the UN Millennium Summit held in September 2000, 189 countries signed the Millennium Declaration together with official commitments to work hard for the establishment of a world with poverty eradication and sustainable development as priority goals. They identified eight goals including the one of halving the poor population globally before 2015, namely the Millennium Development Goals(MDGs). This has established a timetable for poverty reduction, development and cooperation of the international community. Actively initiated and coordinated by the United Nations and other international organizations, governments of all the countries have taken active actions attaining effective progress in poverty reduction undertakings. Presently, poverty reduction undertaking worldwide has not been developed very satisfactorily. However, we believe that as long as international community, governments and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) assume their respective responsibilities in a joint effort to create favorable development environment conducive to the cause of poverty reduction, the human society will finally win over poverty, step into balanced growth and realize common wealth.
　　China, as a developing country with a large population, is one important component in the global anti-poverty cause. This year is the 20th anniversary for organized, planned and large-scale poverty reduction and development activities initiated by the Chinese government. For many years, Chinese government has always adhered to a road for poverty reduction and development according to our national conditions. In principle, our self-dependent poverty reduction is led by government and participated by social forces through comprehensive development. Great achievements have been made. According to Chinese standard on poverty, the number of rural poor has declined from 250,000,000 in 1978 to 23,650,000 in 2005. The incidence of poverty has declined from 30.7% to 2.5%; at the same time, comparable improvements have be made concerning the basic living conditions in poor areas, and long-run development has been made in public service undertakings, such as education and health. Paul Wolfowitz, President of World Bank, said on his China tour in October 2005, “Since 1980, China’s population lifted out of poverty and backwardness has accounted for 75% among that in developing countries --- this is one astonishing fact and China’s achievements in poverty reduction is remarkable in the whole world.” United Nations Development Program (UNDP) pointed out in Human Development Report (HDR) 2005 that, “Based on $1 per day poverty standard, China’s incidence of poverty has declined by half since 1990, attaining the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in advance.” The success of large-scale poverty reduction plan led by Chinese government also lends some experiences to the cause of international anti-poverty.
　　Although having made great achievements in poverty reduction, China as a developing country with the largest population in the world and unbalanced growth still shoulder heavy responsibilities in poverty alleviation and development. Firstly, there are still a very large number of poor groups needing support. Secondly, the poverty eradication is becoming more difficult. Presently, the remaining poor population is mainly distributed in regions with much inferior production and living conditions. The vulnerability increases with high ratio of return to poverty. Thirdly, the disadvantageous position of poor group is prominent. The upper limit for income of poor peasants in 2005 only equals 21% of per capita income of peasants nationwide.
　　Facing the difficulties and challenges above, we come to clearer recognition that we should still continue to make long-time efforts to meet the requirements of goals put forth by the Chinese government on comprehensively building a well-off society, harmonious socialist society and new socialist villages.
Ladies and gentlemen:
　　By summing up the experiences and lessons in poverty alleviation and development for 20 years, our goal in “the 11th Five-year Plan” period, namely the next five years, is as follows: to basically solve the problem of food and clothing of rural poor as well as gradually increase their incomes; to basically accomplish the poverty-reduction plans for 148,000 “Village-Based 　　　　　　　　　　Development” as per the requirements on building new socialist villages.
　　On such purposes, we’ll continue to persist in aiming at poor groups. For the poor with capability to work, we’ll help them to improve their capability of self development; for those without capability to work，we’ll offer them with necessary relief and assistance; for the places where conditions permit, we’ll explore to establish the system for minimal life allowance in rural areas. We’ll continue to persist in adjusting measures to local conditions in implementing poverty alleviation and development on village-by-village basis. For those poor villages that have completed and been carrying out plans for poverty reduction, we should focus on consolidating and enhancing those achievements as per the standards for constructing new countryside. We should also research on the follow-up management mechanism. For those poor villages where construction has not been launched, we should further perfect the contents for the plan for “Village-Based Development”. We’ll continue to persist in reinforcing training measures in a great effort to enhance the quality of workers. Based on the demands on labor force market, we’ll continuously improve the quality of training and try our best to offer employment and right protection services. We’ll try our best to have one laborer from each poor rural household trained during “the 11th Five-year Plan” period. We’ll continue to persist in carrying out industrialization-oriented poverty alleviation, adjusting agricultural structure and fostering revenue-increasing industries. We’ll try our best to achieve the goal that one to two leading enterprises with driving forces for each key poverty-alleviated county can be fostered during “the 11th Five-year Plan” period. We’ll continue to reinforce administration over poverty-alleviation funds and enhance their utilization benefits. We’ll reform and perfect modes for allocating poverty alleviation funds, complete and normalize the system for fund administration as well as consolidate auditing, social and public supervision. We’ll continue to mobilize all social forces to actively participate in poverty alleviation and development. We’ll reinforce the strength of pair aid and support on poor regions in the middle and western regions by the eastern regions, continuously perfect fixed poverty alleviation work by departments, as well as encourage and support intermediary groups and NGOs in participating in the execution of poverty reduction projects. We’ll continue to reinforce our leadership over poverty alleviation and development.

Ladies and gentlemen:
　　This international conference, Poverty Reduction Strategy in the New Millennium: Emerging Issues, Experiences and Lessons, is another specific action of participating states regarding close exchanges and cooperation in poverty reduction following the Global Conference on Scaling-up Poverty Reduction in Shanghai. Through the joint efforts by participating representatives and international community, I believe that successful experiences gained by all the countries starting from their own reality will break though regional restrictions and get practiced and promoted in more areas; correct and penetrating views proposed by many experts and scholars will also be gradually realized in more extensive fields; and the wisdom of all participating representatives will contribute a lot to the world cause of poverty reduction. We should express our gratitude to the sponsor of this conference for giving us such a great platform for exchange. Here I’d like to particularly give an introduction to you about International Poverty Reduction Center in China (IPRCC). As a great fruit from the Global Conference on Scaling-up Poverty Reduction, Shanghai, the Center was jointly initiated, funded and established by the Government of the People's Republic of China, United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and several other international organizations. Its goal is to exchange on experiences of poverty alleviation, push the process of poverty reduction, organize theoretical research, promote policy optimization, strengthen international communications as well as boost international cooperation. Its establishment marks that the exchange and cooperation in reduction alleviation between China and the international community enters one new development stage.
　　At last, I wish the conference a great success!
　　Thank you!