International Conference

【China - ASEAN Forum】

　　In 2006, at the Second ASEAN Plus Three High-level Workshop on Poverty Reduction, the Chinese government put forward the "Beijing Initiative" and proposed ASEAN countries and the three countries – China, Japan and South Korea shall hold a ministerial meeting on poverty alleviation every two years between the 10＋3 workshops to promote regional poverty reduction. Under the direct leadership of LGOP, IPRCC regularly hosts the regional development and poverty reduction forum and organizes parties concerned to conduct in-depth discussion and exchanges on how to further increase efforts on regional poverty reduction and improve the pro-poor effects.

　　On September 28, 2009, the Third China-ASEAN Forum on Social Development and Poverty Reduction and the Fourth ASEAN Plus Three High-level Workshop on Poverty Reduction was successfully convened in Hanoi, Vietnam. It was co-hosted by China’s State Council Leading Group Office of Poverty Alleviation and Development (LGOP), Vietnam’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD), the ASEAN Secretariat and the Asian Development Bank (ADB), and organized by the International Poverty Reduction Center in China (IPRCC) with the help of other relevant international organizations. The theme of this forum was: the impact of a slowing global economy on the poverty and sustainable development in the Asia Pacific Region. LGOP Deputy Director-General Zheng Wenkai headed the Chinese Delegation to attend the forum and addressed the opening ceremony. Mr. Zhang Lei made a keynote speech on “The International Financial Crisis and China’s Poverty Reduction: Impact and Countermeasures”. Vietnam's Permanent Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Sinh Hung and Mr. Harihiko Kuroda, President of ADB made speeches at the opening ceremony. The forum lasted for 3 days (September 28-30), with over 380 participants from government, bilateral and multilateral development agencies and international organizations, as well as experts and scholars from 28 countries. This is the first time for LGOP to hold a large-scale international exchange activity for poverty reduction. It achieved positive results and enhanced the influence of LGOP.

【Poverty Reduction and Development Forum - 10.17 Forum】

　　“Poverty Reduction and Development Forum” is a large-scale high-level international conference co-sponsored by LGOP and international agencies and organized by IPRCC. Since 2007, this forum is convened on October 17 - the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty every year. Taking hot issues in global poverty reduction as the themes, it invites celebrities around the world to discuss and exchange views on the forum to arouse the international community's attention on poverty reduction and further promote international exchange and cooperation in the area of poverty reduction.

　　On October 17, 2009, the 17th International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, the Poverty Reduction and Development Forum was staged at Beijing Diaoyutai State Guesthouse. With the theme of Financial Crisis and Poverty: Challenges and Actions, the Forum was hosted by the State Council Leading Group Office of Poverty Alleviation and Development of China (LGOP) and UN China, and organized by the International Poverty Reduction Center in China (IPRCC) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Mr. Hui Liangyu, Vice Premier of China and Head of the LGOP attended the opening ceremony and delivered a speech. Mr. Ban Ki-Moon, UN Secretary-General, also sent a message to the Forum. LGOP Director-General Fan Xiaojian delivered a keynote speech at the Forum. More than 200 distinguished guests from over 20 countries in Asia, Africa, America, Europe and Oceania, including government officials, representatives of international organizations and NGOs, came together to conduct discussions on poverty reduction and development in the context of economic globalization and world multi-polarization. The forum was divided into several sessions, respectively on the Financial Crisis and Poverty Reduction from a Global Perspective, Ensuring An Inclusive and Sustainable Recovery for All, and Promoting Concerted Global Efforts in Tackling the Economic Crisis. UN Deputy Secretary-General and UNFPA Executive Director Thoraya Ahmed Obaid, and Vice President of the World Bank Mr. James Adams addressed the opening ceremony. All the participants expressed their hopes that international society should continue to strengthen the coordination of macro-economic policies, develop the system for social security and assistance through international monetary cooperation, create firm and conducive conditions for economic recovery, and make greater efforts for the promotion of global poverty reduction and achieving the UN Millennium goals.

【International Symposium on Community-Driven Development and Rural Poverty Alleviation】

　　From October 18 to 19, 2010, the International Symposium on Community-Driven Development and Rural Poverty Alleviation was jointly held by LGOP, the World Bank, Asian Development Bank and Canadian International Development Agency. Nearly 200 people attended the event, including overseas representatives from 15 international agencies such as the World Bank and ADB and ten countries in Asia, Africa and America, and domestic representatives from 12 ministries, 10 central organs, 8 colleges and research agencies and 16 provinces (municipalities, autonomous regions. LGOP Director-General Fan Xiaojian, WB’s Vice President James Adams, ADB’s Vice President Lawrence Greenwood and Ambassador David Mulroney from Canadian Embassy in China addressed the opening ceremony. LGOP Deputy Director-General Zheng Wenkai, Director of the Social Development Department of the World Bank Cyprian Fisiy, Bart W. Edes, Director of Regional and Sustainable Development Department of ADB and Pakistan National Rural Support Programme Chairman Shoaib Sultan Khan respectively delivered keynote speeches. 18 domestic and foreign experts and representatives delivered exchange speeches. The conference explored the practice of community-driven development (CDD) in rural infrastructure construction, farmers’ livelihood development and environmental improvement of communities, particularly among the poor, the national budget strategy and monitoring assessment methods for community-driven development, shared global experience, especially China’s experience in CDD and exchanged views on the role and significance of CDD in rural poverty reduction and China’s poverty alleviation in rural areas. The meeting brought together a great deal of experience in CDD and poverty reduction, which was then compiled into a book with high domestic and international attention. The successful holding of the meeting and the systematic summarizing of the experience laid a solid foundation for improving the pattern of CDD and provided a useful reference for the establishment of anti-poverty mechanism, system innovation and the development of pro-poor policies for the next phase.