International Exchange

　　【Visits】 In 2010, the State Council Leading Group Office of Poverty Alleviation and Development actively conducted international exchange and cooperation in the field of poverty reduction, further strengthened international exchanges in poverty reduction, expanded the channels and objects of communication, organized exchange visits with a number of partner countries and dispatched a total of 35 visiting delegations to abroad.

1. From January 13 to 22, 2010, Director-General of International Poverty Center in China (hereinafter IPRCC) Wu Zhong headed a delegation to visit Mali and Cote d’Ivoire. Main purposes of the visit: First, attend the preparatory meeting of the Seminar on Agriculture, Food Safety and Rural Development” held by China - Development Assistance Committee (China-DAC) Study Group in Mali. Second, visit the President’s Office of Cote d’Ivoire to communicate on the cooperation with Cote d’Ivoire in the field of poverty reduction. During its visit in Mali, the delegation visited the Prime Minister's Office, Strategic Center for Poverty Reduction and Growth and other government agencies, the French Agency for Development, the World Bank and other international institutions. During its visit in Cote d’Ivoire, the delegation met with Mr. Raymond Y. SIBAILLY, Counselor of the President’s Office in charge of investment and African Integration and Governor Bouafle and conducted discussions on the cooperation between IPRCC and Cote d’Ivoire in the field of poverty reduction.

2. From April 22 to 28, 2010, a delegation headed by LGOP Deputy Director-General Zheng Wenkai with President of China Foundation for Poverty Alleviation Duan Yingbi as the consultant paid a visit to the Republic of Mali to attend the International Symposium of “Agriculture, Food Security and Rural Development for the Realization of Growth and Poverty Reduction”, and visited Benin and Mali to talk about the China-Africa cooperation in the field of poverty reduction. Deputy Director General Zheng Wenkai delivered a speech at the opening ceremony and introduced the situation of China’s poverty alleviation and development and the relevant policies. President Duan Biying delivered a special report on China’s rural development and poverty reduction. Prime Minister Modibo Sidibé of the Republic of Mali met with the delegation and highly praised and fully affirmed the exchange and cooperation between China and Mali in the field of poverty reduction. During its visit in Benin, the delegation held talks with the departments concerned of UNDP Benin, Benin’s Ministry of Development and Planning and Ministry of Finance and Economy to explore approaches for the two sides’ exchange and cooperation in the field of poverty reduction and carried out field research in Cotonou Farmers’ Market and local impoverished villages.

3. From August 20 to 29, 2010, China’s poverty alleviation delegation headed by LGOP Director-General Fan Xiaojian paid a work visit to Bangladesh and India. Main purposes of the visit: First, strengthen the cooperation with the two countries in the field of poverty reduction and development and share experience with them to promote the process of achieving Millennium Development Goals; Second, visit the two countries’ government poverty relief systems and Bangladesh’s microfinance model system to provide a reference for the development of the outline for poverty alleviation and development in the next decade and the improvement of China’s poverty alleviation and development strategy and policy system; Third, explore the cooperation with the two countries in the field of poverty alleviation and give full play to the role of IPRCC as a platform for exchanges. During the visit, Director-General Fan Xiaojian introduced in detail the institutional functions, work priorities, basic experience, achievements in poverty alleviation, problems and challenges, etc to Bangladesh and India. During its visit in Bangladesh, the delegation met with Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Foreign Minister Dipu Moni, and held talks with the relevant officials from the local government, Minister of Rural Development and Cooperation, Minister of Agriculture and commissioners of the Ministry of Planning. During its visit in India, the delegation held talks respectively with the Minister of Rural Development and Village Affair Management, Vice Chairman of Planning Commission, Chairman of Rajasthan and UNDP India Coordinator and Country Director of UNDP in India, and went to Rajasthan to carry out field research on the organization, implementation and management of the "Gandhi Rural Employment Guarantee Project".

4. From September 19 to 25, 2010, at the invitation of Chairman of the African Association of Agricultural Economists, LGOP Deputy Director-General Wang Guoliang headed a delegation to visit South Africa and attend the international conference on "Food and Financial Crisis" held by African Association of Agricultural Economists. More than 400 scholars and policy practitioners, from the African Continent were present at the event and talked about a number of issues on the agricultural development in Africa. On September 22, at the sixth plenary session, Deputy Director-General Wang Guoliang introduced to the participants China’s effectiveness, policy and practices in poverty alleviation and development. More than 200 participants actively responded and conducted interactive exchanges with the delegation on the relevant issues. During its visit in South Africa, the delegation also held talks with GTZ South Africa Office to comprehensively understand GTZ’s work and activities in South Africa, and visited GTZ’s project area in Mpumalanga Province. Meanwhile, it discussed with relevant persons of GTZ, the European Union and the Ministry of Finance of South Africa on the existing and potential cooperation projects and reached a consensus in many aspects.

5. From October 18 to 25, 2010, a delegation headed by Counsellor of the State Council and IPRCC Chairman Liu Jian paid a study visit to Australia and Fiji to learn about the situation of social assistance and poverty reduction in the two countries. The visit had three purposes: First, strengthen the communication with the two countries in the field of poverty reduction and social development; Second, study the two countries’ pro-poor policies and measures to provide a reference for the development the outline for poverty alleviation and development in the next decade and the improvement of China’s poverty alleviation and development strategy and policy system; Third, explore the cooperation with the two countries in the field of poverty alleviation and give full play to the role of IPRCC as a platform for exchanges. During its visit in Fiji, the delegation met with Ms. Hon. Jiko Luveni, Fiji Minister of Social Welfare, Women and Poverty Reduction, conducted a field trip to the housing poverty alleviation project in Navo Residential Area and Sabeto Residential Area and the handicraft poverty alleviation project in Lautoka, visited the women’s sewing training center and the women’s center in Raibevu as well as other project sites. In Australia, the delegation visited University of Melbourne and held talks respectively with Dr. Stephen Chandler, Research Advisor of the University of Melbourne on international cooperation and Deputy Director of Australia-China Water Resources Research Center, Professor Mr. Ray Ison, Monash University of Australia, etc. The two sides exchanged ideas on the water resource poverty relief projects of University of Melbourne, Monash University and Chinese Academy of Sciences in Baiyangdian of China, etc.

　　【Reception activities】 The State Council Leading Group Office of Poverty Alleviation and Development (LGOP) receives a large number of delegations from government departments of various countries, international organizations and non-governmental organizations every year. In 2010, LGOP leaders met with 17 foreign delegations.

1. On January 6, Director-General Fan Xiaojian met with Ambassador of Peru to China Mr. Harold Forsyth.

2. On March 3, Deputy Director-General Zheng Wenkai met with the government delegation headed by Ramchandra Man Singh from Nepal Prime Minister's Office and the Secretary-General of the Council of Ministers.

3. On March 4, Deputy Director-General Zheng Wenkai met with the government delegation headed by Tegegnework Gettu, Assistant Secretary General of United Nations, Assistant Administrator of UNDP and Director of the Regional Bureau for Africa.

4. On April 9, Deputy Director-General Zheng Wenkai met with Mr. Khalid Malik, Chief Coordinator of United Nations China and Resident Representative of UNDP China.

5. On April 20, Deputy Director-General Zheng Wenkai met with the government delegation headed by Minister of Rural Development and Land Reform of South Africa.

6. On June 2, Deputy Director-General Zheng Wenkai met with Euloge Himvi, Assistant Secretary-General of Benin’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Technical Adviser Ms. Elisha Nicole who were in China to attend the Seminar on Poverty Reduction and Social Development Policy in the Promotion of MDG Process for Francophone Africa.

7. On June 4, Director-General Fan Xiaojian met with the delegation headed by Ms. Renata Lok-Dessallien, UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative in China.

8. On June 9, Director-General Fan Xiaojian met with the delegation headed by Nigeria's ruling party governor Senator Mahmud Kanti Bello.

9. On June 17, Director-General Fan Xiaojian met with the government delegation headed by Bengal's National Assembly Member and Minister of Land Md Razaul Karim Hira.

10. On June 25, Deputy Director-General Zheng Wenkai met with the delegation headed by Director of the Social Development of World Bank Mr. Cyprian Fisiy.

11. On August 31, Deputy Director-General Zheng Wenkai met with the delegation headed by Chairman of Norwegian Christian Democratic Party Mr. Dagfinn Hoybraten.

12. On September 10, Deputy Director-General Zheng Wenkai met with the delegation headed by South African Minister in the Presidency for National Planning Commission Mr. Trevor Manuel.

13. On October 25, Deputy Director-General Zheng Wenkai met with the delegation headed by Deputy Minister of Land, Housing and Urban Development of Malawi Mr. Billy Kaunda.

14. On October 26, Director-General Fan Xiaojian met with Costa Rican Foreign Minister RENE CASTRO, Costa Rican Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of Religious Affairs.

15. On November 17, Deputy Director-General Zheng Wenkai met with Vinod Thomas, Senior Vice-President and Director-General of Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) at the World Bank.

16. On November 23, Director-General Fan Xiaojian met with the delegation headed by Mr. Peniel Lyimo, Permanent Secretary of the Prime Minister’s Office of Tanzania.

17. On December 9, Deputy Director-General Zheng Wenkai met with Subinay Nandy, Country Director of UNDP China.

　　【Overseas training】 Overseas training is an important part of the foreign affairs of LGOP, an important means to broaden the vision of poverty alleviation cadres and an important measure to implement the strategy of fostering personnel for poverty alleviation. According to the requirements of intellectual poverty alleviation of the State Bureau of Foreign Experts Affairs and the guiding line of "serving ourselves based on our needs and avoiding disadvantages for higher effectiveness", it highlighted priorities, optimized the structure, conducted centralized management, developed relevant rules and systems, strengthened international trainings on poverty alleviation, compared the development of various countries and learned from other countries’ successful experience in poverty alleviation and development to explore effective ways and methods for China’s poverty alleviation and development. From 2004 to 2010, LGOP successively organized 29 foreign trainings and 675 poverty relief cadres attended the trainings.

　　In 2010, LGOP organized five overseas trainings for 81 people, namely the training on "social public services in rural areas and social security system building" in America, the training on "poverty alleviation models of Latin American countries" in Brazil, the training on "public finance policy in social development" in Australia, the training on "ecological agriculture and the development of featured industries" in Canada and the "training on poverty alleviation capacity building of the officials from provincial poverty alleviation offices of China in Bangladesh".