20 September, 2012 --- The opening ceremony of the Seminar on Theory and Practice of International Development (Poverty Reduction) for Asian Countries 2012, organized by IPRCC and co-organized by Gansu Provincial Poverty Alleviation and Development Office, was hosted at Beijing Fraternal Cooperation International Hotel. Liu Shuwen, Deputy Director of the International Cooperation and Social Mobilization Department of LGOP, Zhang Yaqiang, Deputy Director of the Department of Asian Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Ms. Pattanida Punthumasen, Director of the Foreign Cooperation Policy Bureau of the Education Commission Office of Thailand were invited to deliver a speech. Ms. He Xiaojun, Deputy Director General of IPRCC chaired the opening ceremony.

Themed on “Public Service, Rural Development and Poverty Reduction”, the seminar aims to promote policy sharing and experience exchanging between China and other Asian countries in the field of rural development and poverty reduction, analyze the problems and challenges facing these countries in such field, and explore ways to improve the model and strategy of rural development and poverty reduction in China and the rest of Asia. 26 officials and scholars from 14 member states of the Asia Cooperation Dialogue, including Bangladesh, Indonesia, South Korea, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Pakistan, the Philippines, Russia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Uzbekistan and Vietnam, took part in the seminar upon invitation.

This seminar will last for 10 days and cover three parts: thematic discussions, case study and field trip. The first part will be divided into six special topics: “Rural Growth, Rural Development and Poverty Reduction of the Developing Countries”, “Rural Public Service: Policy Framework, Experience and Implication”, “Rural Productive Public Service”, “Rural Market-oriented Public Service”, “Rural Technical Public Service”, and “Rural Social Public Service”. The case study will introduce the strategic system for public service development in rural Gansu province and its poverty reduction effects. In addition, participants will be arranged to go on a field to Gansu province to visit the projects on rural production service, rural market construction, rural education, rural health service, and rural sci-tech service.