“Seminar on Rural Development and Poverty Reduction for Youth from the SA Government’s DRDLR Rural Development Programs” Concluded in Beijing

12 April, 2014 --- The “Seminar on Rural Development and Poverty Reduction for Youth from the SA Government’s DRDLR Rural Development Programs” hosted by IPRCC and the World Bank, was concluded at Beijing Fraternal Cooperation International Hotel. Lasting for 15 days, the seminar gathered a total of 48 representatives from the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform of South Africa (DRDLR). At the closing ceremony, Mr. Zuo Changsheng, General Director General of IPRCC made remarks and expressed congratulations on the complete success of the seminar. Ms. Leona Cassandra Archary delivered a speech on behalf of the participants.

Themed on “Rural Development and Poverty Reduction”, the seminar is designed to introduce the achievements and experience of China’s development-oriented poverty reduction policy to South Africa’s government officials and youth workers, promote the knowledge sharing between the two countries in terms of policy reduction policy and poverty eradication cause, advance bilateral poverty reduction progress and development. During the seminar, the participants made field trips to Jiangsu Province and Sichuan Province, learning about local policies and modes of rural development, and investigating such poverty reduction projects as rural industrial development, pre-employment training for labor transferred from rural areas, and helping leading enterprises out of poverty.

At the ceremony, the participants spoke highly of this seminar and indicated that the policies adopted and experience gained by China in promoting rural poverty reduction and social development are highly valuable. Besides, they expressed their determination to apply such valuable experience to their own socioeconomic development, and their hope to expand and deepen the exchanges and cooperation with China.