September 23, 2010--The Seminar on “Disaster Risk Management and Poverty Reduction for Asian Countries” hosted by International Poverty Reduction Center in China（IPRCC） and co-organized by Sichuan Bureau of Poverty Alleviation and Immigration Affairs and UNDP China was convened in Chengdu. A total of more than 20 people including the senior government officials from 13 Asian countries, namely Bangladesh, Georgia, India, Iran, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Sri Lanka and Yemen, and the representatives of two international organizations were invited by this event. IPRCC Deputy Director-General He Xiaojun, Mr. Guo Quanxi, Vice President of Sichuan Bureau of Poverty Alleviation and Immigration Affairs, UNDP Country Director SubinayNandy, and Deena Huq, Director General of Development and Coordination Bureau of Prime Minister's Office of Bangladesh addressed the opening ceremony.

Themed on “disaster risk management and poverty reduction”, the siminar lasts for 7 days from September 23 to 29. Given the background that disasters frequently happended worldwide, this event aims at analyzing the relationship between natural disaster risk and poverty reduction, and sharing the disaster risk management policies and experience between China and the Asian countries, in an effort to explore the approaches for improving the poverty reduction strategic system of Asian developing countries. The workshop consists of thematic seminar and field visit. The former includes keynote addresses and case studies, covering discussions about four topics, namely global/Asian climate change, disaster risk and poverty reduction trends and challenges, the Asian countries' disaster risk management and poverty reduction, and China's disaster risk management and poverty reduction and the core strategies. The case studies mainly introduce the mode and effect of the reconstruction and restoration of the disaster-hit impoverished villages after Wenchuan Earthquake in China and the cases of Asian countries as well. Representatives of Asian countries and Chinese experts will introduce the strategic system and impact of the Asian countries and China respectively. Later after the thematic session, participants will pay a visit to Yingxiu, Beichuan and other relevant earthquake-hit areas to learn and share the strategic systems, basic models and practical experience of the post-disaster reconstruction after Wenchuan Earthquake.

With the higher frequency of natural disasters worldwide in recent years, the seminar provides the trainees with an important platform and opportunity for in-depth understanding of the high degree of overlapping of disaster-affected regions and impoverished areas, and for the exploration of the mechanism combining disaster prevention and mitigation with post-disaster reconstruction and poverty alleviation and development.