Speech by Fan Xiaojian, Head of LGOP at the 5th Anniversary of IPRCC

Speech by Fan Xiaojian, Head of LGOP at the 5th Anniversary of IPRCC

December 16, 2010

Distinguished guests, Ladies and Gentlemen, Good Morning!

On the occasion to celebrate the 5th anniversary of the establishment of IPRCC, I would like, on behalf of LGOP, to offer my warm congratulations to IPRCC and express my sincere appreciation to all the visiting guests!

Within only five years, IPRCC has, in the main, completed the infrastructure construction and business system building, become an international poverty reduction institution specializing in poverty reduction research, training, exchange, cooperation and information service, and attracted widespread attention and gained acceptance from the international community.

The establishment of IPRCC has fully reflected the Chinese government’s good will and persistent pursuit for promoting the cause of poverty reduction and development in the whole world. The CPC and state leaders quite support and attach great importance to the building of IPRCC. On September 14, 2005, Mr. Hu Jintao, President of the People’s Republic of China, declared at the Summit Forum and High-Level Meeting on Financing for Development which marked the occasion of 60th anniversary of UN founding, “The formal establishment of the International Poverty Reduction Center in China (IPRCC) in Beijing in May this year is aimed to make contributions to the cause of global poverty elimination.” On December 12 of the same year, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao pointed out in his speech at the 9th Summit Meeting of ASEAN and China, Japan and South Korea, “UNDP has set up a regional center for poverty alleviation in China, and China is wiling to undertake the 2nd 10+3 High-Level Seminar on Regional Poverty Alleviation next year and strengthen the cooperation with each country on poverty reduction”. On September 25, 2006, Chinese Vice Premier Hui Liangyu emphasized at the 2nd High-Level Conference of ASEAN and China, Japan and South Korea (10+3) on Regional Poverty Alleviation, “The Chinese government will encourage IPRCC to become an important platform for the international community, especially for Asia, in developing exchange and cooperation on poverty alleviation, take full advantage of the platform, strengthen and develop the exchange and cooperation with developing countries in the field of poverty reduction, and cultivate poverty alleviation officials for those countries by means of training.” Under the loving care of the central leaders and the proper leadership of LGOP, IPRCC has gained remarkable achievements.

The rapid development of IPRCC is mainly benefited from the following three points. The first is having adapted to international and domestic development needs for poverty reduction. Since the reform and opening up, China has found its own way in line with China’s conditions to poverty alleviation and development, and gained stunning achievements, while enjoying the rapid but stable economic growth. It was an urgent task for many developing countries and the international community to speed up the MDGs progress as well as alleviate and eradiate poverty. Just like the international community, China wished to share the poverty reduction experience and jointly promote poverty reduction and development. Under the circumstances, IPRCC was established and succeeded in building a communication bridge for the exchange and cooperation on poverty reduction. The second is having received great support from all sectors of the community. From its establishment to development, IPRCC has been receiving the support from the Chinese government and relevant international organizations, especially the detailed guidance and significant support from the governing organizations – LGOP, Ministry of Commerce, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, National Development and Reform Commission, Ministry of Finance, UNDP, the World Bank, Asian Development Bank, UK Department for International Development, and Chinese Association for International Understanding. IPRCC’s current situation goes hand in hand with the energetic support of the governing organizations and all sectors of the community. The third is having stuck to correct development direction and scientific development planning. IPRCC has set up the principle of making contributions to the cause of global poverty elimination since its establishment, and for the past few years, it has had not only a team of young, qualified, and energetic workforce, but also advisory groups and think tanks with the participation of well-known institutions and experts at home and abroad, which has institutionally ensured the healthy and rapid development of IPRCC.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

During the past five years, as the LGOP’s window for international exchange and cooperation, IPRCC has already successfully held the “10•17 Poverty Reduction and Development Forum”, “China-ASEAN Forum on Social Development and Poverty Reduction”, and “Africa-China Poverty Reduction and Development Conference”, and established a steady mechanism on South-South cooperation and knowledge exchanges. More than 30 international seminars have been held in the past five years and almost 5000 members (half of them come from foreign countries) participated in the discussion, which has laid a solid foundation for building an international, high-end and authoritative exchange platform. IPRCC has yielded a series of results in summarizing China’s poverty alleviation and development experience, tracing China’s poverty reduction trends, and developing international cooperation and development assistance. It has basically established a sophisticated international training system on poverty reduction, held 28 training programs on poverty reduction for 720 participants from 91 countries, conducted educational program for the Master’s Degree and Doctor’s Degree targeting at the students from developing countries, and become an important base engaged in international poverty reduction training. Through actively expanding poverty reduction cooperation, IPRCC has signed cooperation agreements with relevant departments of four countries including Mali, and developed cooperation in various ways. Besides, IPRCC has been preliminarily equipped with the information service capacity to share China’s poverty reduction poverty experience and achievements with the international community by means of website, poverty reduction database, online service, and video conference, and organized and completed the compilation of the first China Poverty Alleviation Yearbook 2010.

Through the China-DAC Study Group which was established jointly by OECD Development Assistance Committee and IPRCC, a North-South and South-South knowledge sharing platform has been set up, which played a unique role in facilitating two-way learning, and in improving development effectiveness. At present, in partnership with UNDP, IPRCC is making painstaking efforts to expand China-Africa cooperation on poverty reduction.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Today’s IPRCC is full of vigor and vitality with a bright prospect. LGOP will make further and intensified efforts to provide guidance and render support to IPRCC to help improve its institutional capacity, strengthen the poverty reduction study, complete the training system building, innovate the exchange mechanism, promote poverty reduction cooperation, extend information service scope, and contribute to the global cause of poverty eradiation.

At present, as the world is confronted with many challenges such as financial crisis, price hikes in energy and food, climate change, etc., we are still facing a grim poverty reduction situation. In the coming period, IPRCC will seriously carry out the spirit of the Fifth Plenary Session of the Seventeenth Central Committee of the CPC, thoroughly apply the Scientific Outlook on Development, continuously make explorations and innovations, and give full play to the role of China’s poverty reduction experience as a promotional window, the role as an international platform of international poverty reduction exchange and cooperation, the role of a service supporter of China’s “going out” strategy, and the role of the connection and exchanges with developing countries, so as to contribute to the global poverty reduction cause with the international community.

Thank you!