IFAD: World to benefit from China's experience in eradicating poverty

Matteo Marchisio, the first country director and IFAD representative in China and Mongolia, believed that China’s determination to eliminate poverty is an example for the rest of the world. This is a positive response to President Xi Jinping’s remarks at the closing meeting of the 2018 National People’s Congress on March 20 that China will win the battle against poverty and continue to participate in global governance.

Matteo Marchisio, the first country director and IFAD representative in China and Mongolia

IFAD (International Fund for Agricultural Development) is a specialized organization of the United Nations dedicated to poverty reduction and rural development. It has invested in rural people for 40 years, empowering them to reduce poverty, increase food security, improve nutrition and strengthen resilience. IFAD has been active in China since 1981, supporting the government in its efforts towards poverty reduction and rural development.

Matteo Marchisio spoke highly of the tireless commitment of the Chinese people to eradicating poverty. In his opinion, the strong and continuous commitment to poverty eradication over four decades, which translated in the mobilization of the whole society towards the achievement of this goal, is probably the main factor behind the success of China in reducing, and soon eliminating, extreme poverty in the country. “China's commitment and determination to eliminate poverty is an example and a message of hope for the rest of the world: with a clear vision and a strong commitment, ending poverty and achieving the sustainable development goals is possible,” he said.

In response to President Xi’s saying that “China will contribute more Chinese wisdom, Chinese solutions and Chinese strength to the world, to push for building an open, inclusive, clean, and beautiful world that enjoys lasting peace, universal security, and common prosperity,” Marchisio noted that China, as the second largest economy and the most populated country in the world, has a role and a shared responsibility towards global public goods.

He pointed out that, from a development perspective, the world can certainly benefit from China's experience and lessons in eradicating poverty and that China can become an advocate and champion of the sustainable development agenda, i.e. a world free of poverty by 2030. “The confirmation from President Xi that China would continue to participate in the discussion around global issues is an important indication of the willingness of China to accept such role and share such responsibility,” he added.

Marchisio has made a work plan for his new position. On the one hand, he will cooperate with other agencies of the United Nations, multilateral development banks, bilateral organizations, and development partners, to share China's successful experience and lessons in eradicating poverty with other countries through South-South Cooperation, because “China's success in eradicating poverty has generated a number of lessons that can benefit other developing countries,” as he put.

At the same time, he warned that once the goal of eradicating extreme poverty was achieved, China would soon face new challenges. That includes how to sustain this achievement, helping the people who have moved out of poverty avoid falling back into poverty again, and how to reduce inequalities, particularly between rural and urban areas.

“But IFAD can support China in addressing these challenges by bringing international experiences, lessons, and best practices from other countries that went through similar pathways,” he added.