Speech of Chen Zhigang, Vice Minister of LGOP (Full Text)

H.E. CHEN Zhigang, Vice Minister, the State Council Leading Group Office of Poverty Alleviation and Development of China (LGOP)

Distinguished Mr. Tang Renjian, Deputy Secretary of the CPC Gansu Provincial Committee and Governor of the People’s Government of Gansu Province, Mr. Du Zhanyuan, President of China International Publishing Group, Mr. Marie Roland Alain Wong Yen Cheong, Ambassador of the Republic of Mauritius in China,

Dear guests, Ladies and Gentlemen, Friends:

Longnan today greets us with magnificent and colorful scenery. In this beautiful season of the early winter, we are gathering here for the 2020 International Seminar on Global Poverty Reduction Partnerships with our friends, both old and new, and colleagues who are in Rome now. Such a gathering is of vital significance in this special time. On behalf of the State Council Leading Group Office of Poverty Alleviation and Development, I would like to express the sincere welcome to all the distinguished guests, the warm congratulations on the opening of the Seminar and the heartful thanks to all parties at home and abroad for their efforts in organizing the Seminar.

Longnan was once known for desperate and widespread poverty. Trapped in a harsh environment and deprived of development opportunities, local people used to lead a very difficult life. But with the help of constant poverty alleviation efforts over the past three decades, and especially since the launch of targeted poverty alleviation after the 18th CPC National Congress, Longnan has built from scratch a poverty alleviation model that features complete industrial chains of distinctive agricultural products and sophisticated use of e-commerce. We decided to hold this international seminar here in Longnan in the hope that Longnan’s experience would help better demonstrate China's efforts to fight against absolute poverty.

While promoting progress in poverty alleviation at home, LGOP attaches great importance to international cooperation. We supported the IPRCC, which has co-organized the annual International Seminar on Global Poverty Reduction Partnerships since 2017 with Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), World Food Programme (WFP), and China Internet Information Center (CIIC). After four years, this seminar has become an important platform for dialogue among countries at different stages of development, and for participants from different backgrounds to exchange poverty reduction ideas and promote knowledge sharing, aiming to implement the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

This year’s seminar is held at a special time. The COVID-19, which caught us all by surprise, has hit countries hard, dealt a heavy blow to the world economy and slowed

down the global poverty reduction process. All parties actively prepared for this Seminar under the premise of ensuring the safety requirements of epidemic prevention, focusing on the theme of “Global Poverty Reduction Innovation and Cooperation in the Post-pandemic Era”. It demonstrates China's firm determination to continuously deepen poverty reduction and sincere desire to overcome difficulties. I am looking forward to your engaging discussions which will produce many insights.

Ladies and gentlemen, dear friends,

COVID-19 has put all countries through a tough test. For China, this year is crucial in eradicating absolute poverty, lifting rural residents out of poverty, removing all the counties from the poverty list, and building a moderately prosperous society in all respects. Facing the challenges brought by the COVID-19, under the strong leadership of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, we have, being oriented to victories over both pandemic and poverty, unswervingly pursue the goal within time limits. We have acted in an active and orderly way to launch a series targeted measures and achieve practical results.

—— We have established an analysis and response mechanism for the impact of the pandemic on poverty reduction. According to the pandemic situation, we have adjusted the scheduling cycle, dynamically understood the impact of the pandemic on the poor people in poor areas and focused on the latest progress in overcoming the pandemic and guaranteeing that rural poor people are free from worries over food and clothing and have access to compulsory education, basic medical services and safe housing. We have systematically analyzed the situation, made scientific decisions and deployment and solve practical problems effectively.

—— We have followed the two key directions of restoring industries and promoting employment and given priority to the poor population in poverty-stricken areas in the coordinated promotion of the pandemic prevention and control and economic and social development. More than 40 national policies have been issued to accelerate the disbursement of financial poverty reduction funds, appropriately extend the repayment period of poverty reduction micro-finance and promote the initiation of poverty reduction projects and the resumption of work and production of poverty reduction enterprises. We have made efforts to coordinate production and sales and launch programs to boost the consumption of products from poor areas to help farmers in poor areas solve difficulties in selling their produce and livestock, promoting the development of the poverty reduction industries and increasing the income for people in poverty. We have taken full advantages of the political system and strengthened collaboration on poverty alleviation between the eastern and western regions to support the poverty-stricken workforce in employment outside the central and western areas, encouraged the eastern region to actively absorb labor imports and ensured the stability of the enterprises and the income.

—— We have put into place a mechanism to effectively prevent people from falling back to poverty and provide targeted assistance. We have monitored the unstable households who have been lifted out of poverty and the marginal households whose income is slightly higher than the poverty line, clarified the monitoring procedures and the working mechanism. We have dynamically identified and adopted targeted assistance measures in the fields of industries, employment, education, health care, housing and comprehensive security to lay an institutional foundation and provide a long-term guarantee for consolidating the poverty reduction achievements, and forestalling and defusing the current and future risks of returning to poverty or causing poverty due to the pandemic and disasters.

Through hard work, problems of compulsory education, basic medical care, housing safety and the stock of clean drinking water have been resolved. The implementation of poverty alleviation projects has steadily accelerated, and the development of poverty alleviation industries has been in good shape. As of the end of October, we have monitored 29.73 million ever-registered poor migrant workers in 25 provinces, which have increased by 15.53 million since March 6, an equivalent to 109% of the same period last year. All parties in the society make their efforts to promote the poverty reduction and reducing the poverty through consumption has achieved a remarkable result, exceeding the annual sales target of 200 billion yuan.

The vivid practice of fighting against poverty and overcoming the impact of the pandemic has demonstrated the political advantages of the leadership of the Communist Party of China and the institutional advantages of socialism with Chinese characteristics. We believe that with the joint efforts of the whole party, the whole country and the whole society, we will be able to tackle the challenge added by the pandemic, and we will surely be able to win the battle against poverty with high quality as scheduled!

Ladies and gentlemen, dear friends,

While the COVID-19 pandemic has brought severe challenges to the cause of global poverty reduction, it has also inspired us. We should make poverty reduction constantly adapt to the new requirements of the new environment and new situations, and we should take innovation as the driving force and the reform as a momentum. To this end, we recommend:

First, putting the targeted poverty alleviation as the core direction of the innovation for poverty reduction. The targeted poverty alleviation is at the first place among thousands of ways of the poverty reduction innovation. It has been proved true in experience that we should apply comprehensive evaluation criteria to identify specific targets to provide support, including both households and individual; we should designate competent and determined cadres who know agriculture and rural areas well and care about farmers; we should adjust the supporting measures based on local conditions, poverty causes, and expected outcomes; and we should strictly follow the standards and procedures to invite third parties to evaluate the outcomes for poverty reduction objectively. All these proposals are fundamental to improving the effects of poverty reduction, thus making the relevant efforts targeted. Therefore, we could allocate the poverty alleviation resources and funds wisely, achieving the minimization of the cost, maximization of the benefits and optimization of the institution.

Second, taking the consolidation and expansion of the results of poverty reduction as the topic of the times for innovation in poverty reduction. Innovation is not "a castle in the sky", but a development based on inheritance. In recent years, various countries have generally made positive progress in poverty reduction, accumulated a large number of poverty alleviation assets, poverty alleviation industries, poverty alleviation organizations and infrastructure, and formed a large number of system designs, working mechanisms and practical experience. We should carry on the past and open a way for the future to deepen the good momentum of poverty reduction. Through theoretical and practical innovation, we will solve practical problems such as the preservation and appreciation of poverty alleviation assets, the sustainable development of poverty alleviation industries, the healthy operation of poverty alleviation organizations, and the management and maintenance of the infrastructure. We will answer the far-reaching questions of legalization of systems, standardization of mechanisms, and realization of experiences, promote the transformation and development of underdeveloped regions at a higher level and continuously improve the well-being of the low-income population.

Third, prioritizing the prevention of falling into or back into poverty in the innovation for the poverty reduction. Forewarned is forearmed. At present, some poverty alleviation industries have just started to develop, and the profit is not stable. Some mechanisms for promoting poverty reduction are still in the stage of cultivation and improvement, and the effect of promoting the continuous increase of the income of the poor remains to be tested. Some people out of poverty are still far away from having advantages in production and employment. Their ability to develop themselves is still not strong enough. Their ability to resist environmental risks is still relatively weak. The possibility of returning to poverty objectively exists. At the same time, uncertain factors such as the pandemic have a multi-directional and in-depth impact on economic and social development, and the new risks of causing poverty is prominent in some groups. To solve these problems and resolve these contradictions, we have put forward newer and higher requirements for the innovation of the poverty reduction. We need to establish more a forward-looking thinking, take more proactive actions, and strive for more proactive results.

Fourth, taking cooperation and sharing as a strong support for innovation in poverty reduction. When everybody adds fuel, the flames rise high. Over the years, relevant countries, international organizations, poverty reduction agencies and individuals have adhered to the win-win concept of promoting cooperation through exchanges and seeking development through cooperation and continued to deepen the dissemination of poverty reduction knowledge, technology transfer and experience sharing and played an important and positive role in serving the global poverty reduction process. In the future, the vitality for innovation in poverty reduction will be enhanced, all parties should be more open-minded to work together and the multilateral mechanism should be fully leveraged. We will promote the sharing of work and results in a broader and deeper level.

Ladies and gentlemen, dear friends,

The pandemic will eventually be overcome, and the cause of global poverty reduction will move forward! Let us strengthen our confidence to move forward, strengthen our courage to overcome difficulties, enhance our wisdom to win the battle, and work together for sustained, targeted and efficient poverty reduction in the post-pandemic era! Thank you all!