As the Global Conference on Scaling Up Poverty Reduction opens
its two-day session today in Shanghai, the gnawing issue of poverty
is once again drawing worldwide attention.
With countries most affected by poverty driving the agenda, the
conference is expected to explore practical strategies that will
reenergize global efforts to meet the Millennium Development
Goal.
That ambitious goal, set by the United Nations in 2000, aims to
cut by half the number of people living in extreme poverty by
2015.
Sponsored by the World
Bank and the Chinese government, the gathering has attracted
more than 800 domestic and foreign dignitaries, including leaders
of major developing countries.
As poverty reduction becomes an issue that increasingly needs
joint endeavors and substantive cooperation at the international
level, successful practices and experiences from individual nations
can provide insights or even a shortcut for others in their
struggle against poverty.
Despite the fact millions of people have been lifted from
poverty in the past half-century, 1.2 billion people on our planet
still earn less than US$1 a day, according to the World Bank.
The world's poor certainly have the right to benefit from the
fruits of civilization and economic development. Without their
participation, a sustained development of mankind will be
tantamount to building castles in the air.
Poverty reduction should be fought like the war against terror.
The war against poverty should be a worldwide effort joined by
countries rich and poor, developed and developing.
As a country that takes survival and development rights of its
people as the most fundamental and prioritized human right, China
has long recognized the pressing need to help its poor, mostly
farmers, out of abject situations.
Thanks to many years of effort and practice, the country has
crystallized poverty reduction from political will into a set of
concrete measures with development-oriented strategy in poverty
relief at the core.
Meanwhile, remarkable achievement has been made in poverty
relief in the past 20 years, with the number of Chinese citizens in
abject poverty falling from 250 million in 1978 to 29 million by
the end of last year.
However, to provide adequate food and clothing to the remaining
29 million poor is by no means an easy task. While continuous
funding support from society and governments at all levels should
be guaranteed, efforts should also be made to narrow the gap
between rich and poor and provide adequate expertise and resources
for disadvantaged people to achieve self-reliance sooner.
As the country has vowed to realize its generation-long dream of
building a well-off society for all by the middle of this century,
the well-being of its poor population has become a benchmark for
achieving that goal.
It is hoped the Shanghai conference will provide China with
valuable experience and opportunities for cooperation with other
countries and international organizations.
It is also hoped the achievements of the conference will
contribute to the realization of the Millennium Goal of the United
Nations.
(China Daily May 26, 2004)