China launches Global Poverty Reduction and Inclusive Growth Portal

The International Poverty Reduction Centre in China (IPRCC) and the China Internet Information Center (CIIC) officially launched the Global Poverty Reduction and Inclusive Growth (GPIG) portal on May 8 during the 2016 China International Forum on poverty reduction in Beijing. [Photo by chinagate.cn]

The International Poverty Reduction Centre in China (IPRCC) and the China Internet Information Center (CIIC) officially launched  the Global Poverty Reduction and Inclusive Growth (GPIG) portal on May 8 during the 2016 China International Forum on poverty reduction in Beijing.

Senior government officials, the donor community and leaders from the private sector and academia came together to discuss the importance of sharing China’s success story in poverty reduction and of partnering with poverty policy research institutions in Asia, and around the world, to exchange knowledge and support each other in the eradication of poverty in all its forms everywhere by 2030, namely, Sustainable Development Goal 1.

In the opening remarks, Vice Minister of State Council Information Office, Guo Weimin, highlighted how China has lifted 700 million people out of poverty in the last 37 years and achieved all of the Millennium Development Goals by 2015, making a substantial contribution to the achievement of the MDGs globally.

China’s commitment to achieving SDG1 translates into taking all measures necessary to achieve the complete eradication of poverty by 2020; that is, ten years ahead of the 2030 deadline. World Bank Country Director of China, Mongolia and Korea, Bert Hofman, emphasized the importance of focusing not only on poverty eradication but also on diminishing inequalities in all its forms. Dr. Hofman expressed the World Bank’s support to the GPIG portal and mentioned that for the knowledge platform to be successful it would take the effort and commitment of all present at the conference and beyond.

Irene Bain, Social Sector Specialist of the Asian Development Bank, co-financer of the GPIG portal together with the World Bank, emphasized the importance of applying selection criteria to the knowledge sharing process to maintain content quality and the long-term relevance of the portal.

A panel discussion hosted by IPRCC’s director general, Zuo Changshen, offered the opportunity to the audience to listen to the poverty reduction experiences of GPIG partners from the Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS) and the Vietnamese Institute for Economic and Policy Research (VEPR) as well as the contributions from the representatives of the China Association of Social Sciences, China Foundation for Poverty Alleviation, China Association of Microfinance and the Asian Development Bank.

Following the launching of the portal, a trial phase will involve over 37 institutions around the world to collect feedback and recommendations on IT and content related issues to optimize the benefits of the knowledge sharing process on poverty reduction and inclusive growth. The portal publishes information in English and provides backend access to partnering institutions to manage and maintain the website pages they contribute to.