Conference on China-Africa partnership for poverty reduction held in Uganda

The 2019 FOCAC--Poverty Reduction and Development Conference was held in Kampala, Uganda on Nov. 28-29, on the theme “Partnership for Transformation in Africa.”

The two-day conference covered a range of topics from achievements and challenges of global poverty reduction, poverty reduction partnerships, and poverty reduction for children, to poverty reduction knowledge sharing. Country-specific case studies were also presented and discussed.

Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, president of the Republic of Uganda, delivers a speech at the2019 FOCAC--Poverty Reduction and Development Conference. [China.org.cn]

Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, president of the Republic of Uganda, emphasized the important role of agriculture, industry, service, information and communication and government public service departments in poverty reduction. With the cooperation between these departments, the government can extend the industrial chain and create more jobs to benefit the local people.

Chen Zhigang, vice minister of the State Council Leading Group Office of Poverty Alleviation and Development, delivers a speech at the2019 FOCAC--Poverty Reduction and Development Conference. [China.org.cn]

Chen Zhigang, vice minister of the State Council Leading Group Office of Poverty Alleviation and Development (LGOP) pointed out that to eliminate extreme poverty is China’s firm commitment, an important guiding principle in Africa’s Agenda 2063 and Goal 1 in the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. “We still have a long way to goin poverty alleviation and building a global community with a shared future for humanity. China will continue to eradicate domestic poverty and join the international community in further and deeper poverty reduction,” he said.

Bience Gawanas, United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Special Adviser on Africa to the UN Secretary-General, delivers a speech at the 2019 FOCAC--Poverty Reduction and Development Conference. [China.org.cn]

“Its success in reducing poverty is one area where China has much to share regarding its own experiences over the past few decades,” Bience Gawanas, United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Special Adviser on Africa to the UN Secretary-General said at the conference. She emphasized that capacity-building and learning opportunities through the transfer of knowledge and expertise between China and local communities is important.Through its funds, programs, specialized agencies, resident coordinators and regional commissions, the United Nations will continue to support and promote South-South Cooperation, in particular China-Africa cooperation.

The second call of the Global Solicitation on Best Poverty Reduction Practices was launched at the conference. Running from October 16, 2019 to March 31, 2020, the new campaign will invite organizations and individuals from all over the world to submit poverty reduction cases. It aims to share best domestic and international practices in poverty alleviation through real-life cases,and to promote South-South Cooperation in poverty alleviation.

The second call of the Global Solicitation on Best Poverty Reduction Practices is launched overseas at the 2019 FOCAC--Poverty Reduction and Development Conference held in Kampala, Uganda. [China.org.cn]

At the conference, the short video series "Path to Prosperity" and Swahili video “Simple Technology, Big Harvest” were also launched. The 10-episode video series "Path to Prosperity," co-produced by CIIC and IPRCC in English and French, features the most representative and replicable case studies selected from the Global Solicitation on Best Poverty Reduction Practices, introducing China’s poverty reduction models and practices in an innovative way.

The 2019 FOCAC--Poverty Reduction and Development Conference was co-hosted by the State Council Leading Group Office of Poverty Alleviation and Development of the People’s Republic China (LGOP) and the Uganda Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAAIF). It was jointly organized by the China Internet Information Center (CIIC), the International Poverty Reduction Center in China (IPRCC), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the International Fund for Agriculture Development (IFAD), the World Food Programme (WFP) and the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF), and supported by the Africa Union (AU), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and the China International Center for Economic and Technical Exchanges (CICETE).

The conference brought together over 300 participants, including government officials, representatives of international organizations, academia, businesses and NGOs.