2023 Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC)—Poverty Reduction and Development Conference and 2023 International Seminar on Global Poverty Reduction Partnerships held in Beijing

The 2023 Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC)—Poverty Reduction and Development Conference and 2023 International Seminar on Global Poverty Reduction Partnerships were successfully held in Beijing on November 1, 2023.

The 2023 Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC)—Poverty Reduction and Development Conference, under the theme of “Sharing Experiences in Poverty Reduction and Seeking Development through Cooperation”, was hosted by the International Poverty Reduction Center in China (IPRCC) and guided by the Secretariat of the Chinese Follow-up Committee of the Forum on China–Africa Cooperation (FOCAC).

The 2023 International Seminar on Global Poverty Reduction Partnerships, under the theme of “Deepening Poverty Reduction Partnerships and Strengthening Global Development Resilience”, was hosted by IPRCC, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), World Food Programme (WFP) and China Internet Information Center (CIIC).

Dr. LIU Junwen, Director General of IPRCC, H.E. Amb. Oliver WONEKHA, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Uganda to the People’s Republic of China, Mr. ZHANG Bin, Deputy Director General of the Department of African Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of P. R. China, and Dr. QU Sixi, Representative of China Office of the World Food Programme of the United Nations and H.E. Amb. Allah Maye HALINA, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Chad to the P.R. China attended and addressed the opening ceremony. Ms. WANG Wei, Director (South-South Cooperation and Global Engagement) & Special Adviser to the President of International Fund for Agricultural Development of the United Nations and Mr. Nafis Ahmed KHAN, Global Programme Coordinator of the South-South and Triangular Cooperation Division of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations also delivered speeches via video at the opening ceremony. The conferences were chaired by Ms. LI Xin, Deputy Director General of IPRCC.

The Annual Report on Poverty Reduction and Development in Africa 2023 was released at the 2023 Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC)—Poverty Reduction and Development Conference, which also included the Award Ceremony of the “Join Hands and Share Stories for Better Life” Short Videos for Competition on China-Africa Friendship. The Competition was initiated by the Secretariat of the Chinese Follow-up Committee of the Forum on China–Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), IPRCC, and World Affairs Press Co., Ltd, and was supported by China Global Television Network (CGTN) and Xi’an Fanyi University. Participants also discussed how industrial development and agricultural development could promote China-Africa cooperation on poverty reduction and development.

At the 2023 International Seminar on Global Poverty Reduction Partnerships, IPRCC, World Bank (WB), FAO, IFAD, WFP, Asian Development Bank (ADB), and China Internet Information Center (CIIC) jointly released the Global Poverty Reduction Case Series 2023. They also present awards for the best case representatives of the Fourth Call of the Global Solicitation on Best Poverty Reduction Practices and launched the Fifth Call of the Solicitation.

Jointly launched by IPRCC, WB, FAO, IFAD, WFP, ADB and CIIC in 2018, the Global Solicitation on Best Poverty Reduction Practices collects original and outstanding poverty reduction cases from organizations and individuals concerned about poverty alleviation around the world, with a view to promoting and sharing successful practices in poverty reduction among various countries. The Solicitation has been held four times, collecting a total of 2,700 cases and recognizing 424 excellent cases from 67 countries and regions. The project has won positive feedback both at home and abroad.

The Fourth Call of the Global Solicitation on Best Poverty Reduction Practices was launched in November 2022. A total of 898 cases were received from 32 countries and regions, including Thailand, Mongolia, Nepal, Kyrgyzstan, Burundi, Sierra Leone, Tonga, Samoa, Brazil, Peru and China. Focusing on the applicability, replicability and practical scenarios of these cases, 104 excellent cases that were “easy to understand, to learn and to replicate” were selected after a careful evaluation by the seven organizations, offering good poverty reduction models and implementation solutions for organizations and people concerned with poverty reduction in various countries.

A total of 150 representatives from government departments of China and foreign countries, international organizations, social institutions, research institutes and the media attended the conferences. Representatives all agreed that to eradicate poverty and to achieve sustainable development is the common goal of all peoples around the world. To that end, all parties will work hard to implement the Global Development Initiative, better align the Belt and Road cooperation, the African Union’s Agenda 2063, the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and the development strategies of various African countries, thus injecting new impetus for global poverty reduction and development, and contributing to the efforts to build an even closer community with a shared future for mankind.