"All Together Working Out of Poverty" -- UNDP Wins China Poverty Eradication Awards

"All Together Working Out of Poverty" -- UNDP Wins China Poverty Eradication Awards

October 17, 2006

    BEIJING, Oct. 17 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- United Nations
Development Programme (UNDP) in China was honoured today
with the International Award in the China Poverty
Eradication Awards established by the China Foundation for
Poverty Alleviation (CFPA) and supported by the State
Council Leading Group on Poverty Alleviation (LGOP). 

    To commemorate and highlight the International Day for
the Eradication of Poverty, the Poverty Eradication Award
Presentation Conference was held today in Beijing. The
event was presided over by Vice Premier Hui Liangyu and
aimed to honour individuals and organizations that make
significant contributions to China's ongoing struggle
against poverty.   

    "This is a great acknowledgement of UNDP's work in
China and should be cause for pride as well as encouragement
for all of us in surmounting the challenges of the day and
remembering what it is we are working for," said
Khalid Malik, UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident
Representative in China.

    2006 marks the second instalment of the Awards, with
the first one held in October 2004. This year goes under
the theme "All together", which highlights the
need to mobilize broader participation from all parts of
society, particularly to encourage those who have already
benefited from economic growth.

    The Awards covered 10 categories including special
personal achievement, innovation, volunteers, donation,
international award, self-struggle and dedication. Other
winners included the Amity Foundation, China Construction
Bank, China Children and Teenagers' Fund, China Lifeline
Express Foundation, among others. 

    In his congratulatory message to this particular event,
the UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan spoke highly of the
significant role China played in the global combat against
poverty. "China's remarkable economic growth has
helped to reduce poverty on a scale that is unprecedented
in human history, "he said: "Because of China's
size, the way it performs on achieving the Millennium
Development Goals is crucial to how the world as a whole
does in reaching them."

    He went on underscoring the challenges facing China as
"prosperity has bypassed many rural poor, and the gap
between different segments of society has grown wider.
"

    "Correcting this imbalance requires a strong
commitment by each and every Chinese to the `putting people
first' philosophy underlying both the MDGs and China's own
Xiaokang principles for balanced development," he
said. 

    Active in China since 1979, UNDP has supported over 600
projects with a total US$ 873 million and pilot sites on the
ground in almost every province of China. Over 90,000 rural
households have benefited directly from the 41 projects and
US$107 million dedicated to poverty reduction initiatives. 

    These projects include activities in such areas as
pro-poor fiscal reform, microfinance, participatory
development planning, poverty monitoring, developing green
technologies for the rural poor and setting up the China
International Poverty Reduction Center. 

    As UNDP takes a broader view on poverty reduction than
income poverty alone, its projects in China span across
HIV/AIDS prevention, gender equity, environmental
sustainability, governance and the rule of law. These
initiatives together form a comprehensive effort toward
poverty alleviation and equitable development. 

    The current country programme covers the period from
2006 to 2010 with a total budget of US$280 million
dedicated to supporting China in promoting balanced
development and reducing human poverty. 

    UNDP fosters human development to empower women and men
to build better lives in China. As the UN's development
network, UNDP draws on a world of experience to assist
China in developing its own solutions to the country's
development challenges. Through partnerships and
innovation, UNDP works to achieve the Millennium
Development Goals and an equitable Xiao Kang society by
reducing poverty, strengthening the rule of law, promoting
environmental sustainability, and fighting HIV/AIDS. 
http://www.undp.org.cn

    For more information, please contact: 

     Ms. Zhang Wei
     Communications Officer, 
     UNDP China 
     Tel:   [phone]
     Email: [e-mail]

SOURCE  United Nations Development Programme