Mr. Chairman,

China aligns itself with the statement made by the representative of Ecuador on behalf of the Group of 77 and China. In 2015, the UN Development Summit adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development with the core objective of eradicating poverty in all its forms throughout the world. China believes that the international community needs to step up efforts in the following aspects.

First, speed up the global poverty reduction process. The 2030 Agenda sets the aim of eradicating poverty in 15 years and reducing to zero the number of people whose daily income is below 1.25 USD. All parties need to work to optimize the global development partnership, advance North-South cooperation and South-South cooperation, and strive to realize the goal of poverty reduction with a renewed sense of urgency. Institutions such as the UN and the World Bank must continue to play their important roles.

Secondly, strengthen cooperation in poverty reduction and development. The establishment of a new type of international exchanges and cooperation for poverty reduction with win-win cooperation as the core is an important guarantee for poverty eradication. The international community needs to pay attention to the financing needs of the developing countries; the developed countries must honor their ODA commitments, enhance capacity building of the developing countries, and provide debt relief and market access to developing countries, so as to help them tackle development challenges.

Thirdly, achieve multi-faceted and autonomous sustainable development. The international community needs to support the developing countries in following a path of development that they have chosen themselves and that best suits their conditions, help the developing countries develop industry, agriculture, human resources, green energy and environmental protection according to their true need with the aim of helping them turn their resource advantages to development advantages.

Fourthly, improve the international environment for development. Maintaining and developing an open world economy; building an international economic and financial system that is fair, equitable, inclusive and orderly; and creating an enabling external environment for the developing countries—these are important conditions for poverty eradication. The international community needs to help the developing countries integrate further into the global supply chain, industry chain and value chain, thus giving new impetus to the global poverty reduction endeavor.

Mr. Chairman,

Over the past period of more than 30 years, the Chinese people have found a path towards poverty reduction with Chinese characteristics. One, we have persisted in reform and opening up, maintained a rapid pace of economic growth, adopted numerous policies and measures favorable to the development of poor areas and people living in poverty, and achieved poverty reduction on a large scale. Two, we have maintained the leading role of the government, incorporated poverty reduction and development in our overall national development strategy, and conducted ad hoc operations to stimulate the effort of people living in poverty and improve their development capacity. Three, we have mobilized the participation of the whole society and leveraged the advantage of our national system, creating a coordinated approach to poverty reduction that involves the government, the society and the market. Four, we have combined policies that benefit all and those that aim to help special groups. While increasing policy support to the rural area, agriculture and peasants in general, we have also implemented policies specially designed to benefit people living in poverty so that everyone who needs help can get help.

Our continued efforts have resulted in the total reduction of rural population living in poverty by more than 700 million. The size of Chinese rural population living in poverty came down from 166 million in 2010 to 43.35 million by the end of 2016. In 4 years, China will lift all the people out of poverty, thus realizing the poverty reduction goal of the 2030 Agenda for sustainable development in 2020. To achieve this goal, China is now engaged in “targeted actions” and “categorized actions”. Our efforts in supporting production and employment, helping with moving and resettlement, and reducing poverty via ecological protection and education have brought real benefits to the people living in poverty.

Mr. Chairman,

In the past more than 60 years, China has provided assistance of nearly 400 billion RMB to 166 countries and international organizations and dispatched over 600,000 aid workers abroad. For seven consecutive times, China has announced the unconditional cancellation of outstanding intergovernmental interest-free loans owed by HIPCs and LDCs. China has also provided medical assistance to 69 countries in Asia, Africa, Latin American and the Caribbean, and Oceania.

In 2015, during his attendance at the UN summits commemoration the 70th anniversary of the United Nations, President Xi Jinping announced a series of major initiatives to help other developing countries develop economy and improve people’s livelihood which include, among others, establishing an assistance fund for South-South cooperation; increasing investment in the LDCs with the aim of reaching 12 billion US dollars by 2030; implementing the projects of "Six 100s" in other developing countries in areas such as poverty eradication, agricultural cooperation, trade facilitation; providing training in China for 120,000 trainees from other developing countries and offering scholarship for 150,000 candidates. As we speak, those initiatives are being comprehensively implemented. China is willing to join hands with the international community to strive tirelessly for the establishment of a community of shared destiny for mankind that is free of poverty and enjoys common development.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.