Statement by Wang Qi, Adviser of The Chinese Delegation at the 60th Session of the UNGA on Item 56 (A): Implementation of the First UN Decade for the Eradication of Poverty

2005/11/14
2005-11-14 00:00  Print


Mr. President:

The Chinese Delegation wishes to thank the Secretary General for the report submitted under this agenda item. We associate ourselves with the statement made by Jamaica on behalf of the Group of 77 and China.

Mr. President,

One of the most severe challenges facing mankind is poverty. In today's world, 1 billion people still live under the line of extreme poverty, 852 million suffer from hunger, and over 5 million children die annually of hunger and malnutrition. The Millennium Summit made poverty eradication a primary issue of development and set the corresponding targets. At this year's Summit meeting, the international community once again confirmed it solemn commitment to poverty eradication. We are in the ninth year of the International Decade for the Eradication of Poverty, but the task is far from being accomplished. We still have a long way to go in realizing poverty reduction.

Poverty is attributable to many factors --economic, political, social and historical. Therefore, as pointed out by the Secretary-General in his report, "poverty eradication requires a comprehensive approach". My delegation wishes to make the following observations on poverty eradication, taking into consideration of China's experience:

1. It is necessary for countries to shoulder their respective responsibilities and to jointly promote the global endeavor of poverty eradication. Poverty eradication requires not only hard work on the part of the developing countries, but also common efforts of the entire international community. While the developing countries must formulate poverty reduction strategies in light of their specific circumstances, fight poverty and backwardness through self-reliance and painstaking efforts, the developed countries have the duty and obligation to render greater assistance to the developing countries, especially by making good on their commitments in areas of financial aid, technology transfer, debt relief, and market access. In this global endeavor, international organizations should play a greater role by advancing follow-ups to international conferences and exploring new ways in which international multilateral bodies can offer help. The United Nations should bring its advantages into full play and make a difference.

2. Countries should make concerted efforts to create a favorable international environment. Since economic growth is the essential way to realize poverty eradication, the international community should create a favorable external environment for economic growth of the developing countries. It should respect the right of the developing countries to choose their own path of economic development; further improve international financial system, so as to foster a healthy and orderly trade environment and a stable and well functioning financial environment for the benefit of world economic growth; energetically promote a sound multilateral trade system that is open, fair and nondiscriminatory; actively guide the direction of globalization to ensure equitable development opportunities to people of all countries so that they can share the benefits of globalization in a fair and reasonable manner, and that poverty will lose its breeding ground.

3. It is important that all are mobilized and form a comprehensive partnership. Poverty eradication is the common responsibility of the whole society. In the effort to eradicate poverty and hunger, extensive social mobilization is necessary. Governments, enterprises and civil society organizations should fully play their respective roles so as to form a complementary synergy in advancing poverty reduction. Broad-based dialogue and consultations, mobilization of all kinds of resources, innovative poverty alleviation mechanisms, strong measures and resourceful means of reducing poverty and promoting development, all these add energy and vitality to the international cause of poverty eradication.

Mr. President,

As the most populous developing country in the world, China is making great efforts to develop economy and eradicate p