Enhancing global partnerships to strengthen local capacity

Sharing successful experiences on the use of technological innovations for rural development and how these innovations are useful for all development actors was the focus of the 3rd annual International Seminar on Global Poverty Reduction Partnerships.

The Seminar on Global Poverty Reduction Partnerships was organized by three Rome-based UN agencies  – the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), and World Food Programme (WFP) - together with the International Poverty Reduction Center in China (IPRCC) and the China Internet Information Centre (CIIC).

"This seminar is an ideal platform for raising awareness on the key role that global partnerships play in sustainable development and in pairing SDG 1 on ending poverty and SDG 2 on Zero Hunger," said Benjamin Davis, Leader of the Strategic Programme on reducing Reducing Rural Poverty in FAO.

This year's discussions took place on 16 May at the International Cooperation Expo (EXCO 2019) in Rome. The seminar focused on how to better use technological innovations in rural areas to promote inclusive development, food security, nutrition, sustainable agriculture, gender equality and reduce rural poverty. Partnerships, with a special focus on South-South and Triangular cooperation, were highlighted as key to promoting the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

The Vice Minister of the State Council Leading Group Office of Poverty Alleviation and Development, Mr. Xia Gengshen, recalled China's achievement in lifting 82 million rural poor out of poverty and decreasing the poverty rate from 10.2 percent to 1.7 percent in 2018. The Vice Minister also expressed China's determination in continuing to "push forward, fight against poverty, consolidate current achievements and reduce poverty for more people."

The international seminar provided an opportunity to rely upon robust partnerships built upon knowledge-sharing in order to eradicate hunger by 2030 and achieve Sustainable Development Goals 1 and 2. Among the case studies discussed, Ms. Katie Ullrich, Asian Development Bank External Relations Officer, discussed the implementation of sustainable food production practices in the Shanxi Province, which successfully reached 570 000 people.

"China's successful experience in reducing poverty has also generated a bulk of knowledge to share with the rest of the developing world. It could be the immediate, tangible contribution that China can make to the global commitment to end poverty and achieve sustainable development by 2030," Ullrich said.

For more information please visit: http://www.fao.org/partnerships/south-south-cooperation/en/