1. From November 4 to 6, 2008, the 2nd China-ASEAN Social Development and Poverty Reduction Forum was held in Nanning, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, P.R.China. The theme of the forum is “Food, Disasters and Poverty Reduction”. Around 100 policy makers, researchers, and practitioners in the fields of poverty reduction and social development from the 9 ASEAN countries of Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam, China and delegates and representatives from the World Bank (WB), World Food Programme (WFP), Asian Development Bank (ADB) and ASIAN Disaster Reduction Centre (ADRC) were present at the forum. Through extensive discussions, all participants agreed to release this Nanning Output.
Challenges and Visions
2. Both ASEAN countries and China have made remarkable progress in economic and social development. In these countries, the standard of living for urban and rural residents has steadily improved and remarkable achievements have been made in poverty reduction. However, ASEAN countries and China still have a huge poor population and is experiencing unbalanced development and widening disparity between the rich and the poor. Economic instability brought by global market and frequent natural disasters pose severe challenges to these countries in poverty reduction and social development.
3. We hope that the joint efforts of policy makers, researchers and practitioners from various international organizations and developed countries can build up a domestic food security and natural disaster management system, and regional cooperation mechanism to cushion the impact of price increases and natural disasters.
Responsibilities of Parties Involved
4. Policy makers from these countries should take active measures such as:
a) To improve market system, formulate industry development strategy based on their own comparative advantages, improve economic structure, strengthen market supervision and regulation;
b) To strengthen infrastructure construction especially rural infrastructure, improve transportation condition and information technology, and enhance the ability of the poor population to get access to the market and public services;
c) To increase investment on agriculture, improve the condition and sharing information technology of agricultural production and food safety, ensure grain output, prevent violent fluctuation in price of farm products, and promote sustained increase of farmer’s income;
d) To intensify public service system, gradually improve the social security system, upgrade the insurance of a minimum standard of living of the vulnerable groups, and prevent the occurrence of massive extreme poverty as a result of natural disasters and market risks;
e) To enhance disaster prevention and emergency system, enhance the government’s capacity to manage disaster relief, and effectively control the negative impact of natural disasters on poverty reduction;
f) To increase input on poverty reduction, create more job opportunities for low-income groups, and put poverty reduction as a major function of the government;
g) To mobilize participation of various social forces and strengthen cooperation among multi-sectors, encouraging the progress of poverty reduction;
h) To empower the poor towards self-reliance;
i) Government should endeavour to ensure that small holder farmers enjoy some of the benefits of higher food prices.
5. Researchers should strengthen investigations and research.
6. Practitioners from these countries should exert great effort to carry out interventions on poverty reduction and social development.
7. Developing countries should tap on existing aid mechanism to facilitate the realization of the UN’s Millennium Development Goals.
8. Relevant international organizations should strengthen technological assistance to the developing countries, mobilize and increase input for poverty reduction and social development programs and coordinate in establishing and improve the international assistance framework integrating poverty reduction.
Promote the Cooperation
9. Within the region,a regional cooperation framework that can meet China and the ASEAN’s preparedness in responding to economic risks and natural disasters should be explored. Exchanges among the countries and poverty-reduction sectors should be intensified. A cooperation mechanism should be looked into to respond to grain price fluctuation in global market; safeguard food security in the region; guarantee the basic demands of the poverty-stricken population; improve the structure of agricultural production within the region; and raise farmers’ income. Monitoring of economic risks within the region should be promoted to jointly defend against major economic risks and respond to regional natural disasters.
10. Consultations with developed countries should be intensified so that the developed countries can play a more positive role in maintaining the stability of local grain market; regional platforms that encourage the developed countries to participate in the efforts of emergency disaster relief should be established; South-South cooperation should be promoted to cooperate with the developing countries outside of the regions in responding to economic risks and natural disasters; and various development assistance organizations should be encouraged to conduct regional development assistance activities within the region.
Follow-up Actions
11. The International Poverty Reduction Center in China (IPRCC) will continue to make joint efforts with relevant parties to constantly improve the mechanism of China-ASEAN Social Development & Poverty Reduction Forum; enhance exchange and cooperation in research and capacity building in poverty reduction within the region; and promote innovations in poverty reduction policy and capacity in reducing poverty of the countries within the region. All follow-up actions will fully take the differences among countries into consideration, and adjustment and innovations will be made constantly in the light of changes of economic and social situations of the countries and demands for poverty reduction. We are looking forward to the extensive consultation and active participation from related stakeholders in our follow-up actions.
