Reducing poverty gains momentum in Asia

Updated: 2013-09-12 09:16

By Zhang Yuwei at the Unitied Nations (China Daily)

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China's efforts in achieving its development goals - including ending extreme poverty and enhancing energy efficiency - have set a good example for its peers in the Asia-Pacific region, according to a new report from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) on Wednesday.

Highlighting a number of successful development projects implemented between 2008 and 2012 in the Asia-Pacific region, the report included a case study about China's efforts to slash electricity consumption to achieve energy efficiency as China moves toward a low-carbon economy.

As the biggest developing country in the Asia-Pacific region, China's success in economic development and reform "makes a difference" for the development achievement ratio in the region, said Xu Haoliang, director of the Regional Bureau for Asia and the Pacific at UNDP.

"China contributed directly to the achievement of halving poverty in the Millennium Development Goals in the Asia Pacific," said Xu.

"China has accumulated a wealth of economic and social developments and many other countries look up to China for their own developments - experiences and failures, etc," said Xu.

As of 2013, China has donated about $6 billion to UNDP and has been in partnership with a series of programs in China and other developing countries. Since 2009, UNDP and the National Development and Reform Commission have combined efforts in transforming the country's lighting industry. Green Lights Project was one of the development projects conducted in the region in the past five year, it has helped reduce the country's electricity consumption by 48 million tons annually.

The project so far has donated 2.17 million energy-saving lamps in partnership with the private sector, benefiting more than 500,000 low-income families and 2,300 schools in 17 Chinese provinces. Savings are around $8.4 million annually, with an estimated reduction in greenhouse gas emissions of 5.58 million tons of CO2, according to the Energy Research Institute of China.

"Without the Chinese government's ownership to take the measure nationwide, we couldn't achieve such a big impact in terms of green-house gas reduction," Xu noted.

The report, according to UNDP officials, also is a reflection of cooperation between UNDP and local governments in the region.

Xu said UNDP and China have been developing the so called "trilateral cooperation" for south-south cooperation.

"By working together on this, we could make China's development cooperation more effective," said Xu.

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