WB seeks innovative ideas, projects for poverty reduction in China

The World Bank, in partnership with the Chinese government, Thursday launched the China Development Marketplace (China DM) Program, a project designed to support innovations from civil society organizations for the reduction of poverty in China.

World Bank Country Director for China David Dollar said the Development Marketplace is a way for the bank to support innovative bottom-up development that delivers results.

Since 1998, Development Marketplace has awarded nearly 40 million US dollars to more than 1,000 groundbreaking projects in over 70 countries, he said.

It is the first time for the bank to organize a Development Marketplace in China, through cooperation with the State Council Leading Group Office for Poverty Reduction and Development (LGOP) and the Ministry of Civil Affairs.

Wu Zhong, director-general of the Department of International Cooperation and Social Mobilization of LGOP, said, "Now China is entering a new phase of poverty alleviation. The remaining poverty in China is much more difficult to tackle.

"There are also new problems and challenges. Poverty alleviation policy and approaches need to be improved," said Wu.

He said civil society organizations have their strengths, including their ability to target at poor and effectively transfer resources. "We should fully develop their potential."

In recent years, civil society organizations (CSOs) in China have been more actively engaged in poverty reduction and delivery of services to the poor by working on projects at the grassroots and community level.

Li Yong, deputy director-general of the Department of NGO Administration of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, said the Chinese government emphasizes and encourages the development of public benefit and charitable activities.

"The Ministry of Civil Affairs supports the World Bank in its China Development Marketplace, which is designed to stimulate innovations and encourage CSOs to play a greater role in poverty reduction."

Dollar said the theme for the bank's program is "supporting innovations for scaling-up services that reach the poor," reflecting the joint efforts of the World Bank and the government of China to work with CSOs and mobilize all resources to fight poverty.

The bank said that through grant making, the China DM will support innovative ideas and projects that helps scale up services to address poverty for vulnerable groups such as women and children, the disabled, ethnic minorities, and in areas such as education and health services for the poor, environmental protection and resource management.

Other topics to be addressed by China DM include urban poverty as it relates to unemployment and migrant workers, the use of science and technology for poverty reduction, and rural integrated community poverty alleviation.

Chinese CSOs will be invited to submit their project concepts in June and July. A total of 100 finalists will be selected by independent teams of assessors and invited to Beijing for a public exhibition of their projects on December 7 and 8, 2005.

There they will be interviewed by a jury. Some 50 winning projects will receive funding up to about 30,000 US dollars for implementation at a ceremony in the Great Hall of the People attended by senior government leaders and officials, sponsors, academia and CSO representatives.

He said the World Bank has committed 250,000 US dollars for the China Development Marketplace and expects to raise a lot more resources from the donors, the business sector and individuals who have an interest in supporting CSOs for their innovative poverty fighting projects.

He said the bank will be able to raise more than 1 million US dollars for the China project, a record sum for similar activities the bank held in 70 other countries.

"We are excited about hosting the first ever Development Marketplace in China," said David Dollar.

"But it is more than just a World Bank project. It is an event where stakeholders involved in poverty reduction in China come together to encourage civil society organizations to contribute to the goal of building a harmonious society. I hope to make this an annual event."

Other CDM partners include the Asian Development Bank, European Union, International Finance Corporation, China Enterprise Confederation, American Chamber of Commerce, European Chamber of Commerce.

The bank set up a Chinese-languague website, http://www. developmentmarketplace.org.cn for the project.

Source: Xinhua