On November 11, the "3 Holes" Poverty Alleviation and Development Forum with the theme of "Sharing Poverty Alleviation Experience and Building Harmonious Villages" opened in Xiangxi, Hunan Province, with more than 30 Chinese and foreign guests, including envoys and think tank experts from nearly 200 countries, gathered at the first place of "targeted poverty alleviation" to exchange experience in poverty alleviation.
With the concept of targeted poverty alleviation in China first proposed in 2013 in Shibadong Village, Huayuan County, Xiangxi Province, Hunan Province, in the past ten years, China has achieved a human miracle from lifting all rural people out of poverty to striding towards rural revitalization, making significant contributions to the development of global poverty alleviation and human development and progress.
Shen Yongxiang, vice president of the Chinese Society for Human Rights Studies and member of the United Nations Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, said that the main task of the United Nations Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights is to promote the full realization of economic, social and cultural rights in all countries of the world by examining the implementation reports of 171 States parties to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. The review tells us the fact that poverty is the greatest difficulty faced by developing countries in the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms.
Shen Yongxiang, Vice President of the Chinese Human Rights Research Association and Member of the United Nations Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
Because of poverty, thousands of families are struggling to get below the subsistence line, lack food, malnutrition among children, lack of drinking water and basic sanitation, lack of access to hospitals, and high rates of child dropouts and adult illiteracy. Many have even been forced to abandon their homes and become refugees, illegal immigrants and internally displaced persons.
Shen Yongxiang said that how to solve the problem of poverty alleviation for rural people in remote mountainous areas has always been a difficult problem in the world. Shibadong Village is located in a poor mountainous area, with a lack of resources and inconvenient transportation, and the per capita arable land is only 0.83 mu, so the difficulty of poverty alleviation is obvious. However, in the past 1668 years, the per capita annual income of Shibadong Village has increased from 23505,40 yuan to <>,<> yuan, which is less than half of the global standard for extreme poverty, and the villagers' per capita housing has reached <> square meters, compulsory education has been extended to every school-age child, mountain spring water has been supplied to households, and basic sanitation facilities such as toilet renovation have been completed, while villagers also enjoy various medical insurance.
Shen Yongxiang, Vice President of the Chinese Human Rights Research Association and Member of the United Nations Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
What is particularly valuable is that the villagers of Shibadong Village have established a system of villager self-government through democratic elections, and major decisions are made through democratic and open procedures. While developing the economy, we pay attention to the protection of green mountains and clear waters, and realize the harmonious coexistence of man and nature; While opening up to the outside world, it has maintained and carried forward the traditional culture of the Miao people. What is human rights progress, this is human rights progress. In China, human rights are not just abstract legal concepts and political slogans, but progress and happiness that the people can personally experience.
Shen Yongxiang said that it is precisely because of the recognition that poverty is the biggest obstacle to the enjoyment of other human rights by the Chinese people, so China has made unremitting efforts to reduce poverty through development. The lifting of all rural population out of poverty proves that China has chosen the right path of human rights development based on its own national conditions.
After visiting the village of 18 caves, Sutindra Kulkarni, the founder of India's "New South Asia Forum" and former adviser to the Prime Minister of India, was deeply impressed by the Miao embroidery creation base in the village. He said that the story of poverty alleviation in Shibadong Village has encouraged the poor people in rural areas of China to rely on hard work to get rid of poverty, and these embroideries in front of him symbolize the beauty and harmony of a nation.
Sutindra Kulkarni, founder of India's "New South Asia Forum" and former adviser to the Prime Minister of India
Shibadong Village is the first place to advocate targeted poverty alleviation, which has benefited many people and made their lives more beautiful and harmonious. And the change is not only in terms of income, but also in terms of art, culture and produce, and the people here are indeed the "richest". The eighteen holes are really beautiful, and the Miao embroidery is really beautiful.
Reporter Xu Zhixiong and Lu Yi report from Xiangxi, Hunan
Editor in charge: [Ji Xiang]