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The China-DAC Study Group was formed by the International Poverty Reduction Centre in China (IPRCC) and the OECD Development Assistance Committee (DAC) in 2009. It aims to facilitate the sharing of experiences and promote learning on growth and poverty reduction. Its work is focused on two themes:
- China’s experience of growth and poverty reduction, including the contribution of international assistance, and its relevance for other developing countries, particularly in Africa.
- China’s economic co-operation with Africa and its impact on poverty reduction.
Frequently asked questions
Why establish the China-DAC Study Group?
China and Africa have had very different development experiences in recent decades. By ensuring that growth was broad-based - across sectors and regions - and inclusive of poor men and women, China’s phenomenal economic growth has lifted a huge number of people out of absolute poverty. In Africa, a continent of 53 nation states, there has not been comparable progress in growth and poverty reduction. Why is this so? In the late 1970s, when it started its reforms, China had a worse poverty incidence rate and there were huge differences between China and most African countries in terms of agricultural production, education, level of inequality and institutional structures.
In recent years, China’s economic relations with developing countries have been expanding rapidly. In Africa, China is emerging as a key foreign player. Potentially, China’s trade, investment and aid could contribute substantially to reducing Africa’s economic marginalisation and create new opportunities for promoting growth and reducing poverty. But how can China’s co-operation with Africa be an effective vehicle for transferring lessons from China’s own development experience? What can DAC members and other donors learn from China’s approach to development co-operation, which is appreciated by many African countries?
To address some of today’s major development challenges and help increase the impact and effectiveness of aid, there is a heightened interest in promoting greater mutual learning among Chinese authorities, African countries and the international donor community. Following a proposal made by the International Poverty Reduction Centre in China (IPRCC), the China-DAC Study Group was established in January 2009 to provide such an international platform for synthesising available information and exchanging experiences. Improved mutual understanding will also facilitate possible future trilateral activities to promote growth and reduce poverty in developing countries.
What are the Study Group’s areas of focus?
To achieve its objectives, the Study Group is focussing on two themes:
- China's experience of growth and poverty reduction, including the contribution of international assistance, and its relevance for other developing countries particularly in Africa.
- China’s economic co-operation in Africa and its impact on poverty reduction.
How does the Study Group operate?
The Study Group is taking an events-driven approach. Each of its two themes will be explored from different perspectives during a series of events on development partnerships, agriculture, food security and rural development, infrastructure and the enabling environment for enterprise development.
As well as having had a substantial impact on China’s growth and poverty reduction, these topics reflect the needs in many African countries today. Africans, and the international donor community, are consequently interested in understanding better how China developed its strategies and policies in these areas, how they were implemented and under what conditions.
There is also an interest in knowing more about the experiences and lessons learnt from the partnerships that China developed with its donors. This reflects greater awareness of the importance of development partnerships and strong local ownership for increasing the effectiveness of aid, as emphasised in the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness.
What are the Study Group’s activities?
During 2009-10, the Study Group is organising events on the following topics, which influence both the pace of growth as well as the extent to which growth contributes to reducing poverty:
- Development partnerships (in Beijing on 28-29 October 2009)
- Agriculture, food security and rural development (in Africa in early 2010)
- Infrastructure (in China in mid 2010)
- Enabling environment for enterprise development (in Africa in late 2010)
What are the Study Group’s expected outputs?
The main findings from the Study Group’s series of events will be synthesised and published in a joint report targeted at policy makers and the general public. The Study Group will also distil from its findings a set of key recommendations for the attention of Chinese authorities and DAC members. These recommendations will be presented and discussed at a final event to be held in Beijing in early 2011.
Who participates in the Study Group?
The Study Group’s Honorary Presidents are Wu Zhong (Director-General of IPRCC) and Eckhard Deutscher (DAC Chair). The Study Group’s membership includes Chinese academics and government officials as well as representatives of several DAC members and observers (Belgium, the European Commission, France, Germany, Japan, Norway, the World Bank, the United Kingdom and the United States).
In order to associate a larger number of key stakeholders in its work, the Study Group will invite around 100 people - government officials, researchers and representatives from the private sector and civil society from China, African countries and the international donor community – to take part in each of its events.
How is the Study Group funded and organised?
The Study Group is self funded on a cost-sharing basis. The IPRCC contributes by hosting meetings and events held in Beijing and by providing resource persons. DAC members of the Study Group provide financial support to enable the Study Group to implement its agreed work programme (e.g. by funding consultants or researchers).
The IPRCC and the OECD’s Development Co-operation Directorate form the joint secretariat for the Study Group.
Where can I find out more about the China-DAC Study Group and its activities?
From the IPRCC’s website
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