The Africa-China Poverty Reduction and Development Conference will be held until 2 November 2010 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. This event is co-hosted by UNDP, the International Poverty Reduction Centre in China and the Government of Ethiopia.

The conference will bring together participants from across the continent, from China, and from around the world with a diversity of backgrounds, including decision-makers from the public and private sectors, leading academics, and leaders from international organizations.

Background

There has been a resurgence of interest in South-South cooperation and in dialogue as a means of learning from the economic development experiences of other developing countries, and, in particular, of emerging economies such as China. While UNDP and other UN organizations continue to maintain close development cooperation partnerships with traditional development partners, they are also forging strategic partnerships with emerging economies. The goal is to explore prospects for development cooperation, particularly in support of efforts towards accelerating progress towards the Millennium Development Goals.

Objectives

The conference will contribute new elements to the conceptual thrust and approaches towards breakthrough strategies for poverty alleviation in Africa. The conference will begin with interventions from high level speakers, including opening statements from the UNDP Administrator and the Chinese Head of Delegation, followed by a key note address by His Excellency, the Prime Minister of Ethiopia.

The sessions and plenary discussions of the conference will mainly focus on the following emerging development topics:

• Development as transformation: towards a high growth Africa
• Transformational lessons: the Chinese experience in reducing poverty
• A food secure continent: Africa as the next agricultural power?
  
• Enhancing societal capabilities and social cohesion
  
• Public-Private Partnerships: government as a driver in expanding economic opportunity
  
• Emerging economies, New Development Partnerships in a Globalizing World