ACC Attended the 6th ASEAN+3 Village Leaders Exchange Program

The 6th ASEAN+3 Village Leaders Exchange Program (VLEP) was hosted by the International Poverty Reduction Centre of China（IPRCC） from 4 to 10 March 2018, in Xishuangbanna, Yunnan province. The programme attracted nearly 80 participants, including government officials, village leaders, experts and scholars from ASEAN Member States, China and the Republic of Korea, and representatives from such international organizations as Asia Development Bank. Upon the invitation of the IPRCC, ACC representative attended the said event.

On 5 March 2018, the 6th ASEAN+3 VLEP held its opening ceremony. Dr. Tan Weiping, acting Director-General of IPRCC, started the programme by delivering a keynote speech, encouraging all participants to exchange experience and good practices of poverty reduction at grassroots level with an aim to enhance the capacity of village leaders and accelerate rural development in the region. Mr. Tang Jiahua, Deputy Director-General of the Poverty Alleviation Office of Yunnan province, also addressed by stressing the significance of the programme for village leaders, especially in helping them to broaden their horizon and conceive new ideas on targeted poverty alleviation.

Delegates from ASEAN Member States, China and the Republic of Korea then briefed the poverty reduction approaches in their own countries, including relevant policies, best practices, as well as problems and difficulties they were facing. Intensive interactions and fruitful discussions followed each speaker’s briefing during the whole process.

From 6 to 9 March 2018, all participants paid field visits to both Huilong Village of Mengla Township and Hebian Village of the Mengban Township. They made an observation on the ecological agriculture program at Huilong Village. They also traveled to the Hebian Village and experienced the rural tourist programme named “Yao Mama’s Guesthouse” by staying with the local ethnic Yao households.

On 7 March 2018, Dr. Li Xiaoyun, Professor of China Agriculture University and Dean of China Institute for South-South Cooperation in Agriculture, gave a themed report titled “Improving Development Capacity of Poor Villages: Theory and Practice” to the participants, sharing his findings of Hebian Village experiment, which combines the guidance of the government, the contribution of social organization and mobilizing of farmer’s initiative. The audience gave positive feedback to the report, and conducted further discussions on topics such as the role of government and social organization in rural development, tourism development for poverty reduction and agricultural value chain, etc.

Participants from ASEAN countries deemed this program as a channel for village leaders to arm themselves with new tools on how to combat poverty, and to share valuable knowledge and experience from ASEAN countries, China, Japan and the Republic of Korea.