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Minorities get boost from gov't, UNDP

By Wang Zhuoqiong (China Daily)
Updated: 2006-11-28 13:38

The government has teamed up with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to alleviate poverty among China's minority groups, in part by helping them develop culture-based industries and tourism.

The project, "Poverty Reduction for Ethnic Minorities in China," was launched earlier this month in three regions in western China, namely Qinghai, Yunnan and the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

The State Ethnic Affairs Commission (SEAC) will contribute US$5 million to the programme, while the UNDP will contribute US$2 million.

Building leadership capacity, developing communities and encouraging the growth of culture-based industries are some of the project's goals.

Khalid Malik, UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative in China, said the project would support government efforts to alleviate poverty.

"Since more than 46 per cent of the poor people in China are from ethnic groups, successful efforts to reduce their poverty will contribute significantly to the efforts of poverty reduction of the whole country," Malik said in a press release from the UNDP last week in Beijing.

Tourism and cultural industries will play a key role in Poverty Reduction for Ethnic Minorities in China, said Yang Fan, a deputy director at the SEAC who works with the programme.

"Ethnic minorities in China have unique cultural and natural assets," Yang said. "These should be protected and sustained. This programme will help develop their culture while at the same time alleviating poverty."