David Gosset speaks on Poverty | Shibadong Poverty Reduction And Development Forum
Date：2023-11-03
Ladies and Gentlemen, I sincerely regret not to be able to join you in person. I like the province of Hunan very much, and I have great friends in this beautiful part of China.
Dear friends, I should be with you because the topic of your meeting is absolutely central.
Poverty has been with us since the emergence of Homos Sapiens. See the painting the Young Beggar by Murillo. It was painted in the middle of the 17th century.
the Young Beggar
Is there human dignity in poverty ? I do not think so because poverty means suffering for bodies and minds. Let us face this truth : poverty is a terrible form of violence. So, poverty alleviation has to be at the center of our actions. The battle against poverty is a moral imperative.
I have been quietly observing the Chinese society for more than two decades. I have seen with my own eyes the transformation of this gigantic and complex society.
I have witnessed China's success in eradicating extreme poverty. This is a considerable achievement. This is a truly unique contribution to mankind’s progress.
How China did it ? This is for us to study of course. But it has required a mix of policies supported by the appropriate governance in a peaceful and stable environment. Among the policies, education is key. I am thinking at this moment about the Yuelu Academy founded more than 1000 years ago, now the Hunan University. When the People’s Republic of China was established the illiteracy rate in rural China was 95%. Today, China’s literacy rate is above 97%. This has been the single greatest educational effort in human history.
At the global level, the first United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal is poverty eradication. For three decades, the number of people living in extreme poverty was declining. The trend was interrupted in 2020, when poverty rose due to the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The number of people in extreme poverty rose by 70 million to more than 700 million people.
While we are having this meeting, you know it very well, our world is affected by multiple crises, including wars. In this context, the global economy is facing pressure. There is also the risk that we de-prioritize the fight against poverty. This would be an enormous mistake since poverty is at the root of so many social, political and geopolitical problems.
At the same time, one of the major problems of our world is disharmony between Man and nature. Let us keep in mind that climate change will have terrible economic consequences. Therefore, we should not separate the efforts to end poverty from the ideal of sustainability. Social progress and ecology are deeply interconnected.
The long march towards ending poverty continues. And, in this battle for human dignity, China has become a reference that we all should study and discuss. It is why your meeting today is so important.
Victor Hugo, the literary giant of the 19th century said it very well: “Let us not diminish poverty, let us eliminate it!”. Thank you very much.
