China on Monday launched a funding program for village poverty alleviation with the participation of non-government organizations (NGOs), opening poverty alleviation resources to NGOs for the first time.

At a ceremony held in Beijing, the funding program was jointly launched by the State Council Leading Group Office of Poverty Alleviation and Development (LGOP), Asian Development Bank (ADB), Jiangxi Provincial Poverty Alleviation & Development Office (Jiangxi PADO) and China Foundation for Poverty Alleviation (CFPA).

The LGOP and Jiangxi PADO will provide a budgetary allocation of 11 million yuan (US$1.35 million) and entrust CFPA to oversee bids from NGOs for 22 key projects to aid poverty-stricken villages in Jiangxi Province.

In the meantime, the ADB has agreed to offer US$1 million to be paid through the Poverty Reduction Cooperation Fund of the United Kingdom Department for International Development.

The CFPA will be responsible for the supervision of the fund allocations and the implementation of NGOs' capacity construction. In addition, it will contribute goods and equipment worth about US$100,000.

About 150 participants from relevant state organs, local governments, NGOs, international organizations, media and academia attended the ceremony.

Addressing the ceremony, He Daofeng, vice president of CFPA, said that the cooperation between government and NGOs is important for the implementation of the scientific development concept and for the building of a harmonious society.

ADB resident representative Toru Shibuichi and deputy director of LGOP Wang Guoliang described the program as "a bold move to promote NGOs' participation in poverty alleviation."

A 16-member panel, consisting of experts and scholars, will monitor the program's progress.

"If this program succeeds, it will help us to improve the management mechanisms of domestic poverty reduction funds and promote the development of domestic NGOs," Duan Yingbi, president of the CFPA, said.

(Xinhua News Agency December 20, 2005)