ISLAMABAD   -   Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan described China as a “role model” for the developing countries in poverty alleviation as Chinese stellar growth has brought 800 million people out of penury.

Prime Minister Khan was speaking virtually at a forum on the 20th anniversary of Juncao Assistance and Sustainable Development Cooperation held in Beijing. He commended China for sharing this beneficial technology with over 100 countries, which has already benefited thousands of people across the continents over the past 20 years. He said the world at large, and the people of the Global South in particular, are grappling with multiple challenges, including climate change, poverty, and food insecurity.  He maintained that with relentless efforts towards ending poverty in all its manifestations, extreme poverty had been steadily declining in the past two decades.  “Covid-19 pandemic triggered an economic meltdown which has slowed down global progress, and the extreme poverty rose in 2020 for the first time in over 20 years,” he added.

The PM said, “Sustainable ways of achieving economic recovery, growth and development are critical, during the pandemic. Juncao technology is one such way. It helps small-scale farmers to develop low-cost, commercial-scale mushroom cultivation.”

He said that we launched a wide-ranging social safety programme  called ‘Ehsaas’, with the objective of uplifting marginalised people, eradicating poverty, and supporting vulnerable households.  “Our ‘Ehsaas Emergency Cash’ programme cushioned the most vulnerable part of our population from economic shocks of the Covid-19 pandemic,” he maintained.

He said that as one of the most climate-vulnerable countries, Pakistan fully supports international efforts to combat this scourge. He contended that under a well-articulated climate change and environmental agenda, consisting of a number of flagship green initiatives, we are progressing towards a Clean and Green Pakistan. PM said, as part of one of the most ambitious efforts to expand and restore forests, we have already planted a billion trees as part of our 10 Billion Tree Project.  He said our green initiatives resonate with the “United Nations Decade on Ecosystm Restoration 2021-2030” and hoped it will contribute to preventing, halting, and reversing the degradation of ecosystems.

Prime Minister Imran Khan expressed his strong resolve and commitment to international cooperation aimed at poverty alleviation and sustainable growth, and addressing climate change.