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Advances in Climate Change Research 6 (2015) 67e73
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Poverty reduction within the framework of SDGs and Post-2015

Development Agenda
LIU Qian-Qian a, YU Man b, WANG Xiao-Lin c,*
a
The International Cooperation Department, Development Research Center of the State Council, Beijing 100010, China
b
School of Economics, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
c
Information Center of the State Council Leading Group Office of Poverty Alleviation and Development, Beijing 100028, China
Received 23 March 2015; revised 27 August 2015; accepted 10 September 2015
Available online 21 September 2015

Abstract

The eradication of poverty is one of the largest global challenges facing the world. This article examines poverty reduction goals within the
framework of Post-2015 Development Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It also discusses the relationship between
poverty reduction and sustainable development. Poverty reduction and sustainable development are inseparable and poverty reduction is the
premise for sustainable development. Furthermore, several key bones of contention on the role of poverty reduction and sustainable development
and implications of Post-2015 Development Agenda are also discussed. It concludes that to end poverty and inequality should continuously be
given top priority for the Chinese government, because poverty reduction is China's soft power. Meanwhile, new ways of poverty alleviation
should be explored and government should make great efforts to create a new partnership for poverty reduction and development.

Keywords: Poverty reduction; Sustainable development; Post-2015 Development Agenda

1. Introduction
The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), as the
milestone of global and national development, are eight in-
ternational development goals including halving extreme
poverty, halting the spread of HIV/AIDS, providing universal
primary education, and ensuring environmental sustainability
etc. Although the MDGs of halving extreme poverty and
providing clean drinking water have been achieved ahead of
* Corresponding author.
E-mail address: wangxiaolin@cpad.gov.cn (WANG X.-L.).
Peer review under responsibility of National Climate Center (China
Meteorological Administration).
Production and Hosting by Elsevier on behalf of KeAi
schedule, there are still many challenges (UN, 2013). Climate
change is a serious risk of poverty reduction and threatens to
undo decades of development efforts (OECD, 2014). It affects
all aspects of the development agenda and multi-dimensions of
poverty, from hunger eradication to health care, and from
drinking water, sanitation to disaster risk reduction. The
poorest and most vulnerable groups globally are likely to be
most affected, unless significant efforts are made to change
paths and models of development that can mitigate and adapt
to the negative impacts of climate change.
As the MDGs will soon expire, the Rioþ20 Conference on
Sustainable Development held in 2012 put forward the Post-
2015 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which replace
the MDGs, and which will shape the international and na-
tional development priorities for all countries until at least
2030 (UN, 2015). On the basis of the MDGs, the SDGs will
cover all contents within the framework of Post-2015 Devel-
opment Agenda and take sustainable development as the core
(UNDG, 2014). In 2015, therefore, negotiations are expected

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.accre.2015.09.004
1674-9278/Copyright © 2015, National Climate Center (China Meteorological Administration). Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of KeAi.
This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
68 LIU Q.-Q. et al. / Advances in Climate Change Research 6 (2015) 67e73
to be completed on both the new global climate change
agreement and the final targets and indicators for the SDGs
(UN, 2015).
Climate change will increasingly affect the poor (OECD,
2014). Sustainable development can only be achieved on
the premise of ending poverty. A New Global Partnership:
Eradicate Poverty and Transform Economies through Sus-
tainable Development, the report of UN High-level Panel of
Eminent Persons on the Post-2015 Development Agenda is-
sued in May 2013 summarized the post-2015 national
development goal as ending extreme poverty by 2030 and
achieving sustainable development, indicating the important
status of poverty reduction in sustainable development (UN,
2013). The SDGs plays a significant role in promoting
global poverty reduction like MDGs. The Future We Want,
which is the outcome document of Rioþ20 points out that the
eradication of poverty is the largest global challenge facing
the world and an indispensable requirement for sustainable
development (UN, 2012). Combining eradication of poverty
with sustainable development, the conference pointed out
that people are the center of sustainable development, we
must respond to the new challenges through inclusive eco-
nomic growth, reducing unfair phenomena and sustainable
utilization of resources. The Report of the Open Working
Group on SDGs of the 68th Session of UN General Assembly
held in July 2014 sets 17 goals and 169 specific targets in
details for sustainable development. Among them, the first
core goal is to end poverty in all its forms everywhere (UN,
2014a). In December of the same year, in the General Report
on Post-2015 Sustainable Development Agenda, named The
Road to Dignity by 2030: Ending Poverty, Transforming All
Lives and Protecting the Planet, the UN Secretary General
stressed that the future sustainable development should be
based on rights and take people and the environment as core
(UN, 2014b). The report also proposes an integrated set of six
essential elements, dignity, people, prosperity, our planet,
justice, and partnership, to facilitate the construction and
improvement of the Post-2015 Development Agenda (UN,
2014b).
It will be convinced that poverty reduction, inclusive
growth, green growth and the global partnership for develop-
ment is key areas and the priority direction for global devel-
opment in the next stage to continue and adhere to the
development mode of combining poverty reduction with sus-
tainable development of MDGs and SDGs.
Since 2000, as the largest developing country in the world,
China has achieved remarkable results on poverty reduction,
making outstanding contribution to the poverty reduction goal
of the MDGs globally. The significance of this article is that
China's role and standpoint will be of great importance to
promoting the Post-2015 Development Agenda in the process
of development and the cooperation with other developed and
developing countries. It is necessary to understand the poverty
reduction goal within both the framework of Post-2015
Development Agenda and SDGs.
2. Poverty reduction goals in the Post-2015 Development
Agenda
2.1. Core philosophy
2.1.1. Combining poverty reduction with sustainable
development
Today, it is widely agreed by the scientific community that
climate change is already a reality. IPCC has concluded that
human activities are altering our climate system and will
continue to do so. The impacts of climate change, and the
vulnerability of poor communities to climate change, vary
greatly, but generally, climate change is superimposed on
existing vulnerabilities. Climate change will further reduce
access to drinking water, negatively affect the health of poor
people, and will pose a real threat to food security in many
countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America (IPCC, 2014;
OECD, 2014). Therefore, the best way to address poverty
reduction is by integrating sustainable development into
development agenda and planning.
According to the core philosophy of the Post-2015 Devel-
opment Agenda, we should call on the international commu-
nity to make concerted efforts to formulate the SDGs and the
development agenda, eliminate extreme poverty in the next
fifteen years, respond to the challenge of climate change to
leave a more clean and green earth to future generations, and
spare no effort to promote world peace and security.
Rioþ20 Conference reached a consensus on the combina-
tion of poverty reduction goals and SDGs, which has become
the basic trend of the present discussion on the Post-2015
Development Agenda. The eradication of poverty is the
biggest global challenge facing the world and the premise for
sustainable development. Consequently poverty eradication
and sustainable development are inseparable.
2.1.2. Five major transformations
A New Global Partnership: Eradicate Poverty and Trans-
form Economies through Sustainable Development, the report
of the UN High-level Panel of Eminent Persons on the Post-
2015 Development Agenda proposes to carry out five major
transformations: 1) leave no one behind; 2) put sustainable
development at the core; 3) transform economies for jobs and
inclusive growth; 4) build peace and effective, open and
accountable institutions for all; 5) forge a new global part-
nership (UN, 2013).
2.1.3. Six key elements
In the General Report on Post-2015 Sustainable Develop-
ment Agenda, The Road to Dignity by 2030, the UN Secretary
General stressed that future sustainable development should be
based on rights and take people and the environment as the
center. The report also proposes six essential elements for
sustainable development, including: 1) Dignity. End poverty
and inequality. It is the primary goal of the Sustainable
Development Agenda to eliminate poverty by 2030. 2) People.
 LIU Q.-Q. et al. / Advances in Climate Change Research 6 (2015) 67e73 69

Ensure universal access to health and education services,
including women and children. Women and children must
have equal access to financial services. 3) Prosperity. Develop
powerful, inclusive economies with the ability to transform.
Ensure all people, including women, the disabled, youth,
elderly and migrant population have decent work, social pro-
tection and the access to financial services. 4) Our planet.
Protect the ecological system. 5) Justice. Sustainable devel-
opment requires the states and governments at all levels to be
inclusive and participatory and be responsible to the people.
Protect human rights and fundamental freedoms. 6) Partner-
ship. Promote global unity and cooperation to accelerate sus-
tainable development (UN, 2014b).
2.2. Poverty reduction goals
Poverty reduction here refers to generalized poverty
reduction. In other words, the poverty we talk about includes
not only income poverty, but also multidimensional poverty
covering education, public health, drinking water and sanita-
tion facilities. Based on generalized poverty reduction, we can
sort out the Post-2015 Development Agenda and SDGs pro-
posed by UN High-level Panel of Eminent Persons.
A New Global Partnership: Eradicate Poverty and Trans-
form Economies through Sustainable Development, the report
of the UN High-level Panel of Eminent Persons on the Post-
2015 Development Agenda proposes that the SDGs should
include 12 universal goals. Corresponding to the SDGs pro-
posed by UN High-level Panel of Eminent Persons on the
Post-2015 Development Agenda, the SDGs, which have been
under discussion, include a total of 17 major goals (UN, 2013).
Based on the concept of generalized poverty reduction, the
goals proposed can be divided into three categories: multidi-
mensional poverty reduction goals, sustainable development
goals, and global partnership goals (Table 1).
Ending extreme poverty and achieving sustainable devel-
opment by 2030 is the summary of the SDGs, reflecting the
significance of poverty reduction in the issue of development.
Among them, the first goal is to end poverty. To achieve this
goal, the UN High-level Panel of Eminent Persons on the Post-
2015 Development Agenda proposes specific targets of
poverty reduction, bring the number of people living on less

Table 1
Classification of goals of the Post-2015 Development Agenda and Post-2015 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Classification of goals
Goals emphasizing
multidimensional poverty
Goals emphasizing
sustainable development
Goals emphasizing good governance
and global partnership
a
This can be regarded as a goal emphasizing multidimensional poverty.
Post-2015 Development Agenda
1. End poverty
2. Empower girls and women
and achieve gender equality
3. Provide quality education
and lifelong learning
4. Ensure healthy lives
5. Ensure food security and
good nutrition
6. Achieve universal access to
water and sanitation
7. Secure sustainable energy
8. Create jobs, sustainable
livelihoods, and equitable growtha
9. Manage natural resource
assets sustainably
10. Ensure good governance and
effective institutions
11. Ensure stable and
peaceful societies
12. Create a global enabling environment
and catalyze long-term finance
Post-2015 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
1. End poverty in all its forms everywhere
2. End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition,
and promote sustainable agriculture
3. Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages
4. Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote
life-long learning opportunities for all
5. Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls
6. Ensure availability and sustainable management of water
and sanitation for all
7. Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and
modern energy for all
8. Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth,
full and productive employment and decent work for alla
9. Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable
industrialization and foster innovation
10. Reduce inequality within and among countries
11. Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient
and sustainable
12. Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns
13. Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts
14. Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine
resources for sustainable development
15. Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial
ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification,
and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss
16. Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable
development, provide access to justice for all and build effective,
accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels
17. Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the
global partnership for sustainable development
70 LIU Q.-Q. et al. / Advances in Climate Change Research 6 (2015) 67e73
than $1.25 a day to zero and reduce the proportion of people
living below national poverty lines of various countries in
2015 (the specific proportion has not been determined yet).
Meanwhile, the UN High-level Panel of Eminent Persons on
the Post-2015 Development Agenda also made suggestions on
the poor's land rights, property rights and social security, and
how to combat natural disasters. It shows that the UN High-
level Panel of Eminent Persons on the Post-2015 Develop-
ment Agenda proposed the poverty reduction goals from the
perspective of multidimensional poverty.
Among the SDGs, the first core goal is still to end poverty
in all its forms everywhere. This goal includes five associated
objectives: 1) By 2030, eradicate extreme poverty for all
people everywhere, currently measured as people living on
less than $1.25 a day. 2) By 2030, reduce at least by half the
proportion of men, women and children of all ages living in
poverty in all its dimensions according to national definitions.
3) Implement nationally appropriate social protection systems
and measures for all, including floors, and by 2030 achieve
substantial coverage of the poor and the vulnerable. 4) By
2030, ensure that all men and women, in particular the poor
and the vulnerable, have equal rights to economic resources, as
well as access to basic services, ownership and control over
land and other forms of property, inheritance, natural re-
sources, appropriate new technology and financial services,
including microfinance. 5) By 2030, build the resilience of the
poor and those in vulnerable situations and reduce their
exposure and vulnerability to climate-related extreme events
and other economic, social and environmental shocks and
disasters (UN, 2014a).
3. Focus of debate
The focus of debate on the Post-2015 Development Agenda
is mainly based on the assessment and reflection on the
implementation of the UN MDGs.
3.1. Goal concept and content
The UN MDGs were set to meet the basic development
needs, such as ending poverty, hunger, achieving gender
equality and access to health and education, while the SDGs
stress the combination and balance of social, economic and
environmental elements as well as the sustainable develop-
ment. Therefore, the latter includes many new challenges for
development, such as economic development inequality, un-
employment, social welfare, lack of energy, climate change
and changes in population structure. However, it raises
numbers of questions. Should the SDGs pay more attention to
poverty reduction or sustainable development? Which should
the priority be given to? Is it possible to fully achieve poverty
reduction while promoting sustainable development?
3.2. Number of the goals
We have only eight MDGs but the number of the SDGs will
probably reach seventeen. Then, there comes a question: How
can we make use of the limited resources to achieve so many
goals. The capital and resources to cope with these develop-
ment problems are relatively limited. Which goals should be
given priority to? Should we highlight the key goals or pay
equal attention to all goals? Will the poverty reduction goal,
which developing countries are concerned about, be weakened
and fragmented by so many scattered goals?
3.3. Target objects
Should the Post-2015 Development Agenda be formulated
for developing countries only or for both developing and
developed countries? According to the report of UN High-
level Panel of Eminent Persons on the Post-2015 Develop-
ment Agenda, the SDGs should cover all people. In other
words, the SDGs will not only consider developing countries,
but also tackle the development problems in developed
countries. The Post-2015 Development Agenda aims at
stressing everyone enjoy equal rights. This is one of the major
focuses of attention between developed and developing
countries. In addition, it is also based on the changes in the
distribution of poverty-stricken people in the world. Sumner
(2011) discovered that the poor are no longer concentrated
in low-income countries. After 2007, 75.9% of the poor lived
in middle-income countries, which means the poor in low-
income countries only account for less than one fourth of
the total poor in the world.
3.4. Poverty standard
No matter the Post-2015 Development Agenda or the
Sustainable Development Agenda, compared with the MDGs,
the new goals all have shortcoming, but progress has been
made already. The shortcoming is that the poverty line set by
the goals is too low. Currently, the extreme poverty line which
is the poverty standard set by the Post-2015 Development
Agenda is still $1.25 a day.
The Background Report of the World Development Report
1990 of the World Bank collected the poverty lines of 33
countries and adjusted them based on the 1985 PPP dollars.
The national poverty lines of the six poorest countries
(Indonesia, Bangladesh, Nepal, Kenya, Tanzania and
Morocco) are all nearly $31 per capita per month. Accord-
ingly, the international poverty line of $1 a day was set. When
the MDGs were set in 2000, we determined to halve the
number of people living on $1 a day in the period from 1990 to
2015.
In 2008, the World Bank collected the national poverty
lines of 75 countries (including those in transition) and
adjusted them based on the 2005 PPP. The average poverty
line of 15 least developed countries was $1.25 a day, and the
median of the poverty lines of 75 countries was $2 a day. After
that, the World Bank and the United Nations Development
Programme set the extreme poverty line of $1.25 a day. It is
obviously not reasonable for the Post-2015 Development
Agenda to still use the poverty line of $1.25 a day set in 2008
for the year 2030.
 LIU Q.-Q. et al. / Advances in Climate Change Research 6 (2015) 67e73
3.5. Responsibility sharing
With the rise of emerging economies in the world, should
emerging economies assume greater responsibility in the in-
ternational development aid? In the MDGs, developed coun-
tries pledge to contribute 0.7% of their respective gross
national income (GNI) to assist developing countries. How-
ever, the number of the developed economies that have ach-
ieved this goal is very limited. Especially in the wake of the
2008 financial crisis, developed countries face heavier pres-
sure to achieve this goal. With the rise of emerging economies
on the international political and economic arena, developed
countries hope that these countries will assume greater re-
sponsibility for international aid.
4. China's standpoint and contribution to poverty
reduction
4.1. China's achievements in poverty alleviation
Since September 2000, the Chinese government has made
firm commitments to support the MDGs. So far China has
achieved seven development objectives ahead of schedule and
made remarkable achievements in poverty reduction
(TMFAPRC and UNC, 2013). Since the promulgation and
implementation of the Development-Orientated Poverty Alle-
viation Program in Rural China (2001e2010) in 2001, China
has reduced the number of the Chinese people living on less
than $1.25 a day (2005 PPP) from 690 million in 1990 to
84.17 million in 2011, achieving the poverty reduction goal of
the MDGs ahead of schedule, making outstanding contribu-
tions to global poverty reduction. In 2011, the Chinese gov-
ernment promulgated the Development-Orientated Poverty
Alleviation Program in Rural China (2011e2020). Under the
instruction of the new program and pro-poor strategy, ac-
cording to the national poverty line, China reduced its poverty-
stricken people from 165.67 million in 2010 to 70.17 million
in 2014, achieving remarkable results in poverty reduction
(LGPADSC, 2011).
4.2. China strives to eliminate poverty in response to
climate change
To address global problems such as climate change, the
reduction in biodiversity, land desertification and the
destruction of the ozone layer, China has also been actively
promoting the process of sustainable development through
timely response to the international situation and developing
strategic plans. The 21st Century Agenda adopted by the
United Nations Conference on Environment and Development
in 1992 provided action planning for sustainable development
and a blueprint for the development of the UN organizations,
the central governments and local authorities in the regions
with natural environment affected by human activities. Based
on its national conditions and the overall situation of the
environment and development, China adopted the overall
strategy for sustainable development and the policy measure,
71
China's 21st Century Agenda in 1994 and signed the Kyoto
Protocol in 1998, earnestly fulfilling its emission reduction
obligations as a developing country in the commitment period
(NDRC, 2007). In 2014, the ChinaeU.S. Joint Announcement
on Climate Change was signed, making it possible to reach a
global agreement on climate change mitigation following the
Kyoto Protocol. Currently, the non-fossil energy consumption
in China accounts for only 10% of the total. As the world's
largest manufacturing base, China is still facing huge chal-
lenges of climate change, energy conservation, emission
reduction and other problems related to sustainable
development.
4.3. The standpoint on poverty reduction China should
stick to
4.3.1. The Chinese government should emphasize ending
poverty and inequality as the primary target of Post-2015
agenda
The MDGs mainly stressed ending poverty. Currently, in
China and many other developing countries, especially the
middle-income economies, poverty is still a serious problem
and the phenomenon of inequality of income distribution is
more prominent. The SDGs, therefore, should take it as the
primary goal to end poverty and inequality, which not only
objectively reflects the real needs of developing countries, but
is in consistent with our goal of narrowing development gap in
the new stage.
4.3.2. The Chinese government should adhere to the
principle of common but differentiated responsibilities
China, India and other emerging economies can avoid
assuming the responsibilities beyond their ability as developed
and developing countries are in different stages of develop-
ment. In September 2013, the Chinese government issued
China's Position Paper on Post-2015 Development Agenda,
which also put emphasis on it. For developed economies and
developing countries, the Post-2015 Development Agenda
means different development goals. It is a development agenda
for developing countries, especially impoverished countries,
and in the formulation of the agenda, we should fully consider
the national conditions of different countries and strive to
make the agenda subject to the national planning of these
countries. The country-level consultation is a very time-
consuming job but it is really necessary. Developed coun-
tries' responsibilities of assisting developing countries and
fulfilling their commitments on international development aid
for poverty reduction in developing countries should be
emphasized. Emerging economies can provide experience in
poverty reduction and strengthen knowledge-sharing in the
field of poverty reduction under the framework of Southe
South Cooperation, but developed economies must increase
aid on promoting cooperation and knowledge-sharing in the
field of poverty reduction.
The Chinese government should emphasize the quality of
growth and promote inclusive development. Many countries
witnessed economic growth but failed to reduce poverty, with
72 LIU Q.-Q. et al. / Advances in Climate Change Research 6 (2015) 67e73
a widening income gap. The Chinese government emphasizes
the quality of growth and proposes to promote inclusive
development. For impoverished regions and developing
countries, it is more necessary to stress the quality of growth
and promote fair employment, including promoting social
inclusion such as education, health, housing and social
security.
In addition, governments should put emphasis on national
governments' top-level design in the field of poverty reduction,
such as the formulation of poverty reduction strategy planning
under the leadership of the countries instead of international
development organizations. Governments should also put
emphasis on improving local government's executive capacity
and giving full play to governments' leading role in poverty
reduction rather than strengthening the power of civil society
only. In theory, the eradication of poverty is a kind of public
service that should be provided by national government and a
kind of global public service. Therefore, we should emphasize
capacity building for government-led poverty reduction
participated by the public for independent development.
5. Potential impacts and challenges for poverty reduction
in the post-2015 era
5.1. Middle-income countries are affected
In 1990, most of the poor lived in low-income countries.
Among over 50 low-income countries in 1990, more than 20
entered the ranks of middle-income countries in 2010. Today,
three quarters of the extremely poor live in middle-income
countries. Official development assistance of developed
economies is mainly provided for low-income countries, so
most of the extremely poor received no international devel-
opment aid.
5.2. It is difficult to meet the demand of urban poverty-
stricken population
In 1990s, people in extremely poverty were mainly scat-
tered in the countryside of low-income countries. Nowadays,
one fourth of the extremely poor live in the city. By 2030, it is
estimated that the urban population in developing economies
will nearly double and more extremely poor people will appear
in the city. The poverty line of $1.25 a day was determined
based on the situation of the poorest countries and rural
poverty, far from meeting the need for responding to urban
poverty.
5.3. There are too many additional conditions for
poverty reduction
In the past, developing countries had to meet Western
democracy's universal value condition of being open and
transparent, accountability, participation, gender mainstream-
ing, anti-corruption. The post-2015 Development Agenda
increased the sustainable development conditions of
sustainable consumption, the protection of ecosystems and
species and genetic diversity as well as the political conditions
of freedom of speech, association, peaceful demonstration,
access to independent media and free access to information.
To be fair, no matter for poverty reduction or for sustainable
development, developed economies should assume more re-
sponsibilities and we should not increase so many burdens for
the extremely poor to shake off poverty. In particular, devel-
oping countries' self-sovereignty for development should be
respected.
5.4. Impact on China needs high attention
In 2015, about 50 million Chinese people lived below $1.25
a day. After the launch of the Post-2015 Development Agenda,
it is estimated, the number of Chinese people living on $1.25 a
day will probably be less than 20 million in 2016. In other
words, China will achieve the goal of ending extreme poverty
before 2020. It does not mean China has eliminated poverty,
but indicates China will not receive international development
assistance, and the international community will even hope
China assume more responsibilities for global poverty reduc-
tion through SoutheSouth Cooperation and tripartite cooper-
ation. China's development discourse right of three decades'
remarkable achievements in poverty reduction will also
gradually fade out the international stage with the imple-
mentation of the Post-2015 Development Agenda. Poverty
reduction, as China's soft power, will also be gradually
weakened.
6. Implications
Firstly, poverty is a multidimensional phenomenon. The
goal of sustainable development is to end poverty in all its
forms everywhere. To this end, China needs to develop two
kinds of poverty assessment standards. The first is for income
poverty measured by currency and the other is multidimen-
sional poverty assessment standard reflecting the levels of
education, health, housing and living standards. Only when the
two standards are combined can we really identify, target at,
monitor and assess poverty in all its forms.
Secondly, government should make great efforts to
create a new partnership for poverty reduction. Under the
international trend of creating a new global partnership, the
governmental cooperation-based international collaboration
should be gradually changed to multiparty all-round interna-
tional cooperation. In the field of domestic poverty reduction,
we should fully mobilize enterprises, social groups and in-
dividuals to participate in poverty reduction and development
and make full use of the social resources. Especially under the
new normal conditions, when the State Council is striving to
create the mode of cooperation between government and so-
cial capital, we should explore ways to effectively establish the
mode of cooperation between government and social capital to
compensate for the lack of government financial resources for
poverty alleviation.
 LIU Q.-Q. et al. / Advances in Climate Change Research 6 (2015) 67e73
Thirdly, ending poverty and inequality should continu-
ously be given top priority. Based on the actual situation of
China, for the Post-2015 Development Agenda, we should al-
ways adhere to the primary goal of ending poverty and
inequality. It not only objectively reflects the real needs of
developing countries, but is in consistent with China's goal of
narrowing development gap in the new stage of development.
As developed and developing countries are in different stages
of development, we should adhere to the principle of common
but differentiated responsibilities to avoid making China, India
and other emerging countries assume the responsibilities
beyond their ability.
Fourthly, new ways of poverty alleviation should be
explored. Poverty alleviation and sustainable development
supplement each other. Poverty alleviation covers many
fields such as health, women protection and environment. We
should pay attention to the combination between poverty
reduction goals and other associated targets of the Post-2015
Development Agenda, including the combination of poverty
reduction with climate change, education, women’ problems
and so on. On the one hand, we can attract more international
assistance and international cooperation resources for the
fields other than poverty reduction (such as environment and
education) to provide financial and intellectual support for
domestic poverty reduction. On the other hand, we can fully
achieve poverty reduction under a broader framework of in-
ternational development. We should actively explore the new
model for low-carbon poverty alleviation and green poverty
reduction.
Last but not the least, poverty reduction is China's soft
power. We must make great efforts to publicize China's
standpoint for poverty reduction targets to the interna-
tional community. In addition to the actual situation of our
country, we should also take into account the common situa-
tion of poverty reduction in various countries in the world.
Based on the above analysis, the SDGs are no longer designed
for developing economies, especially poor countries. We
should achieve good communication and association between
sectors and make our proposals consistent with the national
development strategy, diplomatic strategy and foreign aid
strategy.
73
Acknowledgements
The article was based on a policy report on Post-2015
Development Agenda, which was funded by the Interna-
tional Poverty Reduction Center in China (IPRCC) in 2014.
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