Last week, at the State Council’s issuance of the “State Council notice on the establishment of a comprehensive interim relief system,” Vice Minister of Civil Affairs Dou Yupei pointed out the contribution of charitable organizations as being important to delivering social assistance to those in need.
He opined that the government’s reach into providing social assistance is limited and that charities step into that void, hence complementing the government’s efforts. Charities are important social forces as they directly assist the poor and weak. Equally important are charities’ wide networks and flexibility in their endeavors.
While stressing that the Ministry of Civil Affairs will promote social assistance charities, especially those pertaining to emergency/disaster relief, Dou Yupei also said that information asymmetry must be tackled. To this end he called for the establishment of an information platform. The capability to share information helps improve efficiency and fosters collaboration and docking of projects amongst charitable organizations. Additionally, he suggested improving relevant regulations and policies, cultivating social assistance charitable organizations, incentivizing volunteer service and intensifying awareness/educational campaigns aimed at increasing generosity and care.
