On March 1, the Ministry of Civil Affairs and the National Rural Revitalization Bureau jointly issued the Notice on Mobilizing and Guiding Social Organizations to Participate in Rural Revitalization Work.
Previously, the Notice on Extensively Guiding and Mobilizing Social Organizations to Participate in Poverty Alleviation, issued by the Leading Group Office for Poverty Alleviation and Development in 2017, was the only policy that applied to NGOs involved in poverty alleviation.
By comparing the two notices, we can see the similarities and differences in the state’s approach during the two periods.
Both notices emphasize that the participation of NGOs is both part of their mission to serve society, as well as a good opportunity for further development, with the 2017 notice recommending several key areas for NGOs to work in and explaining how they can support government efforts.
The notice issued this year is specifically for the transition period from poverty alleviation to rural revitalization, during which, maintaining policy continuity and the steady participation of NGOs is critical. Therefore, the state has proposed five actions:
- Participation: enhance the willingness of NGOs to participate;
- Connection: facilitate connections between NGOs and project fields through internet technology;
- Cooperation: facilitate cooperation between national and provincial NGOs, as well as between NGOs from developed regions and underdeveloped regions;
- Precision: assist NGOs to implement relevant projects accurately by establishing a rural development database;
- Effectiveness: highlight the value of the different roles played by NGOs and the government by incubating grassroots NGOs in rural areas.
