Poverty alleviation plays a pivotal role in the development of every country, according to a consensus reached by health experts at the "No Poverty" parallel session at 9th Global Conference on Health Promotion in Shanghai, on Nov 22.

Delegates said the first and foremost thing to eliminate poverty is to know more about poverty. China has led as an example of reducing poverty by engaging political willingness at the highest level. In the past 10 years, some 400 million people have been lifted out of poverty, said Patricio Marquez, lead health specialist of the Nutrition and Population Global Practice department of the World Bank. However, 800 million people around the world still live below the poverty line, he added, with half of them living in the African Continent and one third living in in South Asia.

China launched a national poverty alleviation strategy in 1978 and has since undergone rapid economic development and set up poverty alleviation standards that conform to national conditions. In recent years, the country has turned toward a targeted poverty alleviation model, compiling files for each individual registered in the country.

Su Guoxia, director of the Department of Political Science and Law of the State Council Leading Group of Poverty Alleviation and Development in China, talked about the great achievements China has made over the past 30 years since the government the launched poverty alleviation program. Since 1990, 70 percent of world poverty relief achievement is contributed by China. Su said illness was a main factor for poverty and that 40 percent of poor families fell into poverty because of illness. As a result, China has carried out poverty alleviation through health care, especially in rural areas.

Mauritius has explored a variety of ways to eliminate poverty, such as providing free medical care, free education, free transportation and free lunch for the poor. The island country has also brought in the concept of "compulsory social responsibility of enterprises" to engage enterprises in poverty reduction. Anil Gayan, Minister of Health and Quality of Life of Mauritius, said it was important to ensure the long-term achievements without poverty rebounding.