17 February 2015: More than 470 million people were lifted out of extreme poverty between 1990 and 2005, according to a UN Development Programme (UNDP) discussion paper on China’s progress on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The paper assesses challenges and successes encountered by China in achieving the MDGs, with the aim of highlighting issues to consider in the formulation of post-2015 development agenda.

‘China, the MDGs and the Post-2015 Development Agenda’ discusses three factors that contributed to China’s success in achieving specific MDGs and its overall performance. First, it identifies rapid economic expansion combined with gradual reforms as critical to China’s success. It then discusses the role of a proactive, development-oriented government, including national goal setting, aligning national goals with the MDGs, mobilizing domestic resources and investing in physical and social infrastructure. Third, the report highlights China’s specific domestic and social demographic contexts, such as a decrease in population growth through economic growth and government policies. Although the report highlights China’s progress on the MDGs, it also describes remaining challenges in China, suggesting that a universal and more comprehensive post-2015 agenda could be a way for China to address such challenges.

“The direction of China’s future development endeavors and the degree of its commitment to global public goods—especially climate change—will have a significant impact on the entire international community,” according to the report. Within this context, it emphasizes China’s opportunity to shape the post-2015 agenda and suggests that lessons learned from China’s approach to the MDGs could help to inform the post-2015 agenda.

The paper recommends that the post-2015 agenda, inter alia: create an enabling environment for human capabilities; ensure inclusive policies focused on mitigating inequalities of outcome and opportunity; ensure universal social protection, including social safety nets; and promote government commitment and administrative efficacy and focus at all levels. [UNDP Press Release] [Publication: China, the MDGs and the Post-2015 Development Agenda] [IISD RS Story on India’s Progress on the MDGs]