Malaysia shares tips on fighting poverty

Officials from ministries of finance and planning commissions in the Asia region last month learned from the experience of Malaysia in addressing the challenge of poverty.

The officials who attended the conference in August 2007 organised by the Commonwealth Secretariat in collaboration with the Malaysian Government were taken through the various techniques that were undertaken by Malaysia to reduce poverty.

The programme, 'Poverty Alleviation, Localising the Anti-Poverty Agenda: The Malaysian Experience', was aimed at providing a platform for information exchange, said Mohammed Jasimuddin, an adviser in the Governance and Institutional Development Division (GIDD) of the Secretariat.

Mr Jasimuddin, who managed the programme, pointed out that "the programme will extend national economic growth to the have-nots."

Participants discussed policies on national macro-development, rural micro-development, best practices on poverty alleviation and empowerment.

Mr Jasimuddin explained that "the strong political determination of the Malaysian Government helped the country to combat poverty and that's what they hoped to share with member countries."

The Malaysian conference also focused on policies that have not worked, thus exposing the delegates to both sides of the poverty debate.

Jacqueline Wilson, Director of GIDD, said: "We hope the pro-poor development policies adopted by Malaysia will set an example for other member countries. The workshop put in perspective that national goals and poverty alleviation go hand-in-hand."

Key Links:

• Malaysia Country Profile
• GIDD homepage