IRI Host First-Ever Governance Conference for Newly Elected Village Officials

August 20, 2002

August 9-11, IRI sponsored its first-ever good governance training for newly elected village leaders in the Ningxia Hui Muslim Autonomous Region, one of the poorest provinces in China.

Nearly 300 village leaders attended the training held in Yinchuan, the provincial capital.

They represented 10 percent of the total number of villages in the region and for many, it was their first trip to the city.

The training stressed the importance of democratic leadership in Chinese rural governance, governing regulations, improving accountability, transparency, delivery of community services and rural taxation reform.

One participant said the seminar was particularly useful for highlighting new directions and challenges in rural governance such as, how to respond to adverse economic changes and constituent demands in the face of declining village resources.

Trainers from the Ministry of Civil Affairs in Beijing and provincial bureaus of civil affairs from other Chinese provinces led the discussions.

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