A/HRC/10/65 page 7 25. Mr. Li Baodong described efforts and strategies undertaken by the Government of China to eliminate poverty, and emphasized that, by promoting the right to self-sufficiency and development in China, poverty levels had been reduced and the Millennium Development Goals of halving poverty by 2015 had been achieved ahead of schedule. He explained that his State’s success was essentially due to the implementation of a nationally-owned development strategy that was people-centred and suited to its national context. He encouraged South-South cooperation in eradicating poverty and stressed that, in pursuing the elimination of poverty, countries should be allowed to follow their own path, taking into account the local context. International assistance and cooperation 26. The topic of international assistance and cooperation was addressed in a presentation by the Secretary of State of the National Solidarity Fund of Tunisia, Omar Ben Mahmoud. He described the activities and successful experiences of the Fund with regard to poverty alleviation in isolated and rural areas. The Fund is supported by voluntary contributions from the public and finances, such as housing, companies, schools and health centres. The initiative, complementing other governmental poverty reduction strategies, has resulted in a considerable reduction of the poverty level in the country. It has attracted international interest and is now being replicated in other countries. 27. Following the above presentations, the Chairperson-Rapporteur opened the floor and invited the participants to an interactive debate on the topics covered by the presentations. Interventions were made by representatives of Algeria, Brazil, Cuba, Indonesia, Iran (Islamic Republic of), Malaysia, Pakistan (on behalf of the Organization of the Islamic Conference), South Africa, the Syrian Arab Republic, Turkey and Yemen, as well as of the Human Rights Council Advisory Committee, the International Labour Office (ILO) and North-South XXI. 28. There was general agreement that extreme poverty is both the cause and result of human rights violations and should be addressed with a multifaceted approach requiring short, medium and long-term action. It was stated that international human rights norms must be integrated into national poverty reduction plans and reflected in the international trade norms and regulations of international financial institutions in order to create a just and equitable international economic order. The importance of an open, equitable and non-discriminatory international trading system was underlined by several participants. 29. The majority of speakers also welcomed the decision of the Council to preserve the Social Forum as a unique space for interactive dialogue between the United Nations human rights machinery and various stakeholders, including grass-roots organizations. 30. Furthermore, a human rights-based approach to poverty, developed and pursued by the United Nations system, should rely on all relevant instruments, including ILO standards. The human rights content of relevant ILO instruments are particularly evident, especially those instruments concerning workers’ rights, discrimination, child labour and forced labour. The linkage between international labour standards and the realization of economic, social and cultural rights was also highlighted.