On Oct.19, 2021, the Global Rural Development Forum was held in Beijing through online and offline modality. Dr. Yutong Li, head of the Center for Sustainable Agricultural Mechanization (CSAM) of ESCAP, attended the forum.

The forum, hosted by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of China and the China National Rural Revitalization Administration, was organized by International Poverty Reduction Center in China. With the theme of "Cooperation on Global Sustainable Development: Poverty Reduction and Rural Development", representatives of participating countries shared successful experiences and practice in poverty governance and rural development. The forum provided opportunity to reiterate the importance of global poverty reduction in support of 2030 Agenda, in particular, in the backdrop of COVID pandemic for building back better. 

At the parallel event-2021 International Seminar on Global Poverty Reduction Partnerships, the Awards on the Second Call of Global Solicitation on Best Poverty Reduction Practices was officially announced. Two case studies titled "A Solution to Poverty Alleviation: An Integrated Approach to Sustainable Agricultural Mechanization is Key to Success" and "Building Resilience of the Poor through Integrated Straw Management" submitted by CSAM were selected as the Best Practices. The solicitation was organized by the International Poverty Reduction Center in China, United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, International Fund for Agricultural Development, United Nations World Food Programme, the World Bank, Asian Development Bank and China Internet Information Center.