CGTN Launches Platform For Global South Poverty Documentaries

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 19 (Bernama) -- China Global Television Network (CGTN) launched a dedicated webpage on Oct 17, the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, featuring documentaries from about 20 countries on how communities in the developing world are tackling poverty.

The site hosts films from the Global South Directors Co-Production Program 2026, held under the theme “Beyond Poverty: Pathways to Shared Development in the Global South”. The documentaries take viewers into communities and households in various countries to show how people are finding ways to improve their lives.

The programme is a documentary collaboration initiated by CGTN, part of China Media Group. It is part of the Global South Media Partners mechanism and aligned with the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, focusing on issues such as poverty reduction, sustainable development, social resilience, grassroots innovation, ecological transformation and youth development.

This year’s edition brings together media organisations and film-making teams from Asia, Africa, Latin America and Europe. Their productions cover community initiatives and social change in areas including employment, housing, food security, women’s empowerment, public services and sustainable rural development.

Jordan’s contribution follows a woman who returns to her hometown to practise sustainable agriculture and run a cooperative with other local women. From Argentina, a documentary shows how a university in Mendoza is applying its research to support water conservation, livestock farming and local producers.

Agriculture and food security feature prominently. Burundi’s film examines crop cultivation, livestock farming and agricultural processing as sources of jobs and household income, while a Russian documentary series explores the country’s grain-growing regions and the links between research, production, processing technology and food supply.

In Ethiopia, a film follows a farming family in the Hadiya area as their housing, clean water supply, sanitation and electricity improve. Pakistan’s contribution focuses on energy development along the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, and China’s entry, On the Rural Healthcare Front Line, follows a young village doctor caring for rural families.

Filmmakers choose their own subjects, characters and creative approaches within the shared theme, according to CGTN in a statement. Participating organisations share broadcasting rights and support distribution across languages and platforms.

CGTN said the webpage would provide information on the programme and access to the films, with content updated regularly.

-- BERNAMA