In China, the rural communities have yet to reap many benefits from the country's rapid progress. There is now a big focus on helping the rural poor climb out of poverty.

The workshop heard of recent initiatives in Sichuan province that focus on community participation and on enabling the poor to help themselves. These projects, in partnership with the World Bank, provide villages with technological support for issues such as farming, water and renewable energy. Although, in general, China's urban population may have benefited more from the nation's transition than their country cousins, the urban poor and disadvantaged should not be forgotten. This was a key message from the workshop's European participants.

In cities the world over, wealth and privilege exist side-by-side with poverty and disadvantage. Chinese participants confirmed that Chinese cities are no exception and four vulnerable groups were highlighted - namely, workers who have lost their jobs, farmers who have been evicted from their land, people evicted from their homes by urban development projects and internal migrants from rural areas.

In Europe, the current financial difficulties further threaten disadvantaged groups. It is clear that the poor and vulnerable are hardest hit by the economic crisis. To make matters worse, they are also likely to be disproportionately affected by the harsh public spending cuts being introduced by some governments.

Michle Roelens, the workshop leader on the European side, drew attention to the fact that such issues are also relevant for China. Europe's consumers are China's customers, she pointed out, and the Western financial crisis is likely to have knock-on effects for China.

What can be done - in Europe and China alike - to protect the vulnerable in times of crisis? Governments, media, non-governmental organizations and business all have a role to play. It falls to governments to establish a basic framework of social protection for everyone living in a country. This should enable access to water, food, an income, housing and healthcare. The government's role should also include making laws to protect workers, tenants and people with disabilities.

There is also a path-finding role for non-governmental organizations to drive things forward. This means working directly with disadvantaged groups to highlight their needs and to then implement projects that demonstrate services that meet these needs. Having shown that the needs exist and how they can be met, the aim should be to persuade governments to take over the services or change the way mainstream services are provided to meet the needs of disadvantaged groups.

The author is with Doctors of the World, an international medical humanitarian organization.