Facebook 
Twitter 
Soundcloud 
Youtube 
Rss 
From the UNDP:
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security released Thailand’s 2009 Human Development Report today. The report, entitled ‘Human Security, Today and Tomorrow’ casts a spotlight on the state of human security in Thailand from multiple perspectives. The analysis in the report covers economic security, political security, environmental security, health security, personal security and food security.
By selecting human security as the theme of the report, UNDP has been able to examine a wide spectrum of issues related to human development. The report draws attention to old risks and threats, such as the degradation of the country’s natural resources and the workforce that remains uncovered by a social safety net. It also identifies new risks and threats that have arisen over time. In short, the report covers a wide range of topics and priorities, including old problems that have existed for many years, and new issues that have emerged alongside the significant changes that have occurred in the country’s economy, society and position in the world.
Over the next week or so I will prepare some posts on the content of the report. Here is a teaser from page 78 (click for a larger image). Can you guess which party is Party 1?
The UNDP report is well worth a read. It will dispel any doubts that the country faces enormous challenges now and in the next decade.
What struck me most was the confirmation I have from it that Thailand is a patchwork of places, sewn together by the now sadly rather thin thread of the Chakri dynasty. It has been a tremendous achievement to keep the Kingdom together and hopefully the King’s successors can continue his good work – but maybe not. South East Asia as a whole has changed so much and other neighboring countries can now lay claim with more justification than before to be carrying forward ethnic and religious identities that also exist in Thailand.
These may perhaps even threatening the umbrella constitutional monarchy. The Lao/Thai Issan look over their shoulders and are beginning to see Laos now as a stable and developing place where their culture and language is honored and preserved. The Southerners look south to Malaysia for their politics, their religion if not yet their economic support. There is also growing regionalism elsewhere, in the North and even Central Thailand, not to mention the non-Thai citizens that crowd the border with Burma.
Some of this is welcome and adds to the economic dynamism and healthy diversity of a new Thailand. But the Center cannot hold to old ways of ignoring the needs of the back country. It has to adjust and address right now the issues so well presented in this UNDP report. PM Abhsit wants input. Just open this`document!
0
0
[…] Security, Today and Tomorrow’ 177 sider med relativt tungt materiale om Thailand… UNDP releases Thailand’s 2009 Human Development Report […]
0
0