Press Release No. G/38/99
1 December 1999

BANGKOK(United Nations Information Services) High level government officials from Asia-Pacific countries gathered here today at a United Nations meeting to find effective solutions to alleviate impacts of the economic crisis and its deprivation effects.

H.E. Mr. Bhichai Rattakul, Deputy Prime Minister of Thailand today opened the Second Session of the Committee on Socio-economic Measures to Alleviate Poverty in Rural and Urban and Areas organized by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) .

"The many positive signs of economic recovery in the region are indeed heartening but we must not forget that the crisis exposed many weaknesses in social development", warned the Thai Deputy Prime Minister in his opening address to the second session.

The Committee is particularly considering the establishment and operation of effective social safety nets, which is being held at the United Nations Conference Centre in Bangkok from 1-3 December 1999.

"We have painfully learned that the formulation and implementation of effective poverty alleviation programmes is one of the most basic functions of any government", said Mr. Rattakul.

"From the onset of the financial crisis in Thailand, it was recognized that adequate social safety net had to be an integral part of any recovery plan, not only because they protect our citizens from the direct effects of the crisis but also because they could be used as tools to initiate needed social reforms," added Mr. Rattakul.

He pointed out some of Thailand's most successful measures aimed at mitigating the effects of the crisis such as the Social Investment Fund (SIF) and the Community empowerment for Response to Crisis Action Plan (CERCAP) which are anchored on the concept of participation at the community, household and individual level. "It is my belief that we have yet to realize the full potential of people-centred participatory approaches to poverty alleviation," said the Deputy Prime Minister.

On the subject of safety nets, Mr. Rattakul said that low-income communities often rely on informal networks to act as safety nets by providing support on aspects of their lives that are not properly catered for by formal system of service delivery.

"We need to find ways for these initiatives to complement our own policies; we need to create environments where these types of mechanisms may flourish. By formulating programmes which evolve directly out of the experiences and needs of the different groups and communities and which involve their participation from planning to the implementation, monitoring and evaluation, we will encourage them to develop a sense of ownership over their destiny and thus ensure that an effective path of sustainable development is followed," concluded Mr. Rattakul.

In his opening statement to the session, Mr. Adrianus Mooy, Executive Secretary of ESCAP informed the meeting that ESCAP is evaluating various programmes in the region aimed at ameliorating and improving the livelihood and welfare conditions of groups affected by the financial crisis.

Those evaluations are looking into income generation, human resources development, micro credit and reproductive health programmes. An interregional project on social safety nets, is expected to result in a detailed comparative evaluation of safety net programmes, said the Executive Secretary.

"ESCAP is also determining the kind of statistics that are needed for measuring and reflecting socio-economic impacts of crises."

The agenda for discussion of the three-day meeting includes global social safety nets programmes and safety nets at the community level. It is expected that participants will exchange views and experiences as well as forge a regional consensus on the measures to be carried out to neutralize devastating emergencies if and when they arise in the future.

The Committee was established by ESCAP in 1997 as part of a revamped programme designed to increase the responsiveness of the regional body to the development challenges facing countries in Asia and Pacific.