BANGKOK (United Nations Information Services)---The number of poor in Thailand had risen from 6.8 million to 10 million as a result of the 1997 financial crisis, or 16 per cent of the population, said H.E. Ms Ladawan Wongsriwong, Deputy Minister of Labour and Social Welfare of the Royal Thai government.

Mrs. Ladawan was speaking at the Fourth Session of the Committee on Socio-economic Measures to Alleviate Poverty in Rural and Urban Areas, which is being held at the United Nations Conference Centre in Bangkok, from 11- 13 December 2001.

Participants at the session will review the region’s progress in achieving goals set by recent global and regional declarations and action plans. “The international community has closely monitored progress in achieving goals set in global and regional documents such as the Manila Declaration and the Agenda for Action on Social Development in the ESCAP Region and the Copenhagen Declaration,” said Ms. Keiko Okaido, Deputy Executive Secretary Officer-in-Charge, a.i. of ESCAP.

The Deputy Minister also highlighted some of Thailand’s poverty alleviation policies. They included the establishment of a 3-year grace period on loans to farmers; initiating the Village Revolving Fund Scheme and the establishment of a people’s bank.

A majority of the ESCAP region’s population is expected to be living in urban areas by 2025, increasing the urban share of poverty. Urban areas may become home to two-thirds of the region’s people living in poverty. Urban poverty reduction will require much greater attention from governments in the region.

Information and communication technology could help to create employment for the rural poor, the Deputy Minister said. Thailand had developed ICT policies to provide basic knowledge and tools for poor people. They included education and training, lifelong learning and the provision of community-based training programmes for women, older persons and persons with disabilities.

The 1997 Asian financial crisis drastically reduced economic growth in the ESCAP region, causing contraction in several countries that resulted in reduced spending on social development and increased unemployment. In addition, the global economic slowdown, the tragic events of 11 September and their aftermath have also impacted on economic and social development in Asia and the Pacific.

Ends