The National Policy on Child Protection System will provide equal opportunity to all children to become qualified human resources contributing to the national development.

The ten-year (2019-2028) national policy gather investment on children in a more comprehensive and systematic way, said Vong Sauth, Minister of Social Affairs, Veterans and Youth Rehabilitation and Chairman of Cambodia National Council for Children (CNCC) at a Dissemination Ceremony of National Policy of Child Protection System held here this morning.

Ms. Nhep Sopheap, Secretary General of the CNCC’s General Secretariat, said the national policy clearly reflects the Royal Government’s commitment in enhancing the children’s rights and protection as well as in resolving child-related issues in Cambodia.

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Before the COVID-19 outbreak, Thailand’s capital was the world’s most visited city. Now Bangkok’s once-bustling streets are quiet. With its struggling economy, the timing of the crisis could not be worse for Thailand. Exports have been falling since 2019 while the GDP growth rate remained one of the lowest in Southeast Asia since 2014. These trends will worsen in the coming months. The government predicts the economy will contract by 5.3 percent while the International Monetary Fund estimate is even worse, foreseeing a 6.7 percent drop in GDP. Either scenario would make Thai economy the worst affected in the ASEAN region.

To be sure, everyone in Thailand is being affected by the sudden economy-wide disruption — from big business houses like the Central group to petty traders and day laborers. But the hardest hit are thousands of tuk tuk drivers and street vendors in Bangkok, Chiang Mai, and Pattaya who are jobless following the shutdown of the country’s $60 billion tourism sector. The COVID-19 outbreak will only deepen inequality in Thai society.

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The post Why COVID-19 Will Worsen Inequality in Thailand first appeared on Open Development Mekong.

Shortages of water are a huge problem for Thailand. The government’s attempts to promote industrial investment in the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) — Chon Buri, Rayong and Chachoengsao — has caused water demand in the region to rise drastically. This has diverted water away from farmers and local people creating an increasingly unfair distribution of water resources.

Thailand is currently facing its worst drought in 40 years. This drought will exacerbate Thailand’s existing economic pressures through damaging the agricultural sector, particularly Thailand’s main farming activities of sugar, rubber and rice. Based on Bank of Ayudhya’s Krungsri Research, the 2020 drought will cost the country 46 billion Thai baht (US$1.5 billion), or 0.27 per cent of GDP.

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Thailand needs new thinking on its economy, moving away from the emphasis on growth and consumption to the quality of life rather than the quantity of things, said Pasuk Phongpaichit, Emeritus Professor in Political Economy, Chulalongkorn University.

She made the remark at the Fukuoka Prize Symposium held on September 10 in the Japanese city, in an event celebrating its 30th anniversary.

Pasuk and historian Chris Baker, the co-winners of the Fukuoka Prize’s 2017 Grand Prize, were among five past laureates invited to share their views in the Symposium, which had as its theme “The coexistence of developing Asia and its cultures-What Fukuoka Prize and the successive Prize laureates have protected, nurtured and newly created in last 30 years”.

Pasuk said that as an economy, Thailand along with others in Southeast Asia, have been doing quite successfully. But Thailand’s big problem is inequality.

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The post Leading Thai economist blames inequality for Thailand’s ills first appeared on Open Development Mekong.

The Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) countries have made stunning progress over the past quarter century. Once plagued by poverty, they are now economic success stories. The GMS Economic Cooperation Program (GECP) has contributed significantly to this transformation. Since it was established in 1992 as a means to enhance economic relations and promote regional cooperation, its six member countries — Cambodia, the People’s Republic of China, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Myanmar, Thailand, and Viet Nam — have built a platform for economic cooperation that has mobilized almost $21 billion for high-priority infrastructure projects.

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The post Inequality, Migration, & Industry 4.0 Challenge GMS Prosperity first appeared on Open Development Mekong.

Next week, the leaders of Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam will gather for the third Mekong River Commission (MRC) Summit in Siem Reap. A key aim is to enhance joint efforts and partnerships to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

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The post Women key to Mekong’s future and prosperity first appeared on Open Development Mekong.