Regions and Countries

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p. 4 of 23 BACK | NEXT I. Country Performance Assessment A. Economic Performance Assessment B. Poverty Assessment C. Assessment of Socio-Environmental Performance D. Governance: Sound Development Management E. Implementation Assessment II. Country Operational Strategy III. Sector Strategies IV. Regional Cooperation V. Donor Activities and Aid Coordination VI. Cofinancing and Catalyzing External Resources VII. ADB’s Operational Program VIII. Economic and Sector Work Program IX. Local Cost Financing

Country Assistance Plans - Thailand : I. Country Performance Assessment

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C. Assessment of Socio-Environmental Performancet

1. Gender Issues

12. Thailand has among the highest rates of female labor force participation in East Asia at 67 percent (87 percent for males), the regional average being 51 percent. Thailand also ranks high, 58th among 143 countries, on the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) 1999 Gender-Related Development Index. The UNDP categorizes Thailand as a country with a medium level of human development. The above rankings bear testimony to the impact of policies that fostered and encouraged human, social and economic development in Thailand that included women. Notwithstanding this broadly encouraging picture, women still face obstacles in optimizing their economic participation and in their access to development benefits. The ability of women to fulfill professional aspirations may be constrained in part by Thai cultural mores, including their conjugal, kinship, and community obligations. Although legislation provides equal rights for men and women, including equal pay for work of equal value, women account for 46 percent of the labor force but earn only 37 percent of income. In addition, although women have achieved enrollment rates corresponding to those of men at most levels of education, they account for 39 percent of employees in Government service, and 19 percent of employers in the private sector. In addition, women’s representation in national politics (8 percent) and local politics (1.5 percent) is low in comparison with other countries in the region.

2. Human Development

13. Significant achievements were attained during 1985-1995 in terms of the well being of the Thai people. Thailand ranks 67th among 174 countries on UNDP’s 1999 Human Development Index (HDI), and is classified as a high human development country. Infant mortality rates declined from 103 per 1,000 births in 1960 to 31 per 1,000 in 1997, less than 13 percent of children are underweight, and the maternal mortality rate has declined to only 0.2 per thousand live births. Moreover, life expectancy increased from 52 in 1960 to 69 years in 1997, and the population growth rate has fallen from 3.2 percent to 1.1 percent during the same period. These rates are among the best in Asia. Access to safe water as a percentage of the population also increased from 64 percent between 1985 and 1987 to 81 percent between 1990 and 1997, and access to sanitation rose from 53 to 96 percent.

14. While Thailand has registered impressive gains with regard to basic health indicators, gains with respect to education have been insufficient to keep pace with rapid economic growth. Fewer than 20 percent of the Thai labor force have more than primary education. Fortunately, there are intensive efforts underway to expand and upgrade the education system. Transition rates from primary to lower secondary level, and from the lower secondary to upper secondary level have improved considerably over the past decade, and the target is to increase these rates to 100 percent in the next few years. Adult literacy rates increased from 78 percent in 1970 to 94.7 percent in 1997.

15. The 1997 Constitution may also go some way towards creating a more stable social and political system. Infringements on personal rights and a climate of secrecy in government affairs will be replaced with one of Asia's most liberal codes of individual freedoms. The changes include granting individuals open access to information held by state agencies, a guaranteed twelve years of publicly funded education, and the right of local communities to play a leading role in managing, maintaining and utilizing natural resources and the environment. Moreover, the Decentralization Act of 1999 mandates that the share of spending by local governments will increase from 14 percent of total government revenues in FY 2000 to 20 percent by FY2001, and to 35 percent by 2006 (see Section III.D). To date, however, the mechanics of how to channel and monitor these transfers to local governments have not been completed, nor has it been decided what functions will be financed at the local level by increased local resources.

16. The Government estimates that 950,000 Thai are infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), out of which 110,000 have contracted AIDS, one of the highest numbers of AIDS cases in Asia. Although most of those infected have yet to develop symptoms, AIDS-related illness is placing increased demands on the country's health services, and exacting considerable social and economic costs. Although the Government was late in responding to the challenge of HIV/AIDS, it has mounted one of the world's most effective programs in curbing the heterosexual spread of HIV. Behavioral changes in slowing the spread of HIV have been sustained or strengthened in most population groups. Infection rates among sex workers in particular have declined from a peak of 33 percent in 1994 to 21 percent in 1998, and among women visiting antenatal clinics from 2.3 percent in 1995 to 1.5 percent. The rate of infection among injecting drug users has increased, however, from 40 percent in 1997 to 47.5 percent in 1998. The Government is actively collaborating in international efforts to develop an AIDS vaccine.

17. On the whole, Thailand has largely met basic human needs, but has yet to meet the new challenges posed by its economic status including skewed income distribution and pockets of significant poverty. Health threats from accidents, environmental pollution, and drug abuse are also on a rising trend. The weakening traditional family-based support system means that public health systems, in combination with insurance schemes, are increasingly important. Other social problems include child labor and illegal immigrant workers.

3. Environment

18. Thailand’s rapid economic development of the past four decades has been accompanied by serious mismanagement of the environment and natural resources. Rural environmental problems include excessive deforestation, destruction of critical watersheds, flooding and soil erosion, sedimentation of irrigation reservoirs, cultivation of fragile lands, overuse of pesticides, over-fishing, and loss of genetic and biological resources. In particular, there has been underinvestment over the past few decades in the rehabilitation, regeneration, and conservation of valuable natural resources. In effect, the environment has been significantly degraded to the point where it may impede further economic development. Shifting cultivation, urban expansion, and limited effectiveness of control over logging continue to result in deforestation and forest degradation. Nearly half the forest cover has been lost since the 1960s. Meanwhile, the rapid growth of industrial and agro-industrial production has transformed Thailand from a mainly agriculture-based economy into an economy dominated by the manufacturing and service industries. This has resulted in serious air, surface, and groundwater pollution in urban areas. Finally, as many as ten different agencies spread across six ministries share oversight responsibility for the environment, contributing to suboptimal implementation of policies and plans, inadequate enforcement of environmental rules and regulations, and lack of opportunities for effective local participation.

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