Regions and Countries

	Table of Contents
p. 8 of 23 BACK | NEXT I. Country Performance Assessment II. Country Operational Strategy A. The COS B. Progress Implementation C. Poverty Partnership Agreement 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 : II. Country Operational Strategy

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II. Country Operational Strategy

A. The COS

33. An Interim Country Operational Strategy (COS) for Thailand was prepared in May 1999. It incorporates major shifts in operational priorities in response to markedly changed conditions in Thailand related to the economic crisis, and provides a strategic framework for ADB operations during the economic crisis. The Interim COS includes three country specific objectives:

• poverty reduction and quality of life improvement:
• structural adjustment, and
• strengthening competitiveness, to promote efficient, regionally balanced, and sustainable growth. Among other provisions, the Interim COS set out that spatially, all projects (except those involving national systems) should be concentrated in the north, northeast, and southern regions of the country, which are relatively less developed and account for the majority of Thailand’s population, including most of the target groups below the poverty line. The geographic focus was intended to ameliorate growing regional disparities and maximize the poverty reducing impact of the program. A notable feature of the ADB’s approach is the effort to link its activities in these regions to those in neighboring countries through subregional economic cooperation initiatives. The Interim COS further suggests that ADB assistance focus on support for the social (e.g., education, health and social welfare), agriculture/rural development, and financial sectors.

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