Regions and Countries

	Table of Contents
p. 10 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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C. Poverty Partnership Agreement

38. The Government is committed to maintaining the fight against poverty and inequality, and the ADB wishes to remain as a dedicated partner of the Government in this fight. During the CPM, the ADB and the Government agreed in principle to execute a Partnership Agreement on poverty reduction. ADB staff initiated a poverty reduction assessment in July 2000, together with NESDB staff and consultants engaged under TA No. 3373 - THA: Preparing a Medium Term Recovery Strategy. The formulation of the poverty assessment will include extensive discussions with a variety of stakeholders, identification of the spatial aspects of poverty in Thailand, and serve to facilitate the poverty alleviation efforts of the Government and various donors. These activities will result in the conduct of a high-level forum to discuss the findings of the poverty assessment and to review Government plans for poverty reduction, by April 2001. Subsequently, the CSP for Thailand will be prepared and completed later in the year. These activities will culminate in the preparation and signing of a Partnership Agreement by the ADB and the Government that sets targets for poverty reduction and establishes mechanisms to monitor the progress made before the end of 2001. The Government appreciates their need to assume ownership of the aforementioned process and should provide high-level, broad-based leadership to ensure its success. The CPM emphasized that that this exercise should not be an ADB-driven process, otherwise the spirit and impact of the exercise will lack both credibility and sustainability. The Government concurred with the CPM’s proposals including the timetable to prepare and implement a Partnership Agreement.

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