THAILAND HUMAN DEVELOPMENT REPORT 2003 THAILAND HUMAN DEVELOPMENT REPORT 2003 THAILAND HUMAN DEVELOPMENT REPORT 2003 United Nations Development Programme The cover photo shows a huge stage poster of the Assembly of the Poor (AOP)’s rally in front of the Government House that says “Assembly of the Poor follows up on the (Government’s) promises”. On the wrist is written “United like sticky rice, together as one for the victory”. The placards mention various problems and issues that AOP have campaigned for or against, e.g. dams, forest-land, alternative agriculture, state’s projects, fake pigs-cows. Photo credit: Friends of the People (FOP) Copyright © 2003 United Nations Development Programme Rajdamnern Nok Avenue Bangkok 10200 Thailand Tel: (66-2) 2882130 Fax: (66-2) 2800556 E-mail:
[email protected] Web site: www.undp.or.th ISBN: 974-91116-5-6 ii THAILAND HUMAN DEVELOPMENT REPORT 2003 FOREWORD His Excellency Thaksin Shinawatra Prime Minister of Thailand It is my pleasure and honour to introduce the second UNDP National Human Develop- ment Report of Thailand. At the beginning of the new millennium, all nations are eager to focus on poverty alleviation in its broadest sense, not just from an economic and technical perspective as tended to be the case during most of the 20th century. UNDP’s focus on “human development” provides an excellent framework for this broader approach and matches well with Thailand’s own “people-centred approach” to development. Globalization has tended to divert attention from this broader perspective, focusing too often exclusively on economic growth and its attendant opportunities.