The report argues that comprehensive measures to implement a nationally defined social protection floor (SPF) would cost between 0.5 and 1.2 per cent of current GDP. The goal of a SPF is to ensure that everyone has access to affordable essential health care, and that everyone, including children and the elderly, have a guarantee of income security throughout their lives.
In his keynote address, Mr Niwatthamrong Busongphaisan noted that the report is timely in the context of Thailand’s ageing society and ASEAN integration and that “human development throughout the life cycle is the main target of the Royal Thai Government for strengthening quality of life together with improving labour productivity”. He highlighted that efforts of the Royal Thai Government should mainly focus on the 24 million informal economy workers and their families and on improving cross ministerial coordination, access to social protection programmes through a network of service centres and transparent monitoring systems to keep track of quality of services and coverage.
Also present at the launch were Mr. Padermchai Sasomsap, Minister of Labour; Mr. Santi Promphat, Minister of Social Development and Human Security, Mr. Luc Stevens, UN Resident Coordinator, Mr. Maurizio Bussi, Director, ILO Decent Work Team for East and South-East Asia and the Pacific.
Mr Luc Stevens, UN Resident Coordinator in Thailand stressed that the United Nations stands ready to support the Royal Thai Government in making the recommendations of the assessment report a reality.
Mr. Maurizio Bussi of the ILO emphasized that “all residents should be guaranteed a basic standard of living and access to health care” and highlighted that such a set of measures are within reach in terms of their financial affordability and consistency with the National Development Plan.
This report was developed as part of the United Nations Partnership Framework (UNPAF) between the royal Thai Government and the UN; the report has been prepared by the United Nations/Royal Thai Government joint team on social protection, which is co-chaired by the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security.
More than 300 participants representing the Government, Thai workers’ and employers’ organisations, civil society, academia, embassies and international organizations attended the event.
Click here for more details of the report.
For further information please contact:
Ms Valerie Schmitt
ILO Social Security Specialist
Tel. 02 288 1767
Krisdaporn Singhaseni
Information Officer, ILO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific
Tel. 02 288 1664
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