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Mr. Somavia, ILO Director-General On behalf of the Prime Minister of the Royal Government of Thailand, His Excellency Thaksin Shinawatra, I extend a warm welcome to each and every one of you. It is both an honour and a pleasure to join you here this morning, and to deliver on behalf of the Prime Minister some opening remarks on this important occasion. Ladies and gentlemen, Thailand is a founding member of the ILO. That means our mutual commitment is 82 years old, and growing stronger. Thailand has ratified 13 ILO Conventions – most recently, the Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention, 1999 (No. 182) – in February of this year. Action against child labour is an important shared priority. Thailand joined the ILO IPEC Programme when it was founded in 1992. Our cooperation has grown steadily more concrete. Cooperation in other areas is also very useful – we have worked together with the ILO on all four of the ILO’s strategic objectives: standards and fundamental principles and rights at work; employment; social protection and social dialogue. Thailand is also currently a member of the ILO’s Governing Body. We regard this as an important responsibility. Ladies and gentlemen, This meeting’s theme - decent work - is of great relevance to Thailand and to all of the other countries of this region. Today, I think we can see the relevance more clearly than ever before. It is now four years since the last Asian Regional Meeting, which was also held in Bangkok. Those four difficult years have brought more than their fair share of change. Much of that change has been extraordinarily painful. Looking back over Thai history shows that we have achieved some important firsts. However, becoming the first country to feel the effects of the Asian financial crisis is one that we would prefer to have missed! Of course we were not alone for long. It was an extraordinarily difficult time, not only for Thailand, but for all of the countries of this region. The worst is over, but the effects are still being felt. Recovering lost ground has been hard work. We have also been working hard to make sure that these efforts have been directed the right way. We have examined policies, not in isolation but within the broader framework of development and democratization. This review process has meant questioning many assumptions, to see whether they really do hold true. We have not yet found all the answers. But we are not giving up on the search. This region has never been afraid to look for new solutions, or to try new ideas. The economic and social progress that took place before the crisis is a good example. The approaches, the models, were new. It was often called the Asian economic miracle. The countries of this region had growth rates that were the envy of the West. That growth was very good for business. And that growth was very good for people. Thailand was not the only country that moved forward - this occurred in the other countries of the region as well. In 1997 the crisis slowed, stopped and even reversed much of this progress. In 1996, Thailand had reduced the percentage of people living below the poverty line to 11.4 per cent. By 1999, we saw that figure moving the wrong way, to 15.9 per cent. The crisis was hardest for the people who had least. Today, in Thailand and in neighbouring countries, we can point at good progress in the right direction. And yet, we are not moving forward as fast as we would like – and there are clouds on the economic horizon. Growth rates in the current climate are not high enough to produce the further progress that we want. Here in Thailand, we are looking for new ways to achieve these results. We are constantly looking for new ways to improve people’s livelihoods and security. We know that, as we do that, we face several key challenges. First, is the knowledge-based economy. In many cases, this calls on us to transform traditional economies, and harmonize them with new models. Second, is global competition. This has never been so intense. Third, is new technology and innovation. The sheer pace of change in today’s world is extraordinary. Information and communications technology offers plenty of opportunities. It can help business, and it can help people. But this technology can’t help people who don’t have any access. It can’t help people who don’t know how to use it, and who have never had a chance to learn. And last but not least, we face one overarching challenge. We must keep at the forefront of our agenda the need for sustainable growth and poverty alleviation. These are essential – because they will ensure that our efforts bring real and meaningful results for the people of our countries. Ladies and gentlemen, The crisis and its aftermath has led to what we might call a design review of the Asian economic miracle. In many ways it was a very good miracle – but there is always room for improvement, particularly for our most disadvantaged citizens. In Thailand our redesign process has involved work in many areas that are closely linked with the ILO. And it has also involved a strong emphasis on the principles that are behind the ILO’s Decent Work Agenda. We are more than interested in working with the ILO to put this agenda to work in Thailand. It is accurate and fitting that the report prepared for this meeting recognizes that national circumstances will vary. That is especially true in this region. It also recognizes that national aspirations will vary. This is also vitally important. The governments, employers and workers of this region are the real experts on their countries’ circumstances, and aspirations. If we can work together with the ILO to produce mutually reinforcing agendas for our countries, I think that we will all benefit. The ILO will gain from national-level insights and knowledge. Nothing can replace this. And we will have a new way to make sure that all of the ILO’s activities and cooperation in our respective countries fit within a single integrated framework. Ladies and gentlemen, Here in Thailand, Decent Work is an extremely useful framework. It brings together key aims. It recognizes the importance of making sure that people have employment – that they have some way to earn a living. It also recognizes that that work should not be exploitative. It means that Thai workers who finish a solid day’s work should not have to worry at the end of it about how they are going to pay for basic necessities. Decent work means that working people and their families can live in dignity. In this region, the family is enormously important. The family is right at the very heart of our value system, and of society itself. Unemployment and poverty are major threats to families, and to the structure and the fabric of our society. Poverty puts people under enormous stress. In extreme cases it can lead to the kind of despair that produces substance abuse, child labour and other social evils. Families who are able to meet their basic needs, are stronger families. Families who can look ahead and feel confident that the future will be better than today – help us build the kind of forward-looking society that we want. Strong families build a strong society. Ladies and gentlemen, Decent Work has another important implication. Common sense tells us that a worker who has a decent job, who earns a decent wage, and who works in decent conditions - is more likely to be a productive worker. Productivity is the most essential element of competitiveness. Competitiveness is the key to successful participation in the global economy. We have to be competitive. That means focusing on areas in which we start with some kind of an advantage. But that is only part of the answer. We also have to be prepared to increase our competitiveness. Education and training will play a vital part in this process. Our young people, the workers of tomorrow, need to be equipped with the kind of education and skills that will be useful in this global environment. We also need to make sure that the people who make up our current workforce are performing as well as they can. I think both of these challenges are important ones for the Decent Work Agenda to address. In Thailand, we are facing the challenges of globalization and the global economy in a Thai way. We want to build on our strengths. Our small and medium-sized enterprise sector has traditionally been one of these strong points. Our country’s business environment contains more than a few examples of highly successful corporate entities – which started life as small businesses. Of course, not every business will grow to this extent. Others may remain relatively modest. And yet their achievements should never be underestimated. They provide livelihoods for their owners, and they provide employment and livelihoods for others, too. We are also working to make sure that these kinds of enterprises can develop in Thailand’s rural areas and villages, as well. This development should not be confined to big cities. This strategy requires both seed funding and a supportive policy environment. We have also been working in close cooperation with the ILO in a number of specific areas. These include, developing and examining models for social security and unemployment insurance systems; a five year plan for occupational safety and health; restructuring our training system; and migration. This last issue is one in which Thailand approaches from two perspectives. The changes in migration patterns that have occurred alongside globalization have affected our country. Thailand is not only a sending country – but a receiving country as well. Thailand has played an important role in facilitation international discussions of migration policy for some time. I hope that the meeting on labour migration convened by the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare on Thursday will also provide a useful forum for exchanging views on this very complex issue. Ladies and gentlemen, I look forward to the coming days of debate. This is an important opportunity for review – and for planning. Our experiences during the crisis are an important source of wisdom. I think these lessons are relevant not only for us – but for every country trying to come to grips with the global economy. It is also important that we remember that we did have many things right. This week’s meeting is a significant forum for discussion and questions of this kind – because it deals with the most essential factor in growth. That factor is - people. People produce growth. And people are the reason for that growth. Thank you
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Updated by CHW. Approved by RD. Last update: 28 August 2001. |
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