UN Development Chief Says Myanmar, Thailand Face Challenges

[webfact]

UN development chief says Myanmar, Thailand face challenges

by Ian Timberlake

HANOI (AFP) -- Myanmar faces a tough task to eradicate extreme poverty and meet other global development goals, while political instability is holding back Thailand's progress, the UN development chief says.

In an interview with AFP, Helen Clark also said Vietnam had "a pretty good story to tell" about its efforts to achieve the so-called Millennium Development Goals, but faces a major challenge from climate change and rising sea levels.

Clark said military-ruled Myanmar, with "huge poverty", will find it difficult to meet any of the eight development goals by the 2015 global target.

"It would be tough," Clark, administrator of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), said Tuesday on the sidelines of a conference.

The former New Zealand prime minister said Myanmar has the lowest foreign aid per capita of any developing country, and "political factors" restrict what the UNDP can do in Myanmar, "so it's not so easy to make progress there at this time."

Myanmar, which has detained democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi for most of the past two decades, is under European Union and United States sanctions.

Neighbouring Thailand has made reasonable progress in tackling poverty, Clark said, but further development is being hindered by political tensions.

Outbreaks of violence in Bangkok during two months of anti-government protests from March until May killed 90 people, wounded nearly 1,900, and left the country deeply divided.

"Clearly, instability holds back a country's development progress, and you end up punching below your weight when you could be punching to, or above, your weight," she said.

The unrest followed more than three years of political instability after the army seized power from then-prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra in a 2006 bloodless coup.

"Things haven't been stable since and I think what's really needed is a national dialogue on how to move to elections which are seen as free and fair and people will accept the result," said Clark, who assumed her post in April last year.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has called a September summit in New York to accelerate efforts toward reaching the 2015 development goals deadline.

Clark said Vietnam will be able to report good progress towards the goals of eradicating extreme poverty and hunger, achieving universal primary education, and reducing child and maternal mortality.

The country has work to do to combat HIV/AIDS and add to the existing progress on access to water and basic sanitation, she said, while the environmental cost of old-style industrialisation also needs to be addressed.

But fast-growing Vietnam, which this year is set to attain "middle-income" status, faces a "huge challenge" from climate change, Clark said.

"And I believe that the government is acutely aware of this, aware now that Vietnam is one of the most exposed countries in the world to rising sea levels, intensity and frequency... of adverse weather events like typhoons," she said.

Vietnam is planning for a one-metre (3.3 feet) rise in sea levels by 2100, which would inundate about 31,000 square kilometres (12,400 square miles) of land -- an area about the size of Belgium -- unless dykes and drainage systems are strengthened, a UN discussion paper said in December.

It said the inundation threat is greatest in the Mekong Delta, the country's main rice production area. Vietnam is the world's second-biggest rice exporter.

If that land becomes unusable there are "serious implications" for the region, Clark said.

She spoke on the sidelines of a conference to review a pilot programme that aims to improve the coherence and effectiveness of UN assistance. Vietnam and Pakistan are among eight countries worldwide participating in the pilot which, the UN says, has hastened achievement of the Millennium Development Goals.

-- (c) Copyright AFP 2010-06-16

[landofthefree]

Elections!!!!!! Not while Abhisit can cling on to power. we wont see elections in the near future in Thailand as Abhisit will wait until he absolutely has to hold them. Any of you Yellow shirts/ Amart/ Abhisit fans or just general anti-democracy supporters out there wonder why? I think deep down inside you probably know.....

[whybother]

Elections!!!!!! Not while Abhisit can cling on to power. we wont see elections in the near future in Thailand as Abhisit will wait until he absolutely has to hold them. Any of you Yellow shirts/ Amart/ Abhisit fans or just general anti-democracy supporters out there wonder why? I think deep down inside you probably know.....

generally most governments wait until the scheduled time for an election, and don't call an election because a few protesters demand it.

[souvenirdeparis]

"""in a 2006 bloodless coup.

"Things haven't been stable since and.."""

Wait a minute, the only thing that was stable before was the corruption's growth rate.

This needs re-formulating.

[landofthefree]

Elections!!!!!! Not while Abhisit can cling on to power. we wont see elections in the near future in Thailand as Abhisit will wait until he absolutely has to hold them. Any of you Yellow shirts/ Amart/ Abhisit fans or just general anti-democracy supporters out there wonder why? I think deep down inside you probably know.....

generally most governments wait until the scheduled time for an election, and don't call an election because a few protesters demand it.

Not true, as an example the British Government rarely waits until the last moment before calling an election Google it if you don't believe me. This has just been seen in the recent British elections held way before the last possible date. I love the way that posters on this site try to defend the indefensible. Despite outside calls for a path that will lead up to elections we have seen no signs of action from the Abhisit administration.Instead of going for reconciliation they seem to be going for antagonism on numerous fronts including resurecting the war on drugs activities and trying to persecute Thaksin on every occasion whilest of course the Bangkok airport yellow shirt terrorists if not working in Abhisits government are still walking free. Is Abhisit interested in anyone but himself and his ilk? I don't think so. Who is he supporting in the world cup? Argentina despite all the help England gave him when he was younger ,loyalty? I don't think he has any.(except to himself)

[asiawatcher]

What uneducated crap from Ms Clark.

For starters, check about rising sea levels in any 'scientific fact founded paper' and you will se this is complete utter media hype. Similar to global warming - oceans are getting cooler. Vietnam has one of the most polluted skies in Asia - worse than HK- and is not a 'pleasant' place to live unless you are an expat on some bulk salary but having said that, places like Da Nang and Hue etc are all very beautiful and the aspect of 'middle class' status is complete rubbish - travel outside (or even in) HCM city or Hanoi and tell me that equates to any known 'middle class' status on any global scale! Pure rhetoric to grab headlines or put UN is some different light.

Wealth in Myanmar is substantial and has been grabbed by the Military who - as an example - are presently extracting jade selling to China who are storing it, using Cat D9's for extraction (huge). I have the footage! Yes there is wealth but all in the wrong hands and under control of power brokers and criminals hiding behind military uniforms.

And then of course we have Thailand - politically unstable - yes - since 1932 when the royals were in Lausanne until around 1950 when the present ruler returned permanently. During this time the 'Govt' seized most of the crown assets and it was with some particularly good management a lot was returned, evolved and made profitable. And ever since - Military has backed .. and Govt has backed - greed and corruption. Check origins of SCB as opposed to Bangkok Bank. Politics has been rife and remains the continuing unstable fore in Thailand but never plead poverty here despite outward appearances as opposed to VN, Burma et al. Even the poor here have a TV, a mobile phone, a motorcycle and/or a pickup and in most cases - own their land. They may not have much of an income but under Thai law they cannot borrow against their land they own thus do not lose their land to the Banks! Well done Thailand - but compare that to any other 3rd world country 'poor' and the scale is completely different.

So when the UN uses grand standing ex politicians of dubious ability to dun Asian countries perhaps some truths should be spread starting with - UN - what a crock....

[chainarong]

The same could be said about Lao and Cambodia, but Thailand isn't even in the same ball park as either of them or Burma, so why the big write up , Helen Clark would also know that her country NZ also faces challenges,and perhaps she was the instigator of some of those problems.

[gemini81]

The same could be said about Lao and Cambodia, but Thailand isn't even in the same ball park as either of them or Burma, so why the big write up , Helen Clark would also know that her country NZ also faces challenges,and perhaps she was the instigator of some of those problems.

even Helen KELLER knows all countries have issues and problems! This article isn't too insightful.