Thailand changes roles to become aid donor

BANGKOK: -- When a team of Thai forensic experts led by the country's top forensic pathologist arrived in the United States this week to assist in the recovery from Hurricane Katrina, they were a sign of a developing country that is emerging as a significant aid donor.

While its offer of aid to the world's richest country was a first for Thailand, a joint report released Tuesday by the United Nations and the Thai government highlighted the kingdom's commitment to assisting low-income Asian neighbors and its ambitions to broaden the reach of its assistance programs.

The Thai-UN report, "Global Partnership for Development," aims to reaffirm Thailand's "strong commitment to the global campaign to achieve the Millennium Development Goals" a Thai government statement said, referring to goals that will be discussed as world leaders assemble in New York for a UN meeting on ways to invigorate the fight against poverty.

The report shows that Thailand, a middle-income country that until a decade ago remained a major recipient of development assistance, now contributes as much to international assistance as a proportion of its income as do the world's biggest economies. Moreover, its assistance comes not only in aid, but also in terms of more open trade and markets, the report shows.

"It surprised us, too, but when we added up all the overseas development assistance Thailand is providing we found it's on the heels of the U.S. as a percentage of national income," said Hakan Bjorkman, the deputy head of the United Nations Development Program in Thailand, who helped prepare the report. "The story here is that it shows what the countries of the south can do to help each other."

Responses to natural disasters like Hurricane Katrina and the tsunami last Dec. 26 have drawn attention to the extent to which Asian countries are providing humanitarian aid. Seven Asian countries have contributed to the Katrina relief efforts, ranging from China and India, which have each pledged $5 million or more, to impoverished Bangladesh, which offered $1 million.

Other Asian countries provide international aid. South Korea's International Cooperation Agency, for instance, gives more than $250 million a year in development assistance. Yet Thailand has emerged as among the region's most significant providers of aid relative to the size of its economy and serves as "a model for middle-income countries," Bjorkman said.

Thailand's official development assistance reached at least $167 million in the 2003 fiscal year, about 0.13 percent of Thailand's gross national income. That is close to the levels of aid in terms of gross domestic income provided by the United States, 0.15 percent, and Japan, 0.2 percent.

While developed countries channel one-third of their assistance to least-developed countries, almost all of Thailand's assistance goes to its least-developed neighbors like Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia and the Maldives. The aid is used to develop basic infrastructure such as roads, bridges and power stations.

Thailand also contributes to the economic development of its neighbors by opening markets to their exports, the report said. Thai tariffs on trade with these least-developed countries are the lowest among Asia's developing countries, and its imports from least-developed countries, at 3.1 percent of its total imports, make up a higher proportion of Thailand's imports than those of any developed or middle-income country, the report said.

--International Herald Tribune 2005-09-13

High praise for Thailand indeed

UNITED NATIONS: -- Thailand was spotlighted yesterday by the United Nations as a leading ‘world citizen], showing the way and giving an example to other countries of how a mid-sized country and economy can play a ‘bigger-than-mid’ role on the world stage.

Global Partnership for Development: Thailand's Contribution to Millennium Development Goal 8 and UNDP Human Development Report 2005 was jointly launched by Thailand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the United Nations Country Team in Thailand.

On the eve of the United Nations General Assembly meeting in New York, Ministry of Foreign Affairs advisor Dr Pracha Guna-Kasem and UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Coordinator Joana Merlin-Scholtes introduced the report.

The report is a powerful account of how Thailand has become an important emerging donor, trading partner, and provider of foreign direct investment for the benefit of Least Developed Countries (LDC) not only in Asia but in other parts of the world. It demonstrates important role of middle income countries such as Thailand in contributing to the United Nations-led global campaign to achieve Millennium Development Goals by 2015.

Global Partnership contains surprising information about Thai Official Development Assistance or ODA, the openness of Thai markets to exports from poorer countries, and the extent of Thai foreign direct investment into basic infrastructure in neighbouring Least Developed Countries.

In 2003, for example, Thailand’s ODA amounted to 0.13 per cent of its Gross National Income, not far behind Japan at 0.20 per cent, Italy at 0.17 per cent, and the United States at 0.15 per cent.

--TNA 2005-09-13

A big thank you to Thailand and the Thai people for their assistance not only to the U.S., but in the many other areas that they are showing a willingness to help.

This is a postive sign for the country and it's people.

Good old Porntip comes up trumps again, hope the US appreciate her more than the Phuket police, she is a star

I, as an American, add my Thank you as well. Thai's have always been a generous and compassionate people.

We in the States appreciate all the nations that offered and given help as humanity always seems to show it;s best when we all do things together.

T HA T

IS

A LL!

thats a laugh ,they cant even help their own people in the south after the tsunami, and even this week 2 million thais are said to be in abject poverty. according to a reuters report.

not so much as can't but aren't interested, status quo suites the decision makers perfectly, haven't got the guts or the brains to withstand true competition