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Trang Provincial Millennium Development Goals Report 2008
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Trang Report gives Comprehensive View of Province's Human Development
Trang, 21 March 2008 – Thailand again demonstrated its commitment to the international Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) today, with a report that gives a comprehensive view of the state of human development in the key southern province of Trang.
The report, which was launched today at an event presided over by Trang Deputy Governor Surapol Wichaidit, is intended to help provincial authorities identify gaps in human development, set targets for improvement and monitor progress.
“Trang clearly has a strong recent record in economic development,” said UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative Gwi-Yeop Son. “However, there are areas for improvement if the province is to meet all the MDG targets set by the government.”
Poverty in Trang is well below the national average, with only 0.71% of people living in poverty, compared to 9.55% nationally. Monthly average per-capita income has risen rapidly, by 77 percent between 1998 and 2006.
However, this growth has been dependent on a relatively small production base centered on commercial agriculture, and economic disparities are increasing. The poorest families have seen their share of income drop since 2000, while the richest families’ share of income increased.
There are disparities, as well, between rural and urban areas in terms of quality of education. Other areas of concern are the HIV infection rate, which at roughly 46 per 100,000 people is much higher than the national average of 25 per 100,000; and the impact on the environment of the large-scale cultivation of mono-crops.
“Commercial agriculture focusing on mono-crops such as rubber and oil palm now covers almost one-third of Trang province,” said Dr. Sanit Aksornkaew, President of Thailand Environment Institute. “This has had impacts on forest encroachment, the use of chemical pesticides, and marked changes in community lifestyles.”
The report also details the contribution Trang is making to the development of the larger region. Since 2005, Trang has taken part in the Indonesia–Malaysia–Thailand Growth Triangle (IMT-GT) framework that was established in 1993. Activities have included development of Trang’s Kantang as an international port for trade with northern Malaysia and Sumatra in Indonesia, and construction of a railway link between Kantang and Surat Thani.
“By giving a wide-ranging view of development across Trang, we believe that this report will be very useful to policy-makers and local authorities,” said Gwi-Yeop Son. “We hope that this launch will be just the beginning of a dialogue between government, civil society and local people about future development strategies for the province.”
The Trang Provincial Millennium Development Goal report is the result of collaboration between UNDP, the National Economic and Social Development Board, the Thailand Environment Institute, and the Trang Province administration.
The Trang report is one of three provincial MDG reports published so far by UNDP. The others cover Mae Hong Son and Nakhon Phanom. All reports are available in Thai and in English at http://www.undp.or.th/resources/publicationsall.html
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For more information, please contact:
Nick Keyes: nicholas.keyes@undp.org; 02 288 1814; (Mobile) 085 115 7236
Punnipa Ruangtorsak: punnipa.ruangtorsak@undp.org; 02 288 2130; (Mobile) 081 398 6064
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