Beginning of Eighth Pland Civic Assembly Working Group.
The National Economic and Social Development Board, during the preparation period of the Eighth Plan, established the Planning Sub-committee for Rural Development, Prosperity Decentralization, Environmental and Natural Resources Conservation, with Prof. Dr.Prawase Wasi as the Chairman, and members represented by experts, academic professors, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), the press, and relevant public and private sectors.
After the 8th Plan's promulgation, the above Planning Sub-committee has continued working on important issues. Several meetings were held in order to set guidelines and process to adjust the operational procedures of relevant parties to fit into a concept of people-centered development. These procedures require popular participation of people from all walks of life in order to concretely translate the plan into action. Hence, the sub-committee was renamed as the "Eighth Plan Civic Assembly Working group."
Missions
The Eighth Plan Civic Assembly Working Group promotes team-working spirit and multilateral cooperation. All parties can freely express their ideas or discuss proper implementation guidelines for consideration.
As a discussion venue, the Eighth Plan Civic Assembly Working Group plans to organize a meeting in the first Tuesday of each month. The Office of the NESDB, as secretariat, had organized 12 meetings to consider different development issues in each period of time. The meeting discussion would lead to a vast exchange of opinion and eliminate obstacles arising during the implementation process.
Past Operation Results
Issues discussed at the meeting were, namely:
1. Strengthening of tambon administration organization. The Office of the NESDB and serveral organizations concerned, NGOs and educational institutions in the regions organized a brainstorming session to collect ideas and informations on development potentials of TAO. Regional educational institutions should enhance TAO development, and capability of TAO members should be upgraded. They should be delegated with administrative and decision-making authority so that they handle development projects by themselves.
2. Provincial civic assembly will be a venue to promote mutilateral participation in development. It will help create common understanding towards the national development under the Eighth Plan to development partners, such as NGOs, private sector, technocrats and the press. It will, moreover enhance cordial relationships among all parties so that they could cooperate in development activities for sake of mutual benefits.
3. Several processes for strengthening Community are as follows:
- Community economy will be an engine to tackle local problems and strengthen local community which would enhance development in other sectors. In the meantime, local people can participate in problem identification and alleviation for greater self-reliance in the long run.
- Community business will coordinate ideas and create common understanding among all parties.
- Local community, under support of Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), NGOs and relevant ministries, will try to develop ecotourism activities by developing respective natural resources to become tourist attractions.
- The government will mobilize financial resources from both sectors to enhance local economic and social development. On December 15, last year, there was a workshop on "Cooperation between Public Funds and NGOs in Local Economic and Social Rehabilitation" in order to review operational procedures of both public and private funds for local developmet. These were, such as credit project for rural development, urban community development project, research promotion fund and environmental fund, etc. The workshop was aimed at seeking proper ways to allocate these funds to strengthen and rehabilitate local economy during the national economic crisis. The Government Savings Bank, supervisor of the credit project for rural development, and the Office of Urban Community Development took all recommendations for further implementation.
4. Minimizing impact from the crisis by rehabilitating social and economic in the rural area. Mr.Paiboon Wattanasiritham, Director of the Government Saving Bank introduced social and economic rehabilitation guidelines under the current economic crisis in which several agencies are encouraged to establish Thai helps Thai fund and target areas are designated for solving unemployment problems.
5. Poverty resolution strategy adjustment will be conducted by coordinating with UNDP in conducting the study to summarize suggested policy from the result of mobilization session which the study will be finalized at the end of 1998.
6. Good governance process. The Eighth Plan Provincial Assembly Working Group is the centre for mobilizing ideas and operation guidelines in the good governance process. The office of the NESDB is the coordinator for public relations campaign among concerned agencies. At present the office of the NESDB and the Institute of King Rama VII, the office of the Secretariat of the House of Representatives and other organizations jointly organized 10 Good Governance Project Forums by presenting keynote speech, presentation via radio and television broadcasting. The forum aimed at distributing good governance concept to promote fairness in the society. For that matter, the people will be realized and ready to participate in the economic rehabilitation process. Moreover, it is the sign of cooperation among several sectors in solving the country economic crisis.
Mr.Thirayuth Boonmi, Associate Professor, Faculty of Sociology and Anthropology, Thammasat University as the presenter of the "good governance" concept noted that "good governance" is the good national administration in every level. The main idea is that people, civil servant, public agency executives are partnership in designating national fate. Only partnership is not guarantee for good governance. It must have transparency of rules and regulation, efficiency and justice together with social participation in designating policy, administration, examination and evaluation.
All in all, the Eighth Plan Assembly Working Group undertaked its functions in line with the Eighth Plan by focusing on participation among public and private sectors, private development organization and prople. They gave their time and efforts through the process of the Eighth Plan translation into action as to attain the goal of Thailand development success and prosperous of the Thai people.
--Development News Bulletin, National Economic and Social Development Board, Volume 13, No.4 : April 1998--
The National Economic and Social Development Board, during the preparation period of the Eighth Plan, established the Planning Sub-committee for Rural Development, Prosperity Decentralization, Environmental and Natural Resources Conservation, with Prof. Dr.Prawase Wasi as the Chairman, and members represented by experts, academic professors, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), the press, and relevant public and private sectors.
After the 8th Plan's promulgation, the above Planning Sub-committee has continued working on important issues. Several meetings were held in order to set guidelines and process to adjust the operational procedures of relevant parties to fit into a concept of people-centered development. These procedures require popular participation of people from all walks of life in order to concretely translate the plan into action. Hence, the sub-committee was renamed as the "Eighth Plan Civic Assembly Working group."
Missions
The Eighth Plan Civic Assembly Working Group promotes team-working spirit and multilateral cooperation. All parties can freely express their ideas or discuss proper implementation guidelines for consideration.
As a discussion venue, the Eighth Plan Civic Assembly Working Group plans to organize a meeting in the first Tuesday of each month. The Office of the NESDB, as secretariat, had organized 12 meetings to consider different development issues in each period of time. The meeting discussion would lead to a vast exchange of opinion and eliminate obstacles arising during the implementation process.
Past Operation Results
Issues discussed at the meeting were, namely:
1. Strengthening of tambon administration organization. The Office of the NESDB and serveral organizations concerned, NGOs and educational institutions in the regions organized a brainstorming session to collect ideas and informations on development potentials of TAO. Regional educational institutions should enhance TAO development, and capability of TAO members should be upgraded. They should be delegated with administrative and decision-making authority so that they handle development projects by themselves.
2. Provincial civic assembly will be a venue to promote mutilateral participation in development. It will help create common understanding towards the national development under the Eighth Plan to development partners, such as NGOs, private sector, technocrats and the press. It will, moreover enhance cordial relationships among all parties so that they could cooperate in development activities for sake of mutual benefits.
3. Several processes for strengthening Community are as follows:
- Community economy will be an engine to tackle local problems and strengthen local community which would enhance development in other sectors. In the meantime, local people can participate in problem identification and alleviation for greater self-reliance in the long run.
- Community business will coordinate ideas and create common understanding among all parties.
- Local community, under support of Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), NGOs and relevant ministries, will try to develop ecotourism activities by developing respective natural resources to become tourist attractions.
- The government will mobilize financial resources from both sectors to enhance local economic and social development. On December 15, last year, there was a workshop on "Cooperation between Public Funds and NGOs in Local Economic and Social Rehabilitation" in order to review operational procedures of both public and private funds for local developmet. These were, such as credit project for rural development, urban community development project, research promotion fund and environmental fund, etc. The workshop was aimed at seeking proper ways to allocate these funds to strengthen and rehabilitate local economy during the national economic crisis. The Government Savings Bank, supervisor of the credit project for rural development, and the Office of Urban Community Development took all recommendations for further implementation.
4. Minimizing impact from the crisis by rehabilitating social and economic in the rural area. Mr.Paiboon Wattanasiritham, Director of the Government Saving Bank introduced social and economic rehabilitation guidelines under the current economic crisis in which several agencies are encouraged to establish Thai helps Thai fund and target areas are designated for solving unemployment problems.
5. Poverty resolution strategy adjustment will be conducted by coordinating with UNDP in conducting the study to summarize suggested policy from the result of mobilization session which the study will be finalized at the end of 1998.
6. Good governance process. The Eighth Plan Provincial Assembly Working Group is the centre for mobilizing ideas and operation guidelines in the good governance process. The office of the NESDB is the coordinator for public relations campaign among concerned agencies. At present the office of the NESDB and the Institute of King Rama VII, the office of the Secretariat of the House of Representatives and other organizations jointly organized 10 Good Governance Project Forums by presenting keynote speech, presentation via radio and television broadcasting. The forum aimed at distributing good governance concept to promote fairness in the society. For that matter, the people will be realized and ready to participate in the economic rehabilitation process. Moreover, it is the sign of cooperation among several sectors in solving the country economic crisis.
Mr.Thirayuth Boonmi, Associate Professor, Faculty of Sociology and Anthropology, Thammasat University as the presenter of the "good governance" concept noted that "good governance" is the good national administration in every level. The main idea is that people, civil servant, public agency executives are partnership in designating national fate. Only partnership is not guarantee for good governance. It must have transparency of rules and regulation, efficiency and justice together with social participation in designating policy, administration, examination and evaluation.
All in all, the Eighth Plan Assembly Working Group undertaked its functions in line with the Eighth Plan by focusing on participation among public and private sectors, private development organization and prople. They gave their time and efforts through the process of the Eighth Plan translation into action as to attain the goal of Thailand development success and prosperous of the Thai people.
--Development News Bulletin, National Economic and Social Development Board, Volume 13, No.4 : April 1998--