Thailand: Support to NEPAD

(period 2001- 2003)

 

 

 

Support to African Countries since NEPAD was adopted in 2001

 

Since NEPAD was adopted in 2001, Thailand has clearly expressed its support for NEPAD and its readiness to cooperate more closely with its African counterparts under this framework. In this regard, we fully supported the request by the South African President to deliver his address on NEPAD to the 8th ASEAN Summit in November 2002 in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, which not only added further impetus to the growing links between ASEAN and African Union (AU), but also indicated our active Involvement active involvement in NEPAD.

 

In the year 2003, Thailand's Plan of Action to complement the NEPAD programme includes:

 

a) HIVIAIDS Programme

 

Recognizing the gravity of the HIVIAIDS epidemic crisis in Africa, Thailand is working towards the implementation of the HIVIAIDS Programme (2003‑2004), which will also seek to provide African Countries with technical assistance on HIVIAIDS prevention and treatment. With the total budget of US$170,000. Common elements of the programme are:

 

§         Supplying essential medical equipment, drugs and necessary facilities

§         Providing scholarships to African medical staff for training in Thailand

§         Dispatching Thai HIVIAIDS experts to some African countries for training courses and seminars for African counterparts

§         Campaigning for public awareness of HIV/AIDS prevention

 

Priorities will be given to these following countries:

 

  1. South Africa

  2. Mozambique

  3. Kenya

  4. Nigeria

  6. Djibouti

  7. Botswana

  8. Swaziland

  9. Namibia

10. Mali

11. Madagascar

 

 

b) Technical Assistance Programme

 

In addition to our normal technical assistance annually made available to some African countries in such fields as exchange of study visits, bilateral trilateral technical cooperation and training programmes. We are working towards our pilot projects designed to provide comprehensive and integrated technical assistance to Mozambique and Madagascar in specific areas where we have expertise such as agriculture, public health, education and human resources development. Based on one of HM the King of Thailand's Royal Initiatives known as “Self‑Reliance Theory of Development" which is aimed at helping local community to be self‑sufficient, common elements of the said programme include:

 

§         Providing Thai technical experts in several areas of Thailand's expertise such as agriculture, public health, education and human resources development

 

§         Revitalizing local community by providing basic infrastructure such as primary health care clinics, water resources, and development study centers

§         Introducing environmentally friendly and appropriate agricultural and industrial technology to local community

§         Encouraging self‑reliant mechanisms, such as cooperatives and organized groups, to facilitate the alleviation of local community problems.

 

Support for NEPAD Priorities

 

The government provided support in the following areas:

 

Human Resources Development (Health, Education)

Infrastructure (Energy, Water and Sanitation)

Agriculture and Market Access

Environment

Resource Flows

 

Approximate financial assistance to African countries since 2001

 

Technical assistance (2001‑2002)            US$13,500­

Humanitarian assistance (2001‑2003)     US$30,000­

                                

                                                Total              US$ 43,500