Bangkok – The government of Japan today allocated $4.6 million (Baht 150 million) through the UN Trust Fund for Human Security for a pioneering initiative over the next three years to improve the quality of life and reduce poverty among vulnerable groups in Mae Hong Son province.

Poverty incidence among marginal farmers, ethnic minorities and migrants is high in Mae Hong Son, particularly for people who have little if any access to social services.

“Mae Hong Son was ranked the lowest among all the provinces of Thailand in the Human Achievement Index of the 2007 Thailand Human Development Report”, noted Hiroyuki Konuma, FAO deputy regional representative for Asia and the Pacific, also chair of the Thailand UN sub-thematic working group on livelihoods.

The poverty rate of the province has gradually reduced over the years, but still stands at 34 percent, significantly higher (three time) than the national average of 11 percent, FAO said.

The project will focus on three areas: agriculture and income-generation; natural resource conservation and management; and social protection – all aimed at promoting sustainable livelihood and living condition of poor and disadvantaged population in Mae Hong Son.

“The Japanese funding brings together the wealth of diverse development-oriented expertise from almost a dozen of UN agencies, guided by the “One UN” and “Delivering as one” policies of the United Nations family, and joining hands with Thai partners in a collective effort to address the multi-faceted challenges facing Mae Hong Son”, Mr Konuma added.

The target groups for the 3 year programme are poor farmers, ethnic minorities, migrants and camp-based refugees. Many communities in these groups live under the poverty line and suffer from malnutrition – of children aged under five in Mae Hong Son, approximately one in seven is moderately underweight, and 2.5 percent are severely underweight.

Among the programme’s main tasks are promotion of sustainable integrated highland agriculture, especially involving women’s groups, older persons and other targeted groups; skills and capacity building for agro-processing, including forestry and fisheries, marketing and other associated support services; eco-tourism; social services for vulnerable groups; enrollment, attendance and completion rates through formal and non-formal education for all, especially among girls and women living in remote areas; primary health care services and health related knowledge; children’s nutritional status; environmental health; access of older persons to economic security, health and social services; and children registered at birth and with increased chances to obtain Thai nationality or legalized status.

Creating durable partnerships between UN, academia, NGOs/CSOs, private and business community as well as the government sector is key to help ensure achieving the desired impact and outcomes of the project and enhance the sustainability afterwards, FAO said.

The UN Partnership Framework for 2007 to 2011 supports the government’s efforts to reduce disparities and hence build a more equitable society – through concerted efforts among UN agencies – to empower the most vulnerable people in society and to build capacity of people in responsible positions to fulfill their societal obligations.

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For more information, contact Hiroyuki Konuma as email [email protected]