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Development Issues in Southeast Asia

Indonesians Pay a High Price for Development with Mounting Pollution 24 June 2003
Indonesians are paying a high price for rapid economic growth with increasing air, water and ground pollution, the World Bank said on June 24, 2003. The bank said in a report that fast growth in recent decades "has resulted in significant pollution, for which Indonesians are paying a high price in terms of human health and environmental degradation." Increasing urbanisation, vehicle use and industrialisation are worsening air pollution. More than six million new vehicles have come onto the streets in the five years to 2000. Annual dry-season forest and ground fires were also a major contributor to air pollution in Indonesia and neighbouring countries, the World Bank said.

UN Points to Slower Rate of Development With Increase in Poverty 6 June 2003
The prospect of a prolonged economic recession caused concern that progress towards UN social development goals would recede or stagnate, United Nations officials said on June 5, 2003. The remarks were made at the launching of a report compiled by the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, and the UN Development Programme.

Secretive Laos Hit by SARS 17 May 2003
Laos, South-East Asia's most secretive economy, started to suffer slowing economic growth thanks to the Sars virus and sharply rising inflation. In a rare and detailed report on Laos, the World Bank said the Laotian economy was likely to expand 5.5% in 2003 and 6% in 2004, slower than it had originally expected. At the same time, a surge in government borrowing, a sliding exchange rate and higher food prices following severe flooding had seen annual inflation rise to 18% in March 2003 from 7% a year earlier. Meanwhile, potentially productive forests covered only 40% of the country's 23 million hectare land area--way below the government's target of 70% cover by 2020 and down from 70% in the late 1940s.

Philippines Government to Cancel ADB Grains Sector Development Project Loan 31 March 2003
The Philippines' President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo on March 12, 2003 ordered the cancellation of the $175 million Grains Sector Development Project loan from the ADB, saying that the government could no longer afford to pay the commitment fee for a program that was not being properly implemented and that the government now found it advantageous to defer implementation of policy reforms in the rice sector that are tied up to the ADB loan. Except for the Irrigation Rehabilitation Component of the project, being carried out by PCI Asia together with Klohn Crippen Consultants and Multi-Sector Development Corporation, the policy reform component has not prgressed at all. Finance officials said the government's repeated failure to privatize the National Food Authority and to deregulate the rice industry which would force the government to cancel the loan which has two components that were supposed to have been completed in 2002 and in 2004, respectively. During the last week of March, the Arroyo administration cancelled the loan, after failing to reach an executiove decision on the pre-condition regrading the NFA, and after the Department of Finance considered the government could no longer afford the loan. However, as a last-ditch attempt to save the irrigation component of the program, the consultant was asked by the Department of Agriculture to prepare a position paper defending the need to continue with the irrigation component and indicate the losses of benefits to some 30,000 farm families that would result from the cancellation of the loan and project. MORE . . .

ADB Dismayed by Philippines' Poor Development Project Performance 15 March 2003
The Asian Development Bank expressed dismay in March 2003 over the poor performance of its development projects in the Philippines over the previous 20 years, as only 31 percent were successful compared with the 70 percent success rate elsewhere in the ASEAN region. A major reason for the problem was the poor capacity of executing agencies and line departments to absorb assistance. Furthermore, rampant and increasing corruption resulted in projects being poorly implemented. In addition there are inadequate project personnel from the government in terms of number and capability with many officials simply stealing from the development budgets but not producing much of value for the nation. As well, there is a lack of institutional and financial capacity, especially of local government units, to undertake development projects. Most projects seem to be implemented for the political benefit of politicians and the oligarchic economic and political elite, leaving little for the impoverished masses.

Laos Reaps All-time High Rice Output in 2002 14 March 2003
The People’s Republic of Laos harvested in 2002 a record 2.4 million tonnes of rice, helping raise its annual per-capita food average to 435 kg, and bringing the number of localities capable of self-sufficiency in food supplies to 13 out of the country’s total of 18, many of which are in mountainous regions. The figure was quite significant as after 27 years since the republic was founded, Laos had not only escaped a chronic food shortage but had proved self-sufficient in food supplies and even able to export thousands of tonnes of food items.

UN Water Aims Unrealistic 12 March 2003
The United Nations' wish to halve the number of deaths from people having no access to clean water by 2015 was massively unrealistic, a new report said. The emphasis of the UN's "Millennium Goal" was to improve the quality of water in rural areas of the world. But David Satterthwaite, of the International Institute of Environment and Development in London, said that at least as much effort should be put into towns and cities. His report to the UN said that the problem was far worse in urban areas than official figures showed.

Thailand Ranks Poorly in UN Water Report 6 March 2003
Thailand was rated poorly in a United Nations survey of water quality and the ability and commitment to manage water-supply resources. According to a UN report released in late february 2003, the global water crisis will reach unprecedented levels in years to come if inertia at the political-leadership level continues. The World Water Assessment Programme, made up of 23 UN partners headed by UNESCO and the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, launched a comprehensive, up-to-date report on the situation for water as a global resource--Water for People, Water for Life.

World Losing Battle Against Hunger 27 February 2003
The world is losing the battle against hunger, the head of the World Food Program James Morris said on February 25, 2003. Despite the efforts of government agencies and hundreds of NGOs, more than 800 million people were still chronically hungry and 24,000 people were dying daily of hunger or hunger-related health problems, he said. This is despite the fact that the world produces many times more food than it actually needs to feed every man, woman and child. But most food is fed to meat-producing animals for the benefit of the world's rich. And the hunger problem really is more a food distribution problem because the distribution of most of the world's food is controlled by several Western multinational corporations which only sell to the highest bidders. More than half of the world's population cannot afford what these corporations demand.

Blight Could Wipe Out Edible Banana 16 January 2003
Edible bananas maightdisappear within a decade if urgent action is not taken to develop new varieties resistant to blight. A Belgian scientist leading research into the fruit loved by millions, and a staple for much of the world's poor, warned that diseases and pests were steadily encroaching upon crops. The problem is that the banana we eat is a seedless, sterile article which could slip the way of its predecessor which was wiped out by blight in the mid-1950s.

Poverty Reduction at Risk 16 December 2002
A sluggish global economic outlook, with slower growth in the next 12-18 months than previously expected, would impede poverty reduction in developing countries, according to a World Bank report. Efforts to remove barriers to trade and investment that hurt poor people in developing countries were becoming increasingly urgent, it said. According to the report, titled Global Economic Prospects and the Developing Countries 2003: Investing to Unlock Global Opportunities, uncertainty among global financial markets has sapped the momentum of the modest recovery that began in late 2001. The report outlined steps that both rich countries and poor countries could take in the currently uncertain environment to increase growth rates and speed poverty reduction in developing countries.

Strengthening Urban Environmental Governance in Thailand: Good Practice Dissemination, and Capacity-Development and Replication Strategy 9 December 2002
The Penguin Star looks at an Asian Development Bank project proposal that is part of the UN-Habitat Sustainable Cities Programme. The project ostensibly would enhance urban environmental planning and management among Thai municipalities leading to a sustained increase in equity and environmental quality in urban areas. But given the nature of Thai political culture and the high level of corruption among the country's municipal officials, this would be highly unlikely and a considerable waste of money because deep in their hearts Thai government officials are only interested in maintaining the corrupt status quo.

A $15 Million Loan for Laos' Nam Ngu Water Resources Project 24 November 2002
Laos will receive a 15 million USD soft loan from the Asian Development Bank to improve of the Nam Ngu river's water resources. The ADB-financed Nam Ngu river basin development project is intended to strengthen the capacity of key central and basin level water coordinating bodies and optimize power generation of the 150-megawatt Nam Ngu 1 reservoir, mitigate floods, and improve water use efficiency in the basin.

Damming the Consequences 20 November 2002
James Gordon reported that fears were being expressed by both fishing people and scientists that hydro-electricity dams on the Mekong threatened its very existence as a river. Since the early 1990s, a series of hydro-electricity dams have been built or were in various stages of construction along the upper reaches of the Mekong north of Yunnan's border with Laos. The purpose of these dams is to provide power for industry and the country's economic and political elite. According to Dr Tyson Royal Roberts, a prominent fish ecologist and associate with the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in the US, however, the actual effect of them is 'fluvicidal'. That is, they would kill the river as has happened elsewhere.

Mekong River Commission's Middleman Role Attacked 16 November 2002
The Mekong River Commission had applied inappropriate management models that led to environmental damage and severe degradation of the Mekong river, it was revealed. The commission had been acting as if it were a "middleman" encouraging investors and lenders, such as the Asian Development Bank and the World Bank, to implement destructive projects in the Greater Mekong Sub-region because member sof the commission and their cronies made a lot of money from the projects, said Premrudee Daoroung, director of Toward Ecological Recovery and Regional Alliance (Terra), a Bangkok-based non-government organisation.

Little Transparency in Development Loans from World Bodies 16 November 2002
A conference of labour activists from Asean countries on November 9, 2002 agreed to push for disclosure of details of loans obtained from international financial institutions, given that the loans seemed to have more of political agendas attached to them or had benefits for the economic and political elite rather than an actual intent to bring about real development and the amelioration in the lives of millions of people living in abject poverty. The participants also said with one voice that most of the development schemes funded by those loans failed to benefit the general public.

International Water Conference Held 29 October 2002
More than 250 delegates from foreign countries and international and non-governmental organisations and Vietnam gathered for a three-day international conference on water, which opened in Hanoi on October 14, 2002. The conference, themed Water, Food and Environment Dialogue, aimed make preparations for the Earth Summit and the third world water forum to be held in 2003. It also provided foreign and Vietnamese delegates with an opportunity to discuss ways to increase effective management and use of water sources to ensure food security, environmental protection and improvement of life quality.

World Losing Race to Defeat Poverty 16 October 2002
The world is failing to meet the commitments to reduce poverty and promote peace its leaders agreed to two years before at the UN Millennium Summit, Secretary-General Kofi Annan said on October 1, 2002. In the first scorecard on implementing the millennium plan, Annan said prospects for reaching its goals were "decided mixed" and warned that insufficient progress was being made in the areas of human rights, good governance, peace and the needs of Africa.

Indonesia Could Learn Much from World Development Woes 16 October 2002
The 25^th annual World Bank Development Report, though covering the globe, readsas if directly addressing Indonesia. The report's subtitle, Transforming Institutions, Growth and Quality of Life, reminds one of Indonesia's own ongoing, aggressive reforms. According to the lead author, Zmarak Shalizi, Indonesia shared many of the world development problems mentioned in the report.

Poverty of Thinking About Dealing With Poverty 3 September 2002
The World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg, as expected, contemplated numerous bold promises, but the meeting itself was doomed to be an exercise in futility. For if one means by "development" human development in its widest sense, the only development that could ever be sustainable is one that enables people to live together in peace and with respect for basic human rights. There was very little scope for international action to eliminate the violation of these rights in many - if not most - countries of the world today, particularly those that were trying to turn the "Earth Summit" into a sounding board for criticism of the failure of advanced countries to do more to eradicate world poverty or to protect the environment.

ASEAN Groups Show What a Little Effort in Sustainable Development Can Do 23 August 2002
The term `sustainable development' might not mean much to some people, but this has not prevented them pursuing its goals.

Worldwide Democracy is at Risk 25 July 2002
Rising inequality and corruption around the world are putting the recent spread of democracy in many countries at risk, the UN said in a new report. Of 81 countries that had moved toward democracy between 1982 and 2002, the report said, only 47 were still considered full democracies with the necessary checks and balances on power. The warning came with the UN's 12^th annual Human Development Report, which ranked 173 countries for their quality of life, using indicators such as life expectancy and income per person. Norway again ranked first, followed by Sweden, Canada, Belgium, Australia and the United States - but the bottom of the chart was dominated by African countries. Sierra Leone was last, and the bottom 24 countries were all in Africa.

United Nations and International Development Efforts in Grip of Big Companies 27 June 2002
The United Nations has failed to help developing countries achieve sustainable development because the world body is dominated by giant multinational companies. Chanida Chanyapate, a senior associate of Focus on the Global South, said the UN, an organiser of the World Summit on Sustainable Development, favoured influential industries at the expense of small farmers, women and ethnic groups. The summit, also known as Rio+10, would be held on August 26-September 4, 2002 in Johannesburg, South Africa. Mrs Chanida, who took part in the meeting in Julne of the UN's preparatory committee for the summit, said the talks, held on Indonesia's Bali, had focused on trade and investment to accommodate the interests of developed countries and failed to discuss principles of sustainable development.

Water Resources Management Issues Remain Unresolved in Sustainable Development 12 June 2002
The United Nations meeting on sustainable development that started in late May 2002 and continued into June in Bali had another stumbling block to clear as the debate on water issues remained unresolved during the senior officials meeting. After a long week of discussions of the action plan on sustainable development, known as the Chairman's Text or the Bali Commitment, groups of countries insisted on holding to their stance on the issue of water resources management, while some delegates continued to seek a compromise.

Bali Meeting on Sustainable Development Ends Without Deal 12 June 2002
Two weeks of talks on an action plan for sustainable development in Bali ended on June 7, 2002 at midnight, and failed to reach a deal over a disagreement on whether developed countries should pledge more aid and trade to finance the plan. Delegates from around the world descended on Bali in the fourth and last leg before the Johannesburg Summit to align economic development with social and environmental interests under a 10-year action plan to be known as the Bali Commitment.

Scientists Detail Rice Genetic Code 6 April 2002
Scientists in April 2002 laid bare the "life code" of rice. Two groups of researchers reported a draft DNA sequence of the plant - a staple for more than half the world's population - in the journal Science. The genetic information should speed up the breeding of tougher and higher-yielding varieties that could help feed the world's burgeoning population. The genomic data would also prove invaluable in boosting the productivity of the other grasses on which humans depend, such as maize (corn) and wheat. The research shows that a rice plant probably has more genes than a human - perhaps as many as 50-60,000 genes, compared with our 30-40,000.

Green Light for Pan-Asia Road Scheme 6 April 2002
The foreign ministers of Burma, Thailand and India concluded a historic summit, agreeing to establish closer economic ties and construct a major highway connecting the three countries. They all stressed the value the scheme would have - not only for their countries, but for Asia as a whole. Burma's foreign minister said it was the beginning of a new era of co-operation. The two-day meeting in Rangoon had been planned for some time, but it had been delayed to fit in with the Indian minister's tight schedule and domestic problems.

United Nations Warns of Looming Water Crisis 22 March 2002
More than 2.7 billion people will face severe water shortages by the year 2025 if the world continues consuming water at the same rate, the United Nations warned. A new report released to mark World Water Day on March 22, 2002 said that five billion people will live in areas where it will be difficult to find sufficient fresh water to meet their needs. The looming crisis is being blamed on mismanagement of existing water resources, often because of corruption, population growth and changing weather patterns. The areas most at risk from the growing water scarcity are in semi-arid regions of sub-Saharan Africa and Asia.

Poverty Hinders Growth - New Development Focus Urged 13 March 2002
Development cannot be sustained amidst rising poverty and deteriorating quality of life, activists said. They criticised Agenda 21, a blueprint for sustainable development adopted in 1992 at the Earth Summit in Rio. Sustainability would not be achieved unless the government shifts development direction that focusses solely on macro-economy and free trade regime, said Dej Poomkhacha, a veteran Thai activist. Activists proposed an alternative country report on Agenda 21 to that being prepared by the Thai government. The 118-page report was compiled from practical experiences of activists, who monitored the state policy and performance over the previous 10 years.

Helping Landless Poor in Laos 22 February 2002
The Asian Development Bank agreed to provide a US$1 million grant from its Japan Fund for Poverty Reduction to help poor families in the Lao People's Democratic Republic , especially landless households, secure alternative sources of income through increased involvement in farm-based production and related activities. JFPR is funded by the Government of Japan. The signing ceremony for the grant was held at the Ministry of Finance in Vientiane on January 31, 2002. Lao PDR was represented by Mr. Sien Saphangthong, Minister of Agriculture and Forestry, and ADB by Paul V. Turner, Country Director for Lao PDR. Others at the ceremony included Mr. Soukhanh Mahalath, Finance Minister, and Ms. Rie Hikiji, Diplomatic Counselor of the Embassy of Japan.

Development of Mekong River Basin Discussed 26 January 2002
Experts from Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam, and consultants from the Consultative Group of International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) discussed measures for sustainable development of the Mekong River basin at a seminar in Phnom Penh. At the January 23-25, 2002 seminar, jointly organised by the Mekong River Commission (MRC) and the CGIAR, participants also discussed how to combine economic development with environmental protection.

ASEAN Members Highlight Viet Nam's Agricultural Development Policy 17 January 2002
Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) members highlighted Viet Nam's policies on socio-economic development, especially the policy on agricultural development, as valuable experiences for them in social development.

Existing Models for Development and Growth are Flawed 5 December 2001
As to whether or not the events in the United States on September 11, 2001 should not or should not be seen as globalisation's high-water mark", one can easily see that as a basic, simplistic model, globalisation is a good concept, but it has to be equitable for everyone, at least in theory. The events of September 11 forced the wealthier nations to take a serious look at why and how seemingly educated people could spend years planning, preparing and actually execute a plan that included their own deaths just to get back at something they hate. The answers are obvious that the existing models for economic development and growth are flawed.

Satellite Starts Tracking Asian Rice Crop in 2002 21 November 2001
A satellite crop tracking system to help Asia's rice growers and insurers monitor progress in rice fields is due to set up in 2002. The Internet Rice Intelligence System, or IRIS, funded by the European Space Agency and Canada's RADARSAT International, should offer near real-time data on rice crops. It was presented to delegates at an international rice conference on Malaysia's Langkawi Island by Peter Bolton, director of Malaysia-based Bolton Associates, a firm that holds the rights to the surveillance system. The IRIS, to be delivered on a Web-based platform, can help insurers determine risks accurately, and help growers estimate harvests and thus, get credit.

ASEAN Officials Discuss Water Resource Management 27 October 2001
Vietnam and other member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) discussed the management and sustainable use of water resources.

ASEAN Move on Poverty Called For Agriculture and Rural Development 4 October 2001
ASEAN farm ministers have claimed they want their countries to muster the political will to eradicate poverty among the region's farmers through co-operation in marketing and production. Agriculture and forestry ministers of ASEAN met at the end of October 2001. Thailand's Agriculture Minister Praphat Pothasuthon made an urgent request for the ministers to consider the problem of plunging farm prices and the application of non-tariff barriers to the importation of farm products by developed countries.

Benefits of Dams to Thailand Doubted 27 August 2001
Thai government faces call to review the social and economic impacts of large dams as academics and non-governmental organisations sceptical about the benefits of dams called on Thailand's government to reconsider whether they actually produce positive results. Chainarong Sretthachau, director of the NGO Southeast East Asia Rivers Network (SEARIN), said the government would be asked to appoint an independent body to review the social and economic impact of dams, and their safety. The latter component was expected to create considerable opportunities for international dam safety consultants and experts even as it has becoming increasingly obvious that large dams often create more negative impacts than benefits.

United Nations Development Report is Food for Thought 11 July 2001
The Human Development Report (HDR) 2001 released by the United Nations Development Programme on July 9, 2001 promised to generate heated debate among development workers, policymakers and anyone interested in issues related to the the deprivation and betterment of people from the global, national and communal perspectives. The HDR, which has been published every year since 1990, continues to advocate people-centred development. Its provocative analysis was drawn from the diverse experiences of countries and communities across the spectrum of economic, social and political backgrounds.

Dirt Roads and Dirty Politics 8 June 2001
Development is great, particularly where it brings about an improved standard of living and better quality of life. But in the countries that make up east and southeast Asia, like Thailand, it is just a pretext for greedy officials and politicians to steal what they can, while damaging the lives of everyone else. The concept of 'the middle way' seems to have diminished in Thai minds. The evidence seems to indicate that the country has been taken over by greed, anger and excessive lust. Arnon Chaisuriya, a Thai, looks at how the concept of decentralised and deconcentrated government has just shifted the crookedness and corruption to a lower, more sinister level while hurting those it was supposed to help.

World Bank Targets Poverty, AIDS 8 May 2001
International finance officials wrapped up a three-day meeting in Washington on May 1, 2001 pledging to supposedly fight poverty and the spread of infectious disease in the poorest countries. They vowed to set up a multi-billion dollar war chest to buy cheap drugs to combat HIV/AIDS in places such as Africa where the disease has taken a severe toll. Ministers noted that combating poverty among middle-income countries, such as Brazil and Argentina, remains a priority because the largest number of poor live in those countries. Good-sounding words, similar to ones heard in the past from the World Bank. Now to see if such pledges would in fact be kept.

Mekong's Development Future Muddy 8 May 2001
A new report dealing with Southeast Asia's Greater Mekong Sub-region paints a gloomy picture of ecosystems and ethnic minorities under threat from development. The report, released recently by the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI), divides the Greater Mekong Sub-region into five areas considered to be threatened both by hydro-electric plants and new roads. One of these areas is the Tonle Sap, one of the world's most unique river and lake systems. The Greater Mekong Sub-region includes the Upper Mekong, the Golden Quadrangle, the Central Greater Mekong, the Se San and Se Kong Basins and the area taking in Cambodia's Tonle Sap. The region, which takes in Cambodia, Laos, Burma, Vietnam, Thailand and China's southern province of Yunnan, has enormous potential to generate electricity.

ESCAP Role in Boosting Regional Co-operation Welcomed 26 April 2001
Vietnam and other Southeast Asian countries welcomed the role of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) in creating a framework for real and effective co-operation among countries in the region. So said Vietnamese Deputy Foreign Minister Nguyen Tam Chien at the 57th Ministerial Conference of the ESCAP opened in Bangkok, Thailand, on April 23, 2001.

ADB's New Long-Term Strategy: 15-Year Plan For All-Out Assault On Poverty 19 March 2001
The Asian Development Bank on March 14, 2001 launched its new long-term strategy to help the developing nations of Asia and the Pacific eradicate extreme poverty by 2015. The strategy is embodied in a new document, Moving the Poverty Reduction Agenda Forward in Asia and the Pacific, that spells out ADB's plans and priorities. The new strategy was a major reassessment of ADB's goals and policies that in 1998 had resulted in the announcement that extreme poverty for one in four Asians was an unacceptable human condition, and that poverty reduction would be the overarching goal of all ADB activities. The long-term strategic framework (LTSF) sets out an agenda for carrying out the poverty reduction strategy in the next 15 years.

Education Development: Vietnam 'More Conducive to Learning' Than Thailand 21 February 2001
Vietnamese students could outperform their Thai counterparts in science and maths, thanks to a more supportive learning environment, a Thai study trip to Vietnam indicated. Sippananda Ketudat, chairman of Thailand's Science and Technology Teaching Support Institute, led a research team to study 10 universities and other educational institutions in Vietnam between September 10 to 16, 2000. The researchers found that conditions in Vietnam, such as its social environment, culture, educational system and government support, were more conducive to learning.

IFC Supports Micro-Enterprise in the Philippines 21 February 2001
The International Finance Corporation is helping to support micro entrepreneurs in the Philippines through an investment in the country's microfinance sector. IFC will invest approximately US$120,000 for 10 percent of the equity of Micro Enterprise Bank of the Philippines (MEP), a microcredit thrift bank that will be established in the Philippines and headquartered in Davao on the island of Mindanao, in the southern part of the country. Preparatory studies, prior to investment in MEP, were funded by IFC's donor funded technical assistance trust funds program.

Agricultural Development: Manure Goes 'Green' 19 December 2000
The idea of growing plants that enrich the soil for major crops is catching on, with once-sceptical Northern farmers of Thailand now true believers. Experiments involving the planting of African Dhaincha (Sesbania rostrata) were proving successful, with the plant seeds also becoming another source of farm incomes. The International Rice Research Institute recommends the plant as a "green-manure" crop for rice cultivation, because of the species' ability to boost nitrogen content of the soil, rapid growth and tolerance of floods.

Maintain Aid Levels: World Bank 16 December 2000
World Bank President James Wolfensohn on December 11, 2000 urged Japan not to cut back its financial assistance to developing countries.

Development-Asia: Weaknesses Showing in Early Childhood Care 16 December 2000
For all its strides in human development in terms of economic, Southeast Asia has weak points that can be traced to insufficient investment in the care and nurturing of its youngest children. Worrisome statistics include the fact that 30 percent or more of children under the age of 5 are stunted in height due to malnutrition in Indonesia, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Burma, the Philippines and North Korea. Physical stunting hampers not just physical growth early in life, but poses obstacles to health, growth, emotional maturity and productivity as adults.

World Dams Report 'Cannot Force Action' 25 November 2000
The World Commission on Dams (WCD) launched its final report in Bangkok on November 24, 2000, saying it had finished its mission. However, the global dam group's work was criticised as being half-done - because it failed to press governments to comply with its recommendations. The report concluded that large dams typically fell short of their economic targets. Most had overrun on costs by about 50 percent and had been less profitable than expected. Moreover, many of the projects created irreversible social and ecological destruction and mainly benefited urban populations, wealthy factory owners while damaging or destroying the lives of millions of rural around the world because typically compensaiton was not commensurate with the social damages caused.

Disturbing Findings in Assessment of Dams - They Mainly Benefit the Urban and Wealthy 21 November 2000
Along-awaited report, released on November 17, 2000, stated dams of wreak ecological havoc, driving millions from their homes and failing to deliver on their promises of prosperity. The study by the World Commission on Dams was billed as the first thorough independent assessment of dams, the biggest expenditure item in aid budgets between 1950 and the end of the 20^th century.

Japanese Citizens Probe Massive Aid to Vietnam 16 October 2000
A team of Japanese citizens went to Vietnam in October 2000 to assess whether Japanese taxpayers were getting their money's worth from their government's massive official development assistance (ODA) program with Hanoi. The 10-person team, comprising members of the public sent by the government, arrived in Vietnam on October 8 and stayed until October 13 to assess projects ranging from primary schools to power stations and port rehabilitation.

Cambodia's Largest Microfinance Organisation ACLEDA Bank Opens in Phnom Penh 6 October 2000
The long process of converting from an aid-based support organization to a full-fledged bank to finance small businesses across Cambodia was completed with the opening on Saturday, October 7, 2000 of ACLEDA Bank. ACLEDA Bank received a banking license from the National Bank of Cambodia, providing its new commercial bank status and providing financial and investment instruments to Cambodia's rural poor.

United Nations' Pledge to Fight War and Poverty 22 September 2000
A declaration that was adopted at the end of the UN Millennium Summit, held in early September 2000, pledged that world leaders would "spare no effort" to free their people from the scourge of war, poverty and environmental degradation. It vowed a similar effort to promote democracy and strengthen respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, "including the right to development" - a key demand by Third World countries. The so-called Millennium Declaration was adopted by consensus by more than 150 heads of state and government at the September 6-8 summit, the largest gathering of world leaders in history.

World Bank States Opportunity, Security and Power Vital for Poor 21 September 2000
Major reductions in poverty are possible, but would require a more comprehensive approach that directly addresses the needs of poor people in three important areas - opportunity, empowerment, and security, according to the World Bank. The bank's World Development Report 2000/2001 on attacking poverty says that at a time of unprecedented wealth for many countries, 2.8 billion people - almost half the world's population - live on less than US$2 a day. Of these, 1.2 billion people live on the very margins of life, on less than $1 a day.

World Bank is Divided Over Poverty Policy 7 July 2000
Towards the end of June 2000, the economist writing the Year 2000 World Development Report resigned from the project. The report is the World Bank's annual flagship publication.The bank says that fighting poverty is now its main job. The report is on just this topic, so it's not just another annual issue, but a manifesto. The economist, Ravi Kanbur, walked away from the project because the US Treasury Secretary, Larry Summers, wanted to change the report's emphasis. A discussion draft of the report has been available since January. So what does it say that made Larry intervene and Ravi walk? Basically, it is a tacit admission that the World Bank's agenda is dictated by the need for American multinaitonal corporations to economically neo-colonise developing nations, much the same way the Asian Development Bank's agenda is to do the same for Japanese multinational corporations.

The Idea of Poverty and the Poverty of Ideas in the Likes of the ADB, World Bank and IMF 16 June 2000
The World Bank presents itself with the slogan: "Our dream is a world free of poverty". The Asian Development bank declares: "Reduction of poverty is no longer one of ADB's five objectives; it is ADB's overarching goal". Michel Camdessus has declared that the IMF is the "best friend of the poor" and that "poverty reduction is at the heart of our programmes". Even the World Trade Organisation has occasionally mumbled that its chief reason for being is overcoming poverty. These major international organisations are deep in a crisis of credibility. The old development model they lived by is under attack because it is increasingly obvious that the business of development assistance has been a hypocritical business masquerading as altruism.

The Dark Side of Development and Foreign Aid 31 May 2000
So-called development aid actually does more to hurt the people it purports to help while at the same time providing benefits to the economic and political elite. The case of villagers displaced by Thailand's Pak Mun Dam demonstrates that poverty is often imposed by unequal development strategies that rob rural people of the resources they once depended on for their livelihood. It also demonstrates that the true intent of so-called development is to use the activity as a pretext to develop mechanisms for the economic and political elite and development aid organizations such as the Asian Development Bank, the World Bank and foreign governments to in effect steal the wealth of the ordinary people.

ADB Holds Annual Meeting Amid Protests Against Its Programs 16 May 2000
The Asian Development Bank opened its Year 2000 annual meeting in Chiang Mai, Thailand on May 5 amid growing controversy over its attempts to meddle with the internal socio-economic affairs of countries supported by its programs and the programs of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. There is growing opposition among the Thai people, especially, to the ADB's loan program in Thailand and elsewhere in the region because it is perceived to further impoverish the poor who make up the majority of the region's population while at the same time benefiting the economic and political elite as well as western multinational corporations. Despite the claims made by the ADB, it would appear that the actual end result of the ADB's policies do rather little towards implementing poverty reduction, a bottom-up approach to the development process, and increased dialogue with grass-roots groups and non-government organizations.

ADB in Confusion for 2000 Annual Meeting in Chiang Mai, Thailand 16 May 2000
Amidst growing anti-Asian Development Bank (ADB) sentiment among ordinary Thai people, senior ADB officials painted a picture of an institution in confusion prior to the bank's 2000 meeting in Thailand that started on May 5, 2000. The Asian Development Bank approached its Year 2000 meeting in Chiang Mai, fearful of protesters, dogged by corruption scandal, beset with confusion and burdened with an unimpressive record.

NGOs on the Attack at ADB Curtain-Raiser 16 April 2000
Non-governmental organisations accused the Asian Development Bank of weakening workers' bargaining power and harming the environment. During a two-day conference to drum up support for a people's forum, ahead of the bank's annual conference in Chiang Mai , Thailand in May 2000, the NGOs also accused the regional bank of supporting multinationals at the expense of Thai small and medium-sized enterprises and Thailand's rural people and the poor.

Asian Development Bank to Set up New Office in Bangkok 16 April 2000
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) said it planned to set up a new office in Bangkok, aimed to use Thailand as its base to strengthen cooperation with countries in the region.

Water Forum Pledges Action 26 March 2000
Delegates at the second World Water Forum in the Netherlands issued a pledge to safeguard water supplies in the 21^st Century. But the forum has been criticised by many delegates for failing to address the real needs of the poor. The six-day conference, timed to end on World Water Day, brought together more than 4,000 delegates from 150 countries to discuss ways of improving water provision.

World Bank: Listen to the Poor 16 March 2000
The World Bank called on aid organisations to cut out the middlemen and give aid directly to the poor. The institution called for a partnership to fight world poverty which involves community groups and local people as well as governments and international institutions. In a new report, Voices of the Poor, the Bank endorses a new model of "community-driven development" which comes from below, not above - and can be an antidote to the corruption and injustice that has blocked true, effective social progress.

Mekong River Body, ADB Sign Partnership 16 March 2000
The four-country Mekong River Commission (MRC) and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) on March 8, 2000 signed an partnership agreement in Phnom Penh that opened the way for loan programs for Mekong River basin-related projects.

UNCTAD-X Sees Strong Popular Anger 24 February 2000
The 10^th United Nations Conference on Trade and Development held in Bangkok in the middle of February. UNCTAD brought the leaders of international institutions like the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and the WTO to Bangkok to discuss solutions to the uneven benefits of global trade. The agencies are seen by many detractors as being run by unaccountable elites whose decisions affect billions of lives without much public input. Such sentiments fueled protests that helped derail efforts to launch a new round of trade talks in 1999 when members of the WTO failed in Seattle to agree on an agenda.

Water and Population - A Problem in Vietnam 20 February 2000
Vietnam consumes annuallly between 20 percent and 30 percent of its total 880 billion cubic metres of water. Only 53 percent of the urban population were supplied with clean water and about 40 percent of the rural population had access to safe water in 1998. Despite its poverty, this is a pretty good statistic compared to even countries like Thailand which are technologically and economically many times more advanced. However, as elsewhere in the region, there is an increasingly inefficient exploitation and management of water resources which needs to be addressed as soon as possible if Vietnam is not to fall onto the same serious problems experienced in Thailand and Indonesia.

What is It These Bloated NGOs Do? 16 February 2000
NGOs, non-government organizations, have long become a buzz word in the alternative and so-called appropriate develoment business. Mainstream development agencies such as the Canadian International Development Agency, USAID, the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, just to name a few, took up the banner of NGOs hailing them as the so-called saviours of the international development business (and business it is) as they supposedly looked out for the interests of the little people, often missed in the scramble to spend millions of dollars on third world development projects. And many NGOs do much good in helping to get some of the development effort to do some good at the grass-roots levels. But NGOs, particularly in the developing world, have become an alternative vehicle for making money for the rich through a pretense of caring for the poor. So, what is it that these bloated NGOs in fact do?

World's Drinking Water Running Out 16 December 1999
The world's fresh water supply is dwindling every year, according to research in the United States. Within 25 years, half the world's population could have trouble finding enough fresh water for drinking and irrigation. The study was carried out at Colorado University, which surveyed river basins all over the planet to identify those under most pressure.

Japan Eyes Shift in Indonesia Aid Policy 16 November 1999
Japan, Indonesia's biggest aid donor, decided to shift the focus of its financial aid to Jakarta away from pumping money into the bust economy and towards providing technical expertise, government sources say. This has become apparent to Japan because of the huge levels of corruption, mismanagement and lack of transparency in Indonesia.

Drought-Resistant Rice Offers Hope in Face of Asian Water Crisis 22 October 1999
New strains of artificially selected, drought-resistant rice could help improve the water efficiency in rice-growing regions of the world, according to scientists at the International Rice Research Institute in the Philippines.

Thailand's Rural Poor Still Poor, 25 Years On 5 October 1999
In October 1999 it has been 25 years since the Farmers and Planters Federation of Thailand, the country's first farmers' organisation, was founded, but Thai farmers are still dirt poor, landless and heavily in debt and not better off. Farmers' problems 1999 are very similar to those of their forefathers although the world has changed. The interests of Thailand's economic and political elite have kept Thai farmers more or less where they have always been--in poverty and abused by their wealthy comptriots as governments just keep making the same empty promises.

Asian Development Bank Says Prepared to Help Rebuild Timor 2 September 1999
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) would in principle be prepared to help rebuild East Timor when it becomes independent, but the Indonesian-ruled territory will have to meet membership requirements first.

ADB Holds Dialogue with Governments of Indonesia and Vietnam on Combating Corruption 7 August 1999
The Asian Development Bank accords high priority to fighting corruption, particularly with respect to the projects it finances, and has adopted an Anti-corruption Policy to guide its anti-corruption efforts. In this connection, a high-level dialogue was held in Jakarta between the Government of Indonesia and the Bank on 22 July 1999 to discuss and agree on concrete steps to combat corruption. This session was followed by an open forum on the same day in which NGOs and civil society was be invited to participate. The ADB is also looking at having high-level dialogue with the Government of Vietnam over irregularities in the Irrigation and Flood protection Rehabilitation Project.

Participatory Development - Empowerment of the People 18 July 1999
People-centred development is the relatively new catchphrase in social development, and with five pilot projects, Thailand has proved that the new method can be a success. However, its long-term efficacy remains to be seen, writes Pravit Rojanaphruk.

Thailand-Vietnam: Rival Rice Exporters Hurting from Low Prices 16 July 1999
Thailand and Vietnam share the same woes about falling rice prices, which are forcing Asia's rice-exporting rivals to look for common ways to ease the impact of this trend on their large rural populations already hit by the regional crisis. And while they try to survive less than ideal conditions in the world market, the challenge for Thailand and Vietnam, which are among the world's largest rice exporters, is how to cooperate at a time when competition tends to heat up for tighter markets.

Malaysian Villagers Refuse Eviction for Dam Project 16 June 1999
Work on the controversial Bakun Dam project, located at the Balui River site in eastern Malaysia, is apparently about to pick up again after a prolonged lull. Yet even during the project slowdown, Sarawak authorities had already begun implementing "Operation Exodus" to forcibly resettle the estimated 10,000 residents of the area in July and August.

Rural Water Supply Strategy for Vietnam Introduced 14 June 1999
A new user-centred strategy for water supply and sanitation for rural areas from 1999 to 2020 was presented at a conference in Ha Noi on June 17, 1999 by the Ministry of Construction and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD).

Eating Better in 1990s, Asia May Face Food Crises after 2000 14 June 1999
Asians ate better in the 1990s thanks to growing economies and modern farming, but a senior United Nations food official warned on June 14, 1999 that population growth must fall and land use improve to avoid food crises in the new millennium. Prem Nath, assistant director-general of the Food and Agriculture Organization, spoke to agriculture ministers from countries with half the world's population -- China, India, Malaysia, Pakistan, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam.

Children of the Crisis June 1999
When Asia's economic gloom was at its deepest in 1998, experts warned of a "Lost Generation" of Indonesian children destined to grow up without hope or opportunity. Unbridled unemployment, soaring prices and a breakdown in food distribution had even raised the specter of starvation. Now, almost two years since those frightening days when everything began to go so wrong so quickly, the worst has appeared to be at last over for the people of Asia. The region is on the mend, albeit slowly and patchily, with South Korea and Thailand leading the way. But what about the children? Will they, like the economies and the markets, bounce back? In many cases, the answer to that is no.

High Hopes for an Improved Asian Economy June 1999
Several Asian countries chalked up surprisingly strong economic data in the first quarter. But the region is not in the clear just yet. Our first story explains how the road to recovery remains dotted with hurdles. The second examines Europe's intensifying battle to open markets--a battle that some fear could harm struggling Asian companies.

Doubts About a True Asian Recovery June 1999
After predicting a collapse of Asia's miracle in 1994, urging ailing crisis-hit Asian countries to adopt capital controls to stabilise their economies last year, Paul Krugman, the MIT economics professor, has poured scorn over the recent (1999) hype over the Asian recovery story. What is perhaps a little disconcerting is that despite all the hype in the past he seemed to see that the so-called Asian tiger economies were more smoke and mirrors than true strong economies. There are similar doubts of a quick Asian economic recovery.

Vietnam Increases Investments in Agriculture and Water Resources 25 May 1999
Vietnam's investments in agriculture and rural development will account for 20.5 percent of the state budget in 1999, surpassing the 1998 amount by 61.5 percent, Vietnam's daily Vietnam News reported.

Foreign Cash 'Harms Thai Communities' 16 May 1999
Social investment programs, financed by the World Bank for upcountry development programs in Thailand, could be more harmful than good for weak communities, local intellectuals have said. They instead urged local people to mobilise funds by themselves.

APEC Breathes Easier but Major Risks Lurk 16 May 1999
Asia is recovering from nearly two years of financial crisis but major risks loom and deeper reforms are needed, Pacific Rim finance ministers said on May 16, 1999. Ministers from the 21-member Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum meeting on the tropical Malaysian island of Langkawi pledged not to abandon financial and corporate reforms despite the anticipated return of economic health. They also called for urgent action to control the threat of volatile capital flows, blamed by host Malaysia for triggering Asia's financial crisis which erupted in mid-1997.

Premature Economic Optimism for Southeast Asia 13 May 1999
Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad had just finished an unscheduled stay in hospital in April 1999. His former deputy was put in in jail. Capital controls imposed in September 1998 remained in place, albeit after some revisions, with no clear timetable for their elimination. Kuala Lumpur is as overbuilt as ever (as most of Southeast Asia) and the restructuring of the country's debt-heavy conglomerates is a messy work-in-progress.

Cambodian Flag-Hoisting Completes ASEAN Club 30 April 1999
The April 30, 1999 admission of Cambodia as the 10^th member provides a daunting task for the region's poorest country. Analysts predict the road to reaping benefits will be bleak for Cambodia. Cambodia finally joined the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) on April 30 in a ceremony held in Hanoi hailed as a historic event for the region's 500 million people.

Asian Economic Crisis Has a Long Way to Go, Says World Bank 26 April 1999
The World Bank warned on April 26, 1999 that the Asian economic crisis was far from over. It said financial markets were too optimistic about the pace of recovery.

Southeast Asia Outlook Depends on Reform Process-ADB 20 April 1999
Economies in Southeast Asia could grow 0.8 percent in 1999 after a sharp decline in the previous year, but the outlook for 1999 still depends on the fate of reform initiatives and the mood of world capital market, said the Asian Development Bank (ADB) on April 20, 1999.

ADB and Indonesia in Fiscal Year 1999-2000 20 April 1999
The Asian Development Bank warned in an April 1999 report that the 1999-2000 fiscal year targets in Indonesia of zero growth and 17 percent inflation would be hard to achieve. It also warned in its 1999 Asian Development Outlook that there was a risk of renewed unrest this year and said the country's June 1999 election could have an impact on monetary targets.

New IMF Targets Impossible to Achieve 7 April 1999
By ignoring transparency and accountability, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) allows vested interests to control government spending hence not solving the issues of corruption which are at the core of the Asian Economic Crisis which started in July 1997, writes Frank Flatters.

Democracy and the East Asian Economic Crisis 6 April 1999
Openness, participation and accountability need to become the new "Asian values" if Southeast Asia is to rise again to any sort of economic greatness. The downfall of the Asian economies was mainly due to lack of real domecracies, corruption, cronyism, and a lack of any real transparency.

Asia's Crisis Deeper, Longer, More Painful Than Expected 4 April 1999
Asia's economic crisis has inflicted deeper misery and dragged on for longer than anticipated, the United Nations said on April 7, 1999 in a report calling for sweeping reforms of the global financial system. The report predicted a mild economic recovery in 1999, but said it would be conditional on regional and international factors.

World Bank Sees a Long Wait for Global Recovery 4 April 1999
If one is counting on trade, investment and aid to lead the world away from recession -- one must wait a lot longer. That is the underlying message of the World Bank's annual report on Global Development Finance, released in Washington in April 1999.

Asian Economic Recovery Must Start at Home 1 April 1999
Victims aren't necessarily saints. Indeed, amid the justifiable anger over Western capital's harsh treatment of Asia the 20 months following the beginning of the economic crisis in Asia in July 1997, the region's business, political and opinion leaders are in danger of glossing over their own shortcomings and sins. Consequently, they are at risk of missing the opportunity to build a stronger Asia from the rubble of the present disaster.

Lao Dam Argument Does Not Seem to Hold Water 20 March 1999
Laos has pinned its economic future on the Nam Theun 2 dam, but there is no buyer for its power and no commercial lenders in sight. The US$1.2 billion dam would be one of the largest and most environmentally destructive dams planned in Southeast Asia, requiring an investment almost equivalent to Laos' annual GDP. If built, the dam would displace about 5,000 people and flood 470 sq km of the Nakai Plateau, an area internationally acclaimed for its unique biodiversity and endangered wildlife.

Premature to Declare Asian Economic Recovery 18 March 1999
The apparent recovery of crisis-hit Asian economies lacks depth and it is too early to forecast a sustained rebound amid falling investment and lending, Barclays Capital, said in a regional overview. A monthy report on Asian economies by the investment banking division of Britain's Barclays Bank plc, received on March 18, 1999, said "it is premature to forecast a sustained recovery in Asia."

Integrated Agro-Industrial Development 17 March 1999
Among the more significant socio-economic issues which haunt the pace of development in leading developing countries are food security and the migration of rural people to urban centres, usually in search for often non-existent work or work requiring skills which for the most part they lack. These are elements of a complex set of interrelated problems that interfere with the establishment of a secure food industry and, thereby, of a well-rounded national economy. Cooperative agro-industry and small holder farming is examined as a new alternative to increase national food security in Southeast Asia developing countries.