All Provinces Receive Funds for Women Development

(01/08/2012)

The Government has apportioned a budget to all provinces nationwide for use to set up women’s development funds to promote women’s roles in Thai society. Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra stressed the Government’s policy of enhancing the potential of women and providing them with greater opportunities. The Prime Minister on 31 July 2012 presided over the opening ceremony of the event “Women’s Power: Thailand’s Driving Force,” organized by the Committee on the Mobilization of the National Development Fund for Women, chaired by Minister to the Prime Minister’s Office Nalinee Thavisin. The ceremony took place at IMPACT, Muang Thong Thani, Nonthaburi province. Participating in the ceremony were representatives from ESCAP, United Nations Women, government agencies, private organizations, and women’s groups. At the ceremony, the Prime Minister pressed a button marking the transfer of the first budget allocation of 20 million baht to each of the 77 provinces to set up its own women’s development fund. Each province will be granted 100 million baht on average, based on its population, for the purpose. The Government established the National Development Fund for Women as a revolving funding source for women to borrow from with low interest or without interest. The money will be used to develop their occupations, generate employment and income, promote their welfare, ease their problems, and enhance the potential of women’s networks. Prime Minister Yingluck said that the Government had set five strategies for women's development. The first strategy seeks to create better understanding about women and raise awareness of gender equality, so that the roles of women will be recognized in all aspects. The second strategy seeks to develop the potential of all groups of women and increase their social and economic opportunities. In the third strategy, their quality of life will be improved and they will have better security at family, community, and national levels. In the fourth strategy, they will be provided with greater opportunities to participate in politics, administration, and decision-making at various levels. The fifth strategy calls for the development of women-related mechanisms and women's organizations at government, private, and civic levels. The setting up of the National Development Fund for Women is part of the Yingluck Shinawatra administration’s urgent policies to be implemented in the first year. The policy seeks to improve people’s access to sources of funding by establishing a fund to develop women’s roles, with 100 million baht provided to each province for the purpose. The setting up of the fund is an effort to empower Thai women, as well.