Thailand’s National Development Fund for Women

(15/02/2012)

Each province in Thailand will be granted 100 million baht to set up a women’s development fund to promote women’s roles and improve their quality of life. Minister to the Prime Minister’s Office, Dr. Nalinee Taveesin, said that she was assigned by Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra to supervise the National Development Fund for Women in line with the Government’s urgent policy. In the urgent policy of improving people’s access to sources of funding, the Government will establish a fund to develop women’s roles, with 100 million baht provided to each province for the purpose. Toward this aim, the Government has formed the National Development Fund for Women Committee, chaired by the Prime Minister. Five subcommittees were set up to operate the fund, establish the provincial and subdistrict committee on the development fund for women, hold public forums to listen to the opinion of women’s networks, launch the fund, and carry out public relations for the fund. On February 18 at Santi Maitri Building, Government House, Prime Minister Yingluck is scheduled to give a briefing on the policy and guidelines for operations to provincial governors and representatives from relevant agencies, such as the Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Public Health, the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Labor, the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, and the Prime Minister’s Office. About 7.7 billion baht will be spent on the fund, which serves as a revolving funding source for women to borrow with low interest, or without interest. The money will be used to develop their potential and occupations, promote their leadership, and ease their problems. Campaigns will also be launched to create better understanding about women in all dimensions. Between 60 percent and 80 percent of the fund will be set aside as loans for women, while the rest will be used to protect the rights of women and assist women facing hardships. The Office of the Non-Formal and Informal Education, which was assigned to handle the registration of members of the fund, has set February 18-29 as the period for registration in all communities nationwide. Members of the fund must be female Thais, aged 15 and over, and their names must appear in the house registrations in the areas where they register. Local public forums will take place from March 2 to 7 to select village representatives as members of the provincial and subdistrict committees on the development fund for women. Officials involved will visit all regions of the country from February 19 and March 2 to listen to the opinions of women and their recommendations on the fund. The Government will officially launch the National Development Fund for Women on March 8, which marks International Women’s Day. Out of Thailand’s population of 65 million, more than 33 million people are females.