A partnership has been set up with the help of the International
Business Leaders’ Forum (IBLF) to benefit communities in Thailand, as a
direct result of relief efforts in the country’s tsunami-hit areas.
The Thailand Business Partnership for Community Development, backed by
a large number of Thai and international businesses, will concentrate
initially on 60 community development projects under the title Project
60. The stated aim is to initiate, support and implement sustainable
projects with long-term benefits to disadvantaged communities.
The participants include development groups, donor agencies,
non-governmental organizations and the media as well as leading
companies. The advisory group includes representatives from Cadbury
Thailand, Diageo, the IBLF, KPMG, Manpower, the Nation Multimedia
Group, Nestle, the Stock Exchange of Thailand and Thai Bev.
One of the main implementing organizations is the Population and
Community Development Association, which has already helped to
co-ordinate poverty alleviation projects in Thailand.
A report by the IBLF last year said that as the response to the tsunami
shifted from relief to long-term recovery, there was a greater than
ever need for the involvement of business in economic rebuilding
initiatives. The report also found that, despite record donations to
tsunami appeals, there was little understanding of how to spend the
money. The UK government’s National Audit Office has reported that
millions of pounds are still unspent because of delays in carrying out
aid projects.
The partnership is the latest in a range of locally run initiatives set
up by the IBLF. Others are in Bulgaria, China, the Czech Republic,
Hungary, Indonesia, Russia and Vietnam.
