UNICEF actions
UNICEF plays a vital role in analyzing policy and advocating for the rights of children in Thailand. We assist the government in assessing the impact of legislation and policy, and in monitoring progress towards the Millennium Development Goals and other national and international commitments related to children and women. In order to produce programmes that deal effectively with the challenges facing children, we need to have a clear idea of what those challenges are, which children are most in need of help and the scale of the problems they face. Because of this, we are currently undertaking the largest-ever household survey in Thailand in order to gather information on issues of child and maternal wellbeing and vulnerability. This “Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey”(MICS) is being carried out in 60,000 households across the country and will measure hundreds of indicators in areas such as child and maternal health and nutrition, including vaccination histories; knowledge of child rights; birth registration; education; and HIV/AIDS awareness and sexual behaviour. Since data will be collected at the provincial and district levels, it will be possible to identify where children have been left behind and to demonstrate that economic growth at the national level does not necessarily mean growing prosperity for all children in Thailand. It is a huge undertaking, but the results will provide UNICEF and all those who are concerned with protecting and promoting children’s rights in Thailand with a far more comprehensive picture of where and what action needs to be taken for Thailand to meet the targets of the Millennium Decleration and its Development Goals, the targets of the World Fit for Children and other international and national commitments. Such data are also vital if we are to advocate effectively.
One example of how good data and advocacy have led to improvements for children is the emerging issue of child injury. UNICEF-supported research, conducted in partnership with the Center for Disease Control and The Alliance for Safe Children (TASC), a Bangkok-based NGO, has shown that accidental death is a significant killer of children in Thailand. The research findings were presented in an international conference on child injury held in Bangkok in 2004. The Ministry of Public Health quickly took on board the main messages from the survey and stepped up interventions to address accidental death and injury, particularly through campaigns to reduce road traffic accidents by raising public awareness and simultaneously cracking down on drunk driving, speeding and riding a motorcycle without a helmet. A final version of the report is almost complete, and UNICEF will use it to advocate for further measures to protect children and their parents from preventable accidents. Another accomplishment of UNICEF is the develeopment of DevInfo – a system for storing and presenting data on children’s and other issues. This system can be used by government officials to formulate policy and monitor progress. UNICEF also assists the government in organizing meaningful child participation in decision making. In 2003/4, we trained youth facilitators to canvas the views of some 12,000 children and young people whose suggestions were fed into Thailand’s National Plan of Action towards meeting the goals of a World Fit for Children. We have also completed a similar consultation process with adults and young people in the south. As part of this process, UNICEF trained young people to facilitate consultations with more than 1,000 of their peers. The findings of this consultation werepresented to the National Reconciliation Commission, which is headed by UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, Anand Panyarachun. UNICEF also undertakes special studies of particular issues. In 2005/6, these will include social spending and decentralized budgets, the wellbeing of migrant populations and early childhood education and care.
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