This is a report of the proceedings of - Asian Strategy & Leadership ...

THE ASIA THINK TANK DIALOGUE REPORTRebuilding Confidence, Restoring Livelihoods Conclusions 31Asummary and an overview of what hadbeen discussed on Day 1 were provided,highlighting possible measures to be takenby the Building A Better Future Foundation.It was also agreed that initiatives proposed could betaken up through the networks created during the twodayDialogue.This part will be divided into four areas. The first coversthe 40 summary points discussed on the previous day.Subsequent discussions will be divided into two parts,with the first representing macro perspectives of theissues and recommendations to government andinternational organisations, and the second focusing onmicro issues around six subtopics as follows:1. Social enterprises, and social ventures2. Healthcare3. Climate change4. Digital divide5. Education literacy6. Migrant workersThe fourth section will comprise a summary by theConference Keynoter, Dr. Thaksin.The 40 Key PointsThe 40 key points derived from Day 1 are listed below.1. The global economic crisis is serious and will belong-drawn, with a major impact on the ruralcommunities as well as urban poor2. Poverty eradication is not a zero sum game3. Any stimulus package must focus on the underprivilegedcommunities and provide them with anadequate social safety net4. Urban poverty could potentially become morea serious problem than rural poverty due to rapidrural-urban migration/urbanisation5. The crisis would put basic services at risk, includingeducation and healthcare. This calls for investmentinto capacity-building and intellectual capital6. The question of migrant labour looms larger inthis crisis and the movement of labour will beimpacted7. The situation could cause governments to focus onmonetary wars rather than trade wars8. Land reform, rights to land, the needs of forestbasedcommunities were a cause of concern withdire consequences for farming output9. The trafficking of women and children could worsenin the current crisis10. Asian countries need to move beyond exportledgrowth models and develop strong domesticsectors11. Domestic demand alone may not be enough tobring countries out of crisis; there was also a needto boost regional demand while retaining regionalcooperation and integration12. Infrastructure and development spending wererequired to create more jobs13. The region had to move faster to intensify regionalcooperation and financial interactions14. Asia needs to put forward a stronger voice in G20and send a clear message to the forthcomingLondon Summit15. Asia should consider having its own ratingagencies16. There was a mismatch between Asia’s wealth offinancial reserves and its intellectual resources17. Besides the Asia Financial Stability Dialogue,there was a proposed to initiate a Real EconomyStabilizing Dialogue18. The retraining of retrenched workers was important19. In China, agriculture and rural development wereclearly perceived as the new engine of growth20. While micro-credit was required for the ruralcommunities, it had to be matched by microfinanceand micro-insurance21. The digital divide could deepen rural poverty22. There had emerged a new phenomenon of ageingrural poor and poor elderly23. The problems related to aid were leakages in