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6Participants’ Executive Summary ProfilesTHE ASIA THINK TANK DIALOGUE REPORTRebuilding Confidence, Restoring LivelihoodsIn February 2009, the Building a Better FutureFoundation and The Asian Strategy & LeadershipInstitute (ASLI) organized The Asia Think TankDialogue in Hong Kong with the theme “RebuildingConfidence, Restoring Livelihoods”. The primaryobjective of this Regional Workshop – attended bythink tanks and strategic thought leaders from HongKong, China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines,Singapore, Bangladesh and Nepal – was to focuson the impact of the global economic crisis on ruralcommunities. The emphasis on rural poor was believednecessary because measures to address the globaleconomic crisis thus far had been largely directedtowards rescuing banks and financial institutions, aswell as assisting the manufacturing, construction andinfrastructure sectors, with insufficient attention given torural development. During the two-day meeting, therewas agreement among the participants that the ruralsector will be hardest hit by the current economic crisisand therefore needed immediate attention.The Dialogue acknowledged the experiences andcontributions of Dr. Thaksin Shinawatra, former PrimeMinister of Thailand, who shared village developmentstrategies and programmes implemented while he wasin office, to assist the rural poor in Thailand, resulting infive million people taken out of poverty in under fiveyears. His reforms included the provision of universalhealthcare, the creation of a village fund and the OneTambon, One Product initiative. He further explained therationale for his strategy of debt suspensions for farmersand the intra-regional measures he undertook to raiserubber prices to more equitable levels. He also stressedthe importance of land reforms.The Dialogue noted the gravity of the global economiccrisis and the impact it has had on jobs, business andinvestor confidence and how it will ultimately affect therural poor. The experiences of Bangladesh, Malaysia,China, Cambodia, the Philippines and Indonesia in ruralpoverty reduction were discussed and noted. Therewas a consensus that more people will be made poorerduring the current slowdown. It was also the collectiveview that governments needed to stimulate economicgrowth as well as to create social safety nets to assist thepoor. Further, it was proposed that economic stimulusplans should focus on rural infrastructure and microprojectsto encourage job creation in rural areas.Asia’s high savings rate received attention and themeeting recognized that Asia held the world’s largestforeign reserves but lacked the intellectual resourcesto effectively manage these financial resources well. Itwas also pointed out that Asia had to move beyondthe export-led growth model to boost its economy inthese times. The promotion of domestic consumptionwas vital as a second engine of growth. Growth had tobe continually promoted to ensure the multiplier effectstrickled down.It was agreed that bold new ideas and fresh ways ofthinking were required in rural development strategiesand that the Think Tanks present at the Dialogue could
THE ASIA THINK TANK DIALOGUE REPORTParticipants’ Profiles Rebuilding Confidence, Restoring Livelihoods Executive Summary 7better accountability and transparency• The expansion of micro-finance to include theprovision of micro-insurance in addition to microcredit• Provision of clean water and sanitation to ruralareas• The development of social enterprises and thepromotion of social entrepreneurship• Forging regional partnerships and the sharing ofbest practices• Addressing the digital divide and equipping ruralareas with computers and Internet access; and• Addressing food security.Besides putting in place the appropriate policies andprogrammes, rural communities could also be assistedby self-help projects. The Dialogue heard specificexamples of such rural development projects whichcould be replicated in other countries to assist the ruralpoor.constitute a permanent regional network for sharingbest practices and facilitating the further exchangeof ideas and research. Training and capacity buildingwere cited as key success factors in rural development.The participants argued that from a macro-perspective,a social safety net for the poor was urgently needed,along with relevant enabling policies. It was agreed thatpriority should be accorded to the following measures:• Developing and enhancing the social security netfor the rural poor• Providing sufficient access to rural healthcare• Improving the quality of rural education, includingskills training and upgrading• Land reforms especially for forest-based and interiorcommunities• Modernization of agriculture to improve ruralincomes• A community-based monitoring system to ensureThe Dialogue concluded that commitment andpolitical will were essential ingredients to implement theright policy frameworks and programmes to addressrural poverty. The need for regional partnershipswas emphasized. Specific projects relating to socialenterprise, healthcare, climate change, the digitaldivide, education and literacy as well as migrantworkers were put forward for deliberation. The Buildinga Better Foundation took responsibility for evaluatingthese suggestions.The Asia Think Tank Dialogue was a timely initiative tostimulate regional discussion and address concernscollectively in respect of rural development. Besidesadding to the body of knowledge on rural poverty, theDialogue helped provide food for thought for policyreform and programme development to bring aboutchange among the teeming millions of Asians who livein rural communities, with implications for the rest of theworld.
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