Henrietta H. Fore couldn't be happier with the way Thailand has made progress in promoting and protecting children's rights in the past 70 years of its presence -- by that name -- in the Kingdom. The Unicef executive director was recently in Thailand, and the success stories of the country through years of governmental policies and support from other agencies couldn't fail to put a smile on her face: the country has almost a 100% rate of birth and healthcare registration, access to clean drinking water, sanitation and primary-school attendance.
However, like a number of developing countries entering the ageing society, Thailand finds itself challenged on how to best support its growing population of children and young people in such a daunting environment, thus creating challenges for both the government and Unicef to iron out.
Fore, who was recently in Thailand for an official visit, sat down with Life to share her thoughts on a number of issues, including the biggest area Unicef has yet to conquer.
"We need more private partners. We are not going to reach the sustainable-development goals with just the government. We need innovations, product services and platforms to try to help young people and children. So if they can come in by our side, we need them," said Fore, who became Unicef's seventh executive director early this year.
She also took the opportunity to thank the public for their support, saying: "As Unicef is funded by voluntary contributions, we rely on public and private donations to help us carry out the work here in Thailand and across the world. The generosity from the Thai public to Unicef during the past decades has been impressive, which certainly helped us make a difference to the lives of children in Thailand and across the world."
During her short visit to the Kingdom, she met HRH Princess Sirindhorn, presenting her with a Unicef Award for her significant contributions and unwavering commitment toward improving the lives of Thai children, especially the destitute.
"When you have the chance to meet HRH the Princess, it becomes an indelible memory. We gave her the Unicef award. It was because of her lifetime of work for children and young people in Thailand. She has been a role model for all of us to learn from."
Another top-priority meeting was with Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, with whom she discussed the numerous challenges facing Thai children today.
Key discussion points among them included investment in human-capital development as well as early-childhood development, of which she spoke about the current child-support grant scheme which provides a monthly allowance of 600 baht for poor children under the age of three. Unicef is currently working toward expanding the scheme, so it covers all children under six years old. She found Gen Prayut to be knowledgeable about issues concerning children and adolescents, and about Unicef's role in their development. They spoke at length about areas they could work on together.
In retrospect, she said they saw eye-to-eye on a number of issues, including the support of village councils in gathering the voices of young people and engaging them in creating solutions for their communities.
She added that the "Gen-U" campaign by Unicef, in which young people come up with solutions for their own local problems, fits into the whole notion of the importance of creating opportunities for youngsters.
Speaking on what steps they hope to take together, Fore said: "We began talking about a conference next year that could include a number of countries in the region where we could talk about how we can move education systems, life skills, work skills and training so that young people are prepared to be productive members of society.
"I think this will be the most important work that any of us can do to look after children and [other] young people. It will also help us reach our sustainable-development goals."
These goals include five overarching areas of well-being for every child: surviving and thriving, learning, protection from violence and exploitation, living in a safe and clean environment, and having a fair chance in life.
Fore also attended "Gen-U" workshops, a Unicef initiative for children and young adults aged 10-24, set up to hear the voices of the young, their needs and concerns. An ideation workshop that, she said, gathered youth from all over the country. Half the attendees were from middle-class backgrounds, which meant they had opportunities in life. The rest were from less well-off families, poor to marginalised groups, which included youth with disabilities, HIV carriers and others that might have or are currently serving time in juvenile training centers.
Both groups shared issues they were facing and possible solutions and ideas that stem from them, which were then rated by judges.
One that took her attention came from a youth that was serving time at a juvenile-training centre.
The suggestion was on how to impress a potential employer. Explaining how it went, Fore remarked: "So basically the idea was to create a video of the position you desire to apply for. Say you're interested becoming a welder or an electrician -- you create a little video of doing that and post it along with your resume on the job website.
"I think getting that in a resume would be appealing for an employer. They happen to be in juvenile training centres so they will have a little harder time perhaps being seen by employers. This would be an excellent way for them to be seen, wouldn't you agree?"
Another poignant moment for the Unicef chief was her visit to the Klong Toey slums, where she met some of the recipients of their child-support grant.
Fore described the encounter with a 17-year-old mother of three as a reminder of how pivotal the grant was for families with few resources to fall back on.
Relating the encounter, she said the 17-year-old mother had just given birth to her third child. This is very difficult because she doesn't have a job or an income. The child-support grant makes a very big difference in her life. She is doing her best to raise her children and give them an education, but you need nutrition and food and books, and you need to find a way to make sure they find sufficient health care at a very early age.
"This is very important, and it was true for the families I met. So I can see the value of the child-support grant here in Thailand. It has been an example that has impressed the world. A lot of countries are interested in it and I can see why.
"The discussions that are ongoing about increasing the age range -- it is now for children three years old and under; there is a national discussion about whether it should be taken up to six -- I think it is a very important discussion for Thailand as a country to pursue."
