Ms. Puengpit Dulyapach - Director, Agricultural Administrative Development Division, Department of Agricultural Extension, Thailand
Mr. Narciso Deomampo - Representative of Assistant Director General/Regional Representative Asia and the Pacific
Ms. Janet Edmondson - UNFPA Country Support Team Adviser
Dr. Narciso Deomampo, Representative of Assistant Director General of FAO RAP, Dr. William Seiders, Rural Youth Officer from FAO Rome, Dr. Janet Edmondson and Dr. Francisco Roque, UNFPA Country Support Team Advisors, distinguished guests and participants, ladies and gentlemen,
Good morning,
I consider it a pleasure and honor on behalf of the Director General of the Department of Agricultural Extension to extend our warm welcome to the distinguished guests and participants of the Inter-Country Workshop on Population Education for Rural Youth which is opening today in Nakhon Ratchasima.
I am very happy to see all of you, who are aware of the importance of our youth development process of the nation, join these deliberations to exchange opinions and work out recommendation on the future implementation of population education programmes for rural youth in the region. Therefore, I wish to take this opportunity to thank you most sincerely.
Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,
I find the topic of population education to be discussed in this inter-country workshop not only important but also very relevant in the midst of the significant social, economic, as well as, demographic changes in many countries in the region, including Thailand. Due to rapid economic growth and the industrialization processes in the past couple of years, these changes certainly have considerable impact on the life of our rural young people who are our future generation and the very valuable human resource of the country.
I would like to mention here three major problems or issues which have been brought about by these changes. These problems are also faced by Thai rural youth, and I guess a similar situation is also faced by youth in other countries in this region. You may also wish to dwell upon these population issues in this forum:
1. Our out-of-school youth in rural areas generally do not have a chance to increase and improve their capabilities to participate in the rapid development process of the nation. They do not have adequate formal and non-formal education, and even worse they cannot participate in the rural development because while they attended elementary school, they acquire little or no knowledge about rural development;2. There is increasing urbanization as a result of rapid growth in the industrial and construction sectors. Many rural youth seek better employment and higher income security without being equipped with necessary skills and knowledge and are likely to end up as low-paid wage laborers. They receive only limited income, and consequently the number of youth living in the slum areas of the big cities is also increasing.
3. In the era of globalization, many young laborers migrate to more developed countries such as Japan, Hong Kong, and neighboring countries like Singapore and Malaysia. There are both legal and illegal migrants, but it seems that more illegal migrants work in those developed countries and the number is increasing. They are exploited and face social pressure and become marginalized people.
I would say that in general the above mentioned problems occur because many rural youth people find working as a farmer a very hard and low paying job and they want to leave their villages to big cities in search of a better job and better life in the non-agricultural sector. But again unfortunately they have only limited education and do not have adequate skills and knowledge required by this sector.
Indeed there is a great potential for our young people in the countryside to develop their resourcefulness and industry in agriculture and agribusiness which are the main occupations in rural areas. Keeping in view the important contributions of this sector to Gross Domestic Product (GDP), export earnings and employment, the modernization of agriculture, and also the development of agribusiness and agro-industry as we move forward to industrialization, I am sure that our rural youth can improve their lives and have a better future. To achieve this common goal, it is necessary that a continuing education, training and specialized management extension activities be undertaked for youth so that they become positively responsive to the changing structure of the economy.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Realizing the pivotal role of our youth who will be responsible for future development, the Thai Government has laid down policies and stressed the promotion of youth development programs which aim not only to develop young people's fullest potential but also to overcome and lessen their problems. We really want to see these young people attain adequate personal goals, through both formal and non-formal education and the availability of employment, so they can have the opportunity to develop themselves to become useful to society and contribute to their own welfare as well as contribute to national stability.
The actual promotion and implementation of the above development programs requires the cooperation of many government and non-government institutions and international organizations. The Department of Agricultural Extension, is fully prepared to work closely with other agencies, both national and international, in the field of youth development.
In this regard, I wish to convey my sincere appreciation to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the United Nation Population Fund (UNFPA) for their financial and technical assistance in the implementation of the project on Population Education for Rural Youth. I am sure that by participating in the project activities our young people acquire knowledge on relevant population issues that will make them, at least, prepare to face the above challenges.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Now, I wish to declare open this Inter-Country Workshop on Population Education for Rural Youth. I would like to thank all of you for taking part in this workshop, and also to FAO and UNFPA of which financial and technical support has enabled the Department of Agricultural Extension to convene this workshop. And I wish you a happy and successful session.
Thank you.
It is indeed a great pleasure for me to be with you here today. On behalf of Dr. Jacques Diouf, Assistant Director General of the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations, I welcome you to this important workshop It represents the culmination of over ten years of a strong partnership between the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and FAO in the area of population education for out-of-school rural youth.
We greatly appreciate the willingness of the Department of Agricultural Extension of the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives in Thailand to host this workshop. Many hours of hard work have gone into is preparation. We would especially like to thank Mr. Udorn Kajonwaehath, Acting Director General and Mr. Apichai Chingprapa, Chief, Farm Youth Sub-Division and his staff.
This workshop is part of the UNFPA-funded inter-regional project, Integration of population Education Programmes for Rural Youth (INT/92/P94), that is entering its final phase of implementation. Over the course of the project, population education activities have been carried out in Ethiopia and Zimbabwe in Africa; Peru, Colombia, and Bolivia in South America; and China, Vietnam, Indonesia and Thailand in Asia. In addition to the original French, English and Spanish prototypes, the FAO/UNFPA leader guides, which are the foundation of the project, have been adapted and translated into Thai, Vietnamese, H'mong, Bahasa Indonesian and Ahmaric.
A similar workshop took place in Santiago, Chile in November 1996. These workshop provide the opportunity to evaluate the activities carried out; share experiences, information, ideas and resources; and develop strategies to continue the institutionalization of population education in programs targeting rural youth.
We have learned many things over the course of this project. The original design called for the development of leader guides in various languages to be available from FAO Headquarters in hard copy and electronic format in sufficient quantities to supply rural youth programmes worldwide. One of the most important lessons learned is the need to rely less on pre-printed copies of the leader guides and more on strengthening the capacity of local organizations to assess the needs of rural young people through various participatory techniques; identify the high priority issues and messages relating to population education; review relevant existing literature, materials and media; and at the institution level, design, test, print and distribute curriculum materials, accompanied by appropriate training.
Although important, population education is just one facet of FAO's work with rural youth. The broad mission of FAO is to assist member countries strengthen and expand existing rural youth programmes and help create new ones. As a follow-up to the Rome Declaration on World Food Security that came out of the recent World Food Summit, a priority for the next several years will be to provide special assistance to enable rural youth programmes to more effectively mobilize young people for food security and sustainable development.
Youth represent the future and hope of every country. The high return on resources invested in youth today have both immediate and long term benefits. Where they exist and are functioning well, rural youth programmes play an important role in building life skills of individual young people, strengthening families and communities and working towards sustainable agricultural and rural development as a major contributor to the overall progress of a country.
The total youth population in Asia is estimated to be about 968 million or 27 percent of the total. The numbers are expected to grow to 1,129 million young people by the year 2015. Although the total number of youth will remain greater in rural areas over the next ten to fifteen years, all future growth in numbers of youth will be in the cities. This is particularly true for Asia. By the year 2025, worldwide there will be over one billion youth living in the cities, with 700 million remaining in rural areas. Rural youth programmes long into the future will continue to have a very important role helping large numbers of young people who decide to stay in the countryside have more satisfying and productive lives.
Some of the features of rural youth programmes that make them particularly valuable include their ability to successfully promote the application of technology to improve agricultural production on a sustainable basis. Experience has shown that young people are often more open to new ideas and practices than adult farmers. Most programmes also focus on the start-up of agricultural and rural-based non-agricultural income generating activities. Any attempt to enhance the knowledge, skills and experience of young people, and increase their access to resources through rural youth programmes will have an immediate impact on food security.
Belonging to a formal group offers the experience of democratic action with elected officers and structured decision making. Communication and leadership skills gained enable young people to make immediate contributions to their communities. These skills also help them accept formal and informal leadership roles as adults. Through rural youth programmes, special efforts can be made to provide leadership skills training and practical experience to young women to increase women's representation and participation in community organizations. Youth programmes have the potential to empower young people to become agents of change in their local communities. Youth need to be viewed as resources for development rather than as objects of development.
Rural youth programmes can help youth feel good about themselves through positive activities and the achievement of personal and group goals. Much of the destructive behavior among youth in many parts of the world today, in urban and rural communities alike, are caused by low self-esteem. Strong rural youth programmes can help bring about the changes that lead young people toward contributing and productive lives.
Rural youth programmes can provide a safe learning environment where young boys and girls together can effectively discuss and deal with sensitive issues such as gender roles and population education. Boys and girls can learn together and experience proper roles that will eventually lead to changes is attitude in the larger community.
It has been demonstrated over and over again that young people tend to take a special interest in conservation and the management of natural resources. They are often more ready to accept and promote sound environmental practices than adults. Youth have demonstrated a readiness and ability to exert significant influence on society as a whole in this critical area. Rural youth programmes can become a catalyst which energizes the process of environmental education in a country leading to practical applications on a large scale, thus contributing to sustainable development.
Let me again take this opportunity to welcome you to this workshop and wish you all the best over the next three days as you develop strategies to promote the spread of population education among out-of-school rural youth in the region.
Thank you.
Thank you Mr. Apichai and colleagues from the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, the Rural Youth Sub-division, Mr. Seiders from FAO Rome, Mr. Deomampo and Ms. Balakrishnan from FAO Bangkok, Mr. Roque from UNFPA-CST, distinguished participants from China, Indonesia, Thailand, and Vietnam, and other honored colleagues and guests. On behalf of the UNFPA and the Director of the Country Support Team in Bangkok, Mr. Ghazi Farooq, I would like to welcome you and extend our appreciation for your participation in the Inter-Country Workshop on Population Education for Rural Youth.
This workshop is very important to UNFPA because the issues and problems faced by youth and adolescents are a major concern and priority of our population and development efforts in the region. Many of the countries of East and Southeast Asia have experienced impressive development successes in the past 20 years. Most notably, fertility and mortality have declined dramatically, and family planning has been accepted as a means of spacing births and preventing pregnancy in several countries. At the same time, many of the economies of the region have experienced unprecedented growth allowing a higher standard of living for most. Yet in the face of these challenges, much work remains to build sustainable societies where population growth and development activities are in balance with environmental limitations.
In that regard, there is much to do to prepare the next generation's youth and adolescents to be well-informed and responsible leaders and citizens in the vastly changed societies they have inherited from their parents. Indeed, we find ourselves quite unprepared to meet the challenge of addressing the problems faced by youth and adolescents in the region. There are a number of issues which need to be better understood and tackled in population education programmes for youth and adolescents. Of particular concern are the issues faced by rural populations, who too often suffer from the urban bias of many development planners.
As you may know, the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) - the Cairo Meeting - focused special attention on a range of problems facing today's youth and adolescents. Since the Cairo Meeting, the UNFPA has endorsed an operational plan which focuses on three major areas of concern: Reproductive Health and Family Planning (including Sexual Health); Population and Development; and Advocacy. There is much which needs to be done to support youth and adolescents in each of these three areas.
In the area of Reproductive Health and Family Planning, both education programmes and clinical services need to be designed, developed, and implemented. Most youth and adolescents are entering puberty with little knowledge of human biological processes and the consequences of their behavior. They are in urgent need of information, advice, and counseling from parents, families, and community members regarding reproductive health responsibility. Gender issues are very important elements of successful programs since the social and biological issues and concerns of males and females are very different, and need to be addressed as such. Social, cultural, and religious sensitivities also need special consideration. Communities should be involved in the development of educational materials which are appropriate to the local context.
In the area of Population and Development, there are a range of issues which need to be addressed in population education programmes such as: sustainable development, food security, poverty alleviation, the role of youth and adolescents in protecting the environment, and the relationship between health and environment among others. Given the vast economic changes in the region, environmental issues are paramount, and need to be well understood by the next generation.
In the area of Advocacy, more attention needs to be focused on gender equity and equality for females, especially the Girl Child. International research has shown conclusively that a major vehicle for alleviation of poverty among women is the provision of increased educational opportunities. Women's education is also negatively correlated with family size and infant and maternal mortality
These are only a few of the myriad of issues which need to be addressed by population education programs for rural youth and adolescents in the upcoming years. Your hard work on this project is thus of singular importance because it will provide us with in-depth information and new insight based on several years of study and field activities. You are thus in a position to make a timely contribution to the emerging sub-discipline of youth and adolescences, as well as assist with the development of innovative materials, activities, and services, especially designed for rural populations.
We look forward to learning much from your important efforts on the project, and wish you a very productive workshop.
Thank you
